When does a .cc domain expire and drop?
An expired .cc drops about 80 days later. Here is that timeline in full, plus who runs .cc, what it is used for, and how to register one.
An expired .cc is released about 80 days after expiry, running a full grace, redemption and pending-delete lifecycle. .cc is the country code of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, operated commercially by Verisign on its gTLD platform and marketed worldwide as an open, short alternative to .com.
- Registry
- Verisign
- Backend
- Verisign
- Type
- ccTLD
- Country
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Delegated
- 1997-10-13
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Open
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Grace
- 45 days
- Redemption
- 30 days
- Pending delete
- 5 days
- Expiry to drop
- 80 days
- Daily drop window
- 13:00–20:00 UTC
A country code sold as generic
.cc is technically the country code of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, but Verisign runs it on the same registry platform and lifecycle as a generic: up to 45 days of renewal grace, 30 days of redemption, and a 5-day pending delete.
It has been marketed globally as a short, unrestricted alternative to .com rather than as a national extension, and has particular recognition in some Asian markets. Its drop stream mixes real sites with lapsed speculation, so a watchlist is how you tell a name heading for release from one that will be renewed.
Who runs .cc, and since when
.cc is the country code of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, delegated in 1997 and operated commercially by Verisign, which markets it worldwide rather than restricting it to the territory.
Because it is a country code run on a commercial platform rather than an ICANN-contracted gTLD, its rules are the operator's to set, but it publishes the same stages and statuses as a generic, which our engine re-verifies against the live record.
How to register a .cc domain
A .cc is open to anyone worldwide with no local-presence or eligibility rule; it is sold as a generic short extension, not as a national one.
Because it is short and unrestricted, .cc attracts both brand use and speculation, so many lapsed names drop uncontested. An expiring .cc you want follows the same stages as a generic; watch it and act at pending delete.
- Open registration: anyone worldwide can hold a .cc domain, with no local-presence requirement.
- Register through any accredited registrar; the registry sells wholesale, not direct to the public.
- Labels run up to 63 characters using letters, digits and hyphens, never starting or ending with a hyphen.
- Registration is annual and renewable; an unrenewed name enters the deletion timeline below.
The .cc timeline, stage by stage
The stages an unrenewed .cc passes through, each at its published length.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal grace: about 45 days | Day 0 to 45 after expiry | The registration has expired but the current owner can still renew at the normal price, usually through their registrar. The name often stops resolving during this window, and nobody else can register it. Registrars frequently delete earlier than the final day, which starts the rest of the timeline early. |
| Redemption: about 30 days | Day 45 to 75 after expiry | Deletion has begun. Only the current registrant can recover the name now, typically by paying a restore fee on top of the renewal, and it cannot be registered by anyone else. A restore during this stage is a strong signal the name will not drop. |
| Pending delete: 5 days | Day 75 to 80 after expiry | The point of no return. Recovery is no longer possible for anyone, including the original owner, and the registry releases the name at the end of this fixed window. This is the stage worth acting on if you want the name. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 80 | The name leaves the registry's deletion pipeline and returns to the public pool, registrable at the standard price on a first-come basis through any registrar. Availability monitoring exists to catch this moment. |
.cc technical profile
How .cc publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS and RDAP
Registration data for every .cc domain is queryable over RDAP at https://tld-rdap.verisign.com/cc/v1/ and legacy WHOIS at ccwhois.verisign-grs.com, so status, dates and record changes are machine-readable, which is exactly what our monitoring reads.
DNSSEC
The .cc registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .cc registry supports internationalized domain names, so labels in non-Latin scripts register as punycode alongside ordinary ASCII names.
https://tld-rdap.verisign.com/cc/v1/
ccwhois.verisign-grs.com
Running on Verisign's gTLD platform, .cc publishes the same EPP statuses and RDAP records as a generic, which is what makes its drop timing knowable where most country codes are not.
Is .cc a good domain?
Where .cc fits, and its trade-off.
A short .com alternative
Two letters and unrestricted, .cc is often reached for when the matching .com is gone and a compact address matters, and it reads as generic rather than tied to any country.
Recognition in Asia
Marketing and usage have given .cc a foothold in several Asian markets, where it carries more familiarity than its origins as a small-territory country code would suggest.
A trust gap
For a primary customer-facing brand, .cc carries less trust than .com and has attracted abuse, so many owners use it as a companion or redirect rather than a main domain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .cc domains.
What is .cc, and who runs it?
.cc is the country code of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, delegated in 1997 and operated commercially by Verisign on its gTLD platform, marketed worldwide as a short alternative to .com.
How long does it take for an expired .cc to drop?
About 80 days: up to 45 days of renewal grace, 30 days of redemption, then 5 days of pending delete. Registrars often delete before the end of grace; the pending-delete window is fixed.
Is .cc a good domain to register?
As a short, unrestricted alternative when the .com is taken it works, and it has real recognition in some Asian markets. For a primary brand it carries less trust than .com, so many owners use it alongside a main domain.
What is the best way to get a .cc that is expiring?
Watch it and act at the pending-delete stage. Most lapsed .cc names are uncontested, so an alert at release is usually early enough to hand-register.
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