Guide

How to register
a .cy or .com.cy domain

What it costs, who can register and which extension suits you, based on the official .cy registry.

.cy is the country domain of Cyprus. It is run by the University of Cyprus through the .cy Registry (nic.cy), and today you can register either the familiar yourbusiness.com.cy or the shorter yourbusiness.cy. You do not need to live in Cyprus.

Which extension to choose

ExtensionWho can register it
.cyAnyone, person or business, from any country
.com.cyAnyone. It is the open category and the best known in Cyprus
.ltd.cyLimited companies on the Cyprus register of companies
.biz.cyOther companies on the register of companies
.org.cyNon profit organisations, associations and foundations
.pro.cyProfessional organisations and businesses
.tm.cyHolders of a registered trade mark
.ac.cy, .gov.cy, .net.cy, .press.cyEducational institutions, government, licensed telecom providers and the press

For a business aimed at Cyprus, .com.cy is what people recognise straight away. If the same name is free as a plain .cy, it is worth keeping that too, since it is shorter and cheap. If you also have customers outside Cyprus, a .com completes the set. The website lives on one of them and the others forward visitors there.

What it costs

What you pay forRegistry fee
Registration or renewal for 1 year€20
Registration or renewal for 2 years€30
Registration or renewal for 5 years€50
Change of owner€10
Reactivation after expiry€10 plus the renewal
Certificate of registration€5

These are the official registry fees, VAT included. If a hosting company registers it for you, it usually adds a management charge. Five years works out cheaper and saves you worrying about renewals.

Registration step by step

1Check it is free. Type the name into the registry's Whois search and you see at once whether someone has it.
2Open an account in the registry system with your own or your business details.
3Apply and pay. The amount is held on your card and only charged if the application is approved.
4The registry answers within one working day. It may ask for ID or, for a company, a certificate of incorporation, which you upload within three working days or the application is rejected.
5Point the domain at your website. You enter two nameservers from your hosting company. The registry publishes changes every three hours, so it does not always work immediately.

Names that are refused

Fewer than three characters. A name needs 3 to 63 characters.
Greek letters. Only Latin letters, digits and the hyphen are allowed, and the hyphen cannot come first or last. If your name is Greek, our greeklish tool gives you the standard Latin spelling.
Bare place names. limassol.cy is only given to authorities. With the business in the name, such as limassolbakery.cy, it is accepted.
Confusing names. Names so close to existing ones that they mislead people, or that clash with someone else's trade mark.
Offensive or unlawful names, and names that look registered only to be resold.

Renewal, expiry and transfer

The registry emails you a month before expiry and then weekly. If you have not paid by the expiry date, the domain is deactivated and your website and email stop. You then have ten working days to reactivate it for €10 plus the renewal. After that it is released and anyone can register it.

To move it to someone else, for example from your own name to your new company, you apply through the system and pay €10. The expiry date stays the same.

The most common domain problem is that it was registered in the name or email of someone no longer in the business, such as a former partner or an employee who left. Expiry notices go to an inbox nobody reads, and one day the website goes dark. Make sure you are the owner and that registry emails reach an address you check.

Sources: nic.cy, its official fee list and Regulatory Decision 416/2021 on .cy names. Checked September 2026.

Common questions

Can I register a .cy domain if I do not live in Cyprus?
Yes. Anyone may apply, person or company, whether or not they are resident in Cyprus. The .ltd.cy, .biz.cy, .org.cy and other special categories need the matching registration, but .cy and .com.cy are open.
Do I own the domain?
You get a licence to use it for as long as you pay, not ownership. While you renew it nobody else can take it, and you can transfer it to someone else by application.
Can a .cy domain use Greek letters?
No. Only Latin letters, digits and the hyphen are allowed. You write the Greek name in Latin characters.
How long does it take to work?
The registry approves within one working day unless it asks for documents. Once pointed at your hosting, changes go live within a few hours.
Should I also get a .com?
If you serve customers outside Cyprus, or worry someone will take the same name as .com, yes. It costs a few euros a year and simply forwards visitors to your main domain.

Read next

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