.cc Domain: A Short, Generic-Feeling Alternative
.cc is technically the country code domain (ccTLD) of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands; the sponsoring body on behalf of the islands is eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd., technical operation sits with VeriSign Global Registry Services, and the extension entered the root zone on 13 October 1997. Today it reads less like a country marker and more like a generic abbreviation: users and site owners alike treat .cc as a general-purpose option rather than a country-targeted one.
You need no connection to the islands in order to register; the extension carries no restrictions and anyone can register in their own name. Because two letters can stand for many things, .cc is used with different meanings in different circles: sports clubs, communities and projects hunting for a short address all pick it up. If your brand name or abbreviation ends in the letters themselves, address and name fuse into one piece.
The practical advantage here is that short names long closed off on .com can still be found in this extension. The trade-off is spoken use: you have to pronounce the ending clearly, because the person listening is conditioned to expect .com. Writing the address out in full on a business card or in an advertisement removes that risk entirely. Check whether the name you have in mind is free on the domain search page.
.CC Domain at a Glance
- Sponsoring organisation eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd. (Island Internet Services)
- Technical operator VeriSign Global Registry Services
- Delegated 13 October 1997
- Prominent use Short, general-purpose brand addresses
- Document Requirement There are no requirements for buying .cc domain registration
- Country Cocos Islands
- Character Length 1 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 1 - 13 servers
.cc Domain Prices — No Surprise Fees
Registration, transfer and renewal fees are listed separately. The renewal price can differ from the first-year price, so you see both up front.
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New Registration
$18.99 / years -
Transfer
$19.99 / years -
Renewal
$25.30 / years -
Restore
$59.90 -
Late Renewal
$5.06
Included With Every .cc Domain
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Free DNS management
Change A, MX, TXT and CNAME records yourself from the panel — no waiting on anyone when you move a site or mailbox.
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Domain lock
While the lock is on, nobody can move your domain to another registrar without your approval.
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Domain forwarding
Point the domain at your existing site, a campaign page or a social profile — at no extra cost.
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Free WHOIS privacy
Your name, address and phone stay out of public WHOIS records, which cuts down spam and scam calls.
.cc Domain Lifecycle
Domain lifecycle
The stages in order, from registration to releaseDomain Is Available (Available)
A .cc address at this stage has not been taken yet, and it goes to whoever registers first. Check the name you have in mind — if it is free, it can be yours within minutes.
Domain Is Active (Active Period)
Once registration is complete the domain is yours for the term you chose. You can renew at any point before expiry to keep it uninterrupted, or switch on auto-renewal so you never have to watch the date.
Redemption Period (Redemption Period)
The domain is not released the moment it expires — during this window it is still yours and can be recovered. Some extensions charge an extra restore fee at this stage, so renewing before expiry is always the cheaper route.
Pending Delete Period (Pending Delete Period)
If the redemption window is missed too, the domain enters the final stage and waits to be deleted. Renewal and recovery are no longer possible here; when the period ends the registration is removed for good.
Domain Is Available Again
Once deletion completes, the domain leaves the system and anyone can register it — popular names are often taken the same minute by someone watching. Keep auto-renewal on so a name you care about never gets this far.
.cc Domain Specifications and Registration Rules
Registration conditions, supported features and the registry's own timelines in a single table.
.cc Domain Registration
- Document Requirement There are no requirements for buying .cc domain registration
- Country Cocos Islands
- Character Length 1 - 63 characters
- Registration Period 1 - 10 years
- Name Server Count 1 - 13 servers
.cc Domain Support
- IDN Support No
- Transfer Support Yes
- Late Renewal Support Yes
.cc Domain Registration Periods
- Registration Periods 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 years
- Renewal Periods 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 years
- Pre-registration 1 days
- Accounting Period 45 days
- Finalization Period 1 days
- Failure Period 45 days
- Payment Period 45 days
- Redemption Period 30 days
- Deletion Hold Period 30 days
- Renewal Time 30 Day
Frequently Asked Questions About .cc Domains
The questions people actually ask before registering — answered plainly.
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No. The extension carries no registration restrictions; you do not need a connection to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a company there or a local contact, and no documents are requested at registration. Names are registered directly at the second level. An individual applying from abroad and an international brand can both hold the name in their own right.
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.cc is the country code domain of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean. The sponsoring organisation on behalf of the islands is eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd., and technical operation belongs to VeriSign Global Registry Services. That origin is accurate, but it does not describe how the extension is used today: .cc is usually chosen for its brevity and general feel rather than for the country behind it.
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In most cases, yes. Because short and memorable names are largely exhausted on .com, your chances of finding the same word on .cc are noticeably better. The trade-off is spoken sharing: you have to say the ending clearly, since listeners are conditioned to expect .com. In written channels the issue disappears — wherever you print the address in full, the confusion goes away.
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For brands whose name or abbreviation ends in these two letters it is an immediate win, because name and extension fuse into one piece. Sports clubs, communities and projects hunting for a short address also pick it often. If you are choosing a main corporate address and your audience sits in one particular country, that country's own extension usually sends a stronger local signal.
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A transfer starts when you obtain the authorisation code from your current provider and confirm the name is not locked against transfer. Your site and email keep working while it runs, and the registration time you have left is preserved. Do not try to move a name you have only just registered, as transfers are usually refused in the first days. Start on the domain transfer page.
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Yes, a privacy service is available on this extension, so your registration details can be masked in lookup results. You can see what a given name returns today on the whois search page. Even with privacy enabled the domain remains registered to you; the service only keeps your contact details out of the public lookup and leaves ownership and rights untouched.
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