Register a .co domain

The .co registry sells two different things at once. To a Colombian business it is a national address. To a startup elsewhere it is a four-letter brand extension that happens to read as company. Both readings are real, and the one your customers use decides whether the domain helps or confuses.

What .co is, and what people hear

The .co extension is the country-code top-level domain for Colombia. Anyone can register .co, .com.co, .net.co and .nom.co names on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no local presence requirement for the main .co extension.

Outside Colombia, the letters read as company, commerce or community. That is why the extension shows up on startups, product sites and short redirects. It is also why some buyers assume a .co is a .com with a letter missing.

The reading is not universal. In Colombia, .co is a national address. Everywhere else, it is a short brand extension. Neither is wrong, but you should know which one you are buying before you print it.

When .co earns its place

A .co works when most of these are true:

• The .com is taken and the .co is a deliberate short alternative, not a typo of someone else's brand.
• The name is short enough that dropping three letters actually matters.
• Your audience is comfortable with startup and product extensions.
• You will keep the .com too, or you have a plan for the mistyped traffic.
• The 1 to 5 year term and the renewal fit the budget.

It is the wrong call when your customers only trust .com, when the name is already someone else's trademark, or when you are buying .co to avoid a harder naming decision. A shorter extension does not make a weak name memorable.

If you are weighing the two directly, the .co and .com comparison sets out the trade-off without pretending one wins everywhere.

Where to see the price

A .co registration and a .co renewal are separate charges, and the first-year offer is not a promise about the renewal. The registry allows terms of 1 to 5 years, so you can choose how long to prepay.

This page does not quote a number. The search result and the checkout page show the current registration and renewal prices for the exact name you want, including whether it is a standard registration or a premium listing.

The help article also states that a transfer in includes one free year of registration, with additional years available after the transfer completes. Confirm that in the checkout flow before you rely on it. Email and hosting are separate products, not part of the domain.

How .co registrations work

These are the current rules for .co, as listed in the .co help article:

• Registration and renewal terms: 1 to 5 years.
• Who can register: anyone, on a first-come, first-served basis. The same rules apply to .co, .com.co, .net.co and .nom.co.
• Name rules: 1 to 63 characters, letters, numbers and hyphens. A hyphen cannot sit in the third and fourth positions. Special characters are not allowed, and internationalized domain names are supported.
• Renewals: you can renew manually before expiry. Auto-renew is attempted 1 day after expiration, and the domain is parked after the first failed billing attempt. Redemption fees may apply 19 days after expiration.
• Transfers: moving a .co in or away is supported. A transfer in includes one free year of registration, with additional years available after it completes.
• Privacy: Domain Privacy and Domain Protection are supported.
• DNS: 0 to 13 nameservers, with IPv4, IPv6 and DNSSEC supported.

Registry rules and provider policies can change. Treat this as a summary of current practice, not a permanent guarantee.

How to check availability without wasting time

1. Search the exact name first, then the .com if you have not already.
2. Read whether the result is a standard registration or a premium listing.
3. Do not assume a .co is available because the .com is taken, or the other way around.
4. If the name is taken, do not add a hyphen just to stay on .co. Choose a different name.

If both extensions are gone, work through the realistic alternatives before you buy a compromise.

The .co fit test

Answer five questions honestly.

Reading the result

• Four or five yes: the .co is a credible primary address.
• Two or three yes: buy it as a redirect or defensive registration, not as the main brand.
• One or none: keep looking. A different name on .com is usually stronger.

Who this is for

This page is for founders and brand owners who have a short name in mind and want to know whether .co can carry it. It also fits Colombian businesses that want a national address, and owners who already hold a .com and are deciding whether the .co is worth adding.

It is less useful if your customers are nontechnical, if the brand depends on being mistaken for a .com, or if the only reason to buy is that the .co is cheaper this year.

Before you register

• Trademark conflicts. A .co can belong to a different owner than the .com. Search before you build a brand on it.
• Mistyped email. If you own only the .co, mail sent to the .com goes somewhere else. Decide whether that matters.
• Renewal budget. Check the renewal price and the term length before you register.
• Privacy. Supported on .co, but confirm it at checkout.
• Location signal. If you serve Colombian customers, say so on the site. The extension alone does not prove local presence.
• Expansion. Check that the name still fits if you add products or markets.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed: 2026-10-19. This page describes current practice and general information. Prices and registry policies can change.