A tiny territory, a two-letter blank slate
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a pair of coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, an external territory of Australia with only a few hundred residents. Their country code, .cc, has been marketed worldwide for years, and it's operated by Verisign, the company behind .com and .net.
Because "cc" doesn't spell anything specific, people use it as a short, neutral alternative — for clubs, communities and creative projects.
Good for
- Short brandable names
- Communities, clubs and "creative commons"-style projects
Watch out for
- Mixed reputation in some spam filters
.cc by the numbers
.cc is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cocos (Keeling) Islands, a territory in Australia and New Zealand.
Outside Cocos (Keeling) Islands, plenty of people know .cc for a different reason: it reads as a short, generic-looking alternative. That second meaning doesn't change who's in charge, though. The domain still belongs to Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and its registry sets the rules.
A little context on Cocos (Keeling) Islands: the capital is West Island, the main language is English, the currency is the Australian dollar (AUD) and the international dialing code is +61.
IANA lists eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd. d/b/a Island Internet Services as the manager of .cc, with an address in Australia. The registry's website is http://www.nic.cc. ccTLD managers set their own policies — who can register, which second-level names exist, pricing to registrars — so those rules differ from country to country.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 4 name servers for .cc, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .cc haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is ccwhois.verisign-grs.com).
.cc FAQ
What country is .cc?
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an external territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean with about 600 residents.
Who runs .cc?
Verisign operates the .cc registry.
What does .cc mean?
Officially, .cc is simply the ISO 3166-1 code for Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Online, it's also used for a short, generic-looking alternative — a "domain hack" that uses the letters for what they spell.
What does .cc mean in an email address?
Only that the sender's domain is registered under .cc. Because .cc is also used for a short, generic-looking alternative, it doesn't necessarily mean the person is in Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
Can I register a .cc domain from the US?
It depends on eNIC Cocos (Keeling) Islands Pty. Ltd. d/b/a Island Internet Services's policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry (http://www.nic.cc) or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .cc DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .cc, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .cc domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is ccwhois.verisign-grs.com, and RDAP lookups go to https://tld-rdap.verisign.com/cc/v1/. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed October 21, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
