Country extension · China
.中国 domain name
What you need to know about .中国: who can register it, which details are required and how transferring works.
Specifications
The key details of .中国
- Country
- China
- Registry
- cnnic.cn
- Registration period
- 1 to 10 years
- Renewal period
- 1 to 10 years
- Domain name length
- 1 to 63 characters
- Time to registration
- up to 5 working days
- Renewal on transfer
- yes, transferring renews the domain
- Transfer code length
- 6 to 16 characters
- Transfer lock available
- yes
- Number of nameservers
- 1 to 13
- Quarantine after deletion
- 15 days
- Punycode
- xn--fiqs8s
Features
- DNSSEC: no
- IPv6: yesThe nameservers for this extension can also be reached over IPv6.
- Special characters: yesDomain names with letters such as é, ü or ø (and sometimes other scripts) are possible.
- Whois privacy: no
- Trustee: no
Requirements
Who can register a .中国?
- Individuals and businesses outside China can register a .中国 domain name. Registrants from China or Hong Kong are not accepted.
- The Chinese registry CNNIC requires real-name verification: as the registrant, you provide the real name of a person and submit proof of identity.
- The registrant's name must match the name on the proof of identity or the company registration certificate exactly, including the legal form, for example LTD.
- The full name on your proof of identity must not contain any special characters, such as ä, ü, ö or é. Otherwise CNNIC can't verify your document and the application will fail.
- Is the registrant a business and does your own name contain special characters? Then you can register the domain in the name of someone else within the business. That person must have a name without special characters and be willing to submit their proof of identity.
- You must comply with CNNIC's rules and dispute resolution policy and with Chinese regulations on domain names.
- You may not use the domain name for content that CNNIC considers to be in breach of Chinese law. This includes content that harms national security or public order, as well as pornography, gambling, violence and defamation.
- Is your website's web server located in mainland China itself, so not in Hong Kong or Macau? Then you need a valid ICP number from the Chinese ministry MIIT. You can only get this number if you have a branch in China.
- You are responsible for the consequences of any violations yourself, including if the domain is suspended as a result. CNNIC and the registrar are not liable for this.
Additional details for registration
- If you register as a business or organisation, you provide the name of the responsible person within the business.
- If your web server is located in mainland China itself, you provide the ICP number from MIIT.
Documents
- As an individual, you include a scan or photo of an official proof of identity, such as a passport, identity card or driving licence. Your name must appear on the document.
- As a business or organisation, you include a scan or copy of your business licence or an extract from the trade register. A copy of a passport or identity card is then not required.
- You submit the documents by email as a jpg, jpeg, png or gif file of no more than 1 MB.
- A signed declaration is no longer required.
Good to know when registering
- CNNIC checks every application manually, so the registration isn't completed straight away.
- If the documents haven't been received after 8 days, the registration will fail.
- When you apply, you confirm that your documents are genuine, accurate and complete. You also confirm that you have read and understood CNNIC's rules.
Transfer
Transferring a .中国
- To transfer a domain, you need a transfer code. Without the correct code, the transfer will fail.
- The domain must be at least 60 days old, otherwise the transfer will be refused.
- The domain must not be locked. You can check this in the WHOIS. If the domain is locked, you can ask for the lock to be removed as the registrant.
- The transfer requires a signed request from the registrant.
- CNNIC's real-name verification also applies to transfers, so you submit a proof of identity.
- Start the transfer in good time and not just before the domain expires.
The transfer code
- You need a transfer code. As the registrant or administrative contact, you request it from your current registrar.
- Check that the code is correct before the transfer, otherwise the transfer will fail.
Owner
Change of registrant
Change of registrant
- If you want to change the registrant's name or organisation, an official change of registrant is required. A regular change of details isn't enough for this.
- The new registrant submits a copy of a proof of identity or passport. If the new registrant is a business, this is a copy of the business licence.
- You submit the documents by email as a jpg, jpeg, png or gif file of no more than 1 MB.
- A change of registrant isn't processed straight away, so allow for some waiting time.
- If the domain was held under a previously offered trustee service, you can transfer it to a registrant of your own.
Renewal, cancellation and quarantine
- If you restore a domain from quarantine, it won't be active at first. It will only work again once nameservers have been set up again. The registrar takes care of this for you.
More information
Registry rules and links
- Registry website cnnic.cn
- Dispute resolution policy www1.cnnic.cn
- Registry terms and conditions cnnic.net.cn
Compiled from the registry's rules. Registries sometimes change their rules; if in doubt, the registry's terms take precedence. Updated on 11/11/2026.