.cy or .com: Which Domain Should a Cyprus Business Use?

What are your options?

There are three common choices for a Cyprus business, and one trap.

The trap is not owning the variants. Registering name.cy does not reserve name.com.cy, as the registry says, and the endings are not linked.

Who can register, and for how much?

The registry for .cy, nic.cy, says anyone can register, including people and organizations outside Cyprus, and that an authorized representative may apply for you. Names must be 3 to 63 characters, using Latin letters, digits and hyphens, and a hyphen cannot start or end a name.

Fees from the registry's table, including VAT:

The table lists a single schedule and does not break fees down by ending. Registrars that sell .cy on the registry's behalf may price differently, so compare before buying. Registration can run for one, two or five calendar years, and there are no reservations or waiting lists for names already taken. Use the registry's WHOIS to check availability.

What does Google say about the ending?

Google's documentation says a country-code domain such as .cy is a strong signal that your site is meant for a particular country, and that a generic domain such as .com is not tied to a location, so you need other ways to signal a target. It lists the trade-off plainly: a country domain gives clear geotargeting but can target only one country and can be harder to obtain.

That means the ending is a signal, not a ranking switch. We have no data showing that a .cy ranks better than a .com for the same content. Language, relevance and links do more of the work.

If you serve several languages, Google recommends separate URLs for each, such as a /el/ and /en/ folder, and advises against redirecting visitors automatically by language. Our international SEO strategy guide covers the set-up.

What the registration period means in money

The fee table rewards longer terms. Paying yearly for five years costs 5 times EUR 20, which is EUR 100. The five-year registration costs EUR 50, so it saves EUR 50 and removes five renewal dates. The two-year option at EUR 30 saves EUR 10 against paying EUR 20 twice. If you are sure about the name, choose the longer term. If the business is still a test, the one-year term costs little to abandon.

Compare that with the cost of getting the choice wrong. Changing a live domain later means redirects, updating every listing and email address, and a dip in traffic while search engines catch up. The registration fee is small next to that.

A decision rule

1. Do you sell outside Cyprus now, or within two years? Use .com as the main domain.
2. Are your customers local and does a Cyprus identity help? Use .cy or .com.cy as the main domain.
3. Can you afford both? Register both, and redirect the secondary to the main one with a permanent redirect.
4. Are you a company that may expand to another country? Start with .com so you do not have to migrate later.

Migrating a live site from one domain to another is possible, but it needs planning. See redesigning a website without losing SEO.

Practical rules for any domain

• Register it in your own name or your company's. If a freelancer holds it, you need their cooperation to renew or move it. The registry charges EUR 10 for an ownership change, so errors can be fixed, but do not rely on that.
• Keep renewal dates in a shared calendar. A lapsed domain takes email down too.
• Use the same name everywhere. Match your domain to your Google Business Profile and your registered brand where possible.
• Check trademarks. The registry advises registering the brand name as a domain to protect it, and offers tm.cy for trademarks registered at the EU Intellectual Property Office.
• DNSSEC is optional. The registry signs the zone, and owners can opt in.
• Hosting is separate. The registry says domain assignment is independent of website creation and hosting.

If you hold more than one domain: a redirect checklist

1. Pick one main domain and use it in your Google profile, email signature, invoices and printed material.
2. Point every other domain at it with a permanent (301) redirect, page to matching page where you can, and not everything to the home page.
3. Keep the redirects live for as long as you hold the old domain.
4. Set up email on the main domain first, and forward mail from the others for a while.
5. Add the main domain to your analytics and search console accounts, and check them after a month.
6. Write the renewal dates for all domains in one place.

Next step

If you have just formed a company, pick the domain before you print business cards. Our launch checklist for new Cyprus companies lists the order. For costs, see the website cost guide, and if you want help with a build, our web design page explains what we do.