Registering and Transferring .CA Domains: CIRA Rules & Process

Who can hold a .ca domain

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages .ca. Its Canadian Presence Requirements list eligible registrants, including:

• Canadian citizens and permanent residents
• Corporations incorporated under Canadian federal, provincial or territorial law
• Trusts, partnerships and associations meeting Canadian presence criteria
• Canadian educational institutions, hospitals, libraries and government bodies
• Owners of a Canadian-registered trademark (for a domain matching that trademark)
• Indigenous peoples and Indigenous collectivities of Canada

Transferring a .ca domain

1. Log in to your current registrar and confirm the registrant contact details are correct.
2. Turn off the registrar lock (sometimes called transfer lock).
3. Request the authorisation code (EPP or auth-info code). Treat it like a password.
4. At the new registrar, start a transfer, enter the code and pay; most transfers add a year to the registration.
5. Watch for confirmation emails and approve any request.
6. Once complete, re-enable the lock and two-factor authentication at the new registrar.

Avoiding downtime

Transferring the registration does not have to change DNS. If your DNS is hosted at the old registrar and will be switched off, copy every record to the new DNS host first, verify with dig against the new nameservers, then change the nameservers. See our DNS records guide.

Common transfer blockers

• Domain still locked, or registrant email out of date.
• Domain close to expiry or recently changed registrant.
• Auth code mistyped or expired — request a fresh one.

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