I want to register a domain name that has a .ca extension, but it's asking me if I am current Canadian citizen. What can happen to me if I lie about it and continue with registration?
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3 Answers
Falsifying the information would give them grounds to revoke the domain. You must meet the "Canadian Presence Requirements" to own a .CA domain.
There are ways of legally buying a .CA domain without being a citizen of Canada though. Linked is a full list, some of the exclusions in the list being:
- Official marks registered in Canada
- Trade-mark registered in Canada by non-Canadian owner
- Legal Representative of a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
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The URL is stale now, and it would be anyway better to give a link to some registry documentation instead of one of a particular registrar. Such as cira.ca/ca-domains/register-your-ca-domain/requirements that spells out in full the requirements for a .CA Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 13:54
If you are not Canadian citizen, the only safe way to register a .ca domain is to have a trademark registered in Canada. The problem is that this take time (at least one year).
Another solution that you might consider is to ask a Canadian resident to register your domain for you. If you do not know any Canadian that is willing to do this for you, you can search a freelance in Upwork or Freelancer.
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With the huge caveat then that technically and contractually the domain is not really yours, at least in the eyes of the registry. When you will start to have problems, either with the third party you used to register it, or because there is some external dispute on the name or things like that, you will almost have no power to do anything, because the domain is just not yours. Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 13:55
Sadly, what John has said is correct. The only way to register a .ca domain as a non-Canadian citizen is to register a trademark, first. Popular domain registrars usually can provide a trustee service where their contacts who do fulfill one of the "Canadian Presence Requirements" register the domain themselves, then hand it over to you. It's a tried and reliable way of registering domains like the .CA one where you need to prove you're either residing there or have a trademark, but the problem is that I can't find any registrar that offers trustee services for Canada anymore.
So, to recap:
- There are trustee services that can help you with registering a .CA domain without having a trademark, but it's hard to find
- the only other way is to first register a trademark in .CA through the use of a trademark registrar, but this takes a LONG time (17 months, to be exact.) and may not be the solution you desire.
- Lastly, you can have a contact of your own in Canada who might be able to register the domain for you, but I suggest that you choose someone you can trust.
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1I edited your question to remove the recommendations you gave for companies that provide these services. Such recommendations from new users are often spam or self-promotion. Once you have answered many questions here, you may provide recommendations provided any affiliations you have are disclosed. See our help center for more details. Commented Dec 6, 2021 at 12:26