When does a .cn domain expire and drop?
- Expiry to drop
- 45 days
- Grace
- 30 days
- Redemption
- 15 days
- Pending delete
- None
An expired .cn is released about 45 days after expiry: about 30 days of renewal grace, then about 15 days of redemption in which the holder can still recover it for a fee. There is no pending-delete stage. .cn is the country code of China, run by CNNIC, and every holder must pass real-name verification.
Check a .cn expiry dateThe .cn timeline, stage by stage
The stages an unrenewed .cn passes through before release.
| Stage | Window | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal grace: about 30 days | Day 0 to 30 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 15 days | Day 30 to 45 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. |
| Released: registrable by anyone | From about day 45 | 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. |
.cn at a glance
- Registry
- CNNIC
- Backend
- CNNIC
- Type
- ccTLD
- Country
- China
- Delegated
- 1990-11-28
- DNSSEC
- Yes
- IDN
- Yes
- Restrictions
- Verified
- Label length
- 1–63 chars
- Grace
- 30 days
- Redemption
- 15 days
- Expiry to drop
- 45 days
Grace, redemption, then release
An unrenewed .cn has about 30 days of renewal grace, then about 15 days of redemption. Then it is deleted and released.
Accredited registrars agree on the total but describe the split between the two stages differently, and the registry does not publish one figure. Treat the stage dates as approximate and watch the live status for the real transition.
Who runs .cn, and since when
.cn is the country code of China, delegated in 1990 and run by CNNIC, the China Internet Network Information Center.
Our engine re-verifies a .cn name's stage against its live record rather than relying on the registrar-published durations alone.
How to register a .cn domain
A .cn can be registered by foreign individuals and companies, but every holder must pass real-name verification with identity documents before the name will resolve.
- Real-name verification required: holders submit identity or company documents, and an unverified name is put on hold.
- Register through a registrar accredited for .cn; not every registrar sells it.
- Chinese characters are supported as internationalized names.
- Registration is renewable; an unrenewed name enters the timeline below.
Verification applies to whoever catches a drop too: a caught .cn does not resolve until its new holder is verified.
.cn technical profile
How .cn publishes registration data, secures its zone, and handles non-Latin names.
WHOIS lookups
Registration data for a .cn domain is queryable over WHOIS at whois.cnnic.cn. The registry does not publish an RDAP service in the IANA bootstrap, so status and dates are read from WHOIS, which is what our monitoring reads.
DNSSEC
The .cn registry supports DNSSEC, so a domain can publish DS records and let resolvers cryptographically validate its DNS answers against tampering.
Internationalized names
The .cn registry supports Chinese-character names, which register as punycode alongside ordinary ASCII names.
- WHOIS
- whois.cnnic.cn
The registry signs the .cn zone for DNSSEC and publishes standard statuses over WHOIS, so a name's move into redemption is visible on its record.
Is .cn a good domain?
Where .cn fits, and the constraint.
A Chinese address
For a business serving mainland China, .cn or .com.cn signals local presence to customers and search engines there.
Brand protection
Many international brands hold their .cn defensively, to keep it from squatters in a large market.
The verification constraint
Real-name verification adds paperwork and rules out anonymous holding, for owners and drop catchers alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about .cn domains.
What is a .cn domain?
.cn is the country code top-level domain of China, delegated in 1990 and run by CNNIC.
How long does it take for an expired .cn to drop?
About 45 days: about 30 days of grace, then about 15 days of redemption, then release. Registrars describe the split between the two stages differently.
Can a foreigner register a .cn domain?
Yes, through a registrar accredited for .cn, but you must pass real-name verification with identity or company documents.
What is real-name verification?
The registry requires every holder's identity to be verified with documents. Until it is, the name is held and does not resolve.