Quick answer
Why is a .ai domain sold for at least 2 years?
A .ai domain is sold for at least 2 years because the .ai registry requires every registration and renewal to cover at least 2 years. At Pearlcay, a .ai costs $86.99/year, so the first order is $173.98 for two years, paid in crypto with no KYC. Renewals follow the same rule, and a transfer in covers two years too.
The .ai 2-year rule in short
| The rule | Registration and renewal for at least 2 years, up to 10 years |
|---|---|
| Registry | Government of Anguilla; Identity Digital is the technical operator |
| Wholesale price | $80 a year ($160 per 2-year order) since 5 March 2026, up from $70 a year |
| First payment at Pearlcay | $173.98 for 2 years ($86.99/year) |
| Renewal at Pearlcay | $86.99/year, billed for at least 2 years |
| Transfer in | Renewal price, and the order covers 2 years |
| Reason given by the registry | None found in our research |
| Checked | 2 November 2026 |
What is the .ai 2-year rule?
You cannot register a .ai for one year, and you cannot renew it for one year. Every order covers at least two.
Registrars say so on their own pages. Pearlcay checked the .ai pages of the 10 registrars in its price survey on 2 November 2026: 8 state the 2-year minimum on their own site, Njalla does not document it, and Epik's page could not be read. Porkbun writes that .ai requires a minimum term of 2 years for registration and renewals. Dynadot says it is not possible to register or renew a .ai for just 1 year, in a help article updated on 25 May 2026. Gandi and Netim list a registration period of 2 to 10 years.
The registry is the Government of Anguilla. Identity Digital runs it as technical operator, and the registry's own site is its official operator website. NameSilo calls the minimum a hard rule set by Identity Digital, which operates the registry for Anguilla (blog post of 8 October 2026).
Why 2 years? Neither the Government of Anguilla nor Identity Digital gave a reason that we could find. We do not guess. What we can document is the rule, and that it was still in force on 2 November 2026.
What does the rule mean for my first payment?
At Pearlcay a .ai costs $86.99/year. The first order covers two years, so the total is $173.98, and the cart shows it before you pay. The second year hides no rise: the first-year and renewal prices are the same.
Your balance must cover the whole order. The minimum top-up is $25, and you pay with BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC.
What a .ai order costs at Pearlcay
| Term | Total | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 2 years (the minimum) | $173.98 | $86.99/year |
| 10 years (the maximum) | $869.90 | $86.99/year |
How do .ai renewals work with a 2-year minimum?
Each renewal order also covers at least two years. At Pearlcay, a .ai renewal covers 2 years at $86.99/year, so keep $173.98 on your balance before the renewal date. You can turn on automatic renewal from your balance, switched on or off for each domain; it cannot go through if the balance is too short.
You can also renew for more years at once, up to 10 years in total.
Registrars do not all describe the step the same way. EuroDNS lists a 2-year minimum renewal followed by 1-year steps. Sav shows a .ai renewal as $166.38 for 2 years in its cart. Check the step size on the registrar's own page before you rely on a one-year top-up.
Does a .ai transfer also add 2 years?
Yes, at the registrars that spell it out. Porkbun says its .ai transfers include a 2-year renewal. Gandi says the domain is renewed for 2 years. Spaceship says the 2-year minimum applies to transfers. The Dynadot transfer price is exactly twice its yearly price, which points to the same bundle. NameSilo lists $245.00 and does not say how many years it covers.
At Pearlcay, a transfer in is priced at the renewal price, $86.99/year, and follows the 2-year rule like every .ai order. The transfer (EPP) code to leave Pearlcay is free, requested from the client area. The steps are in how to transfer a .ai domain.
Did the 2026 price rise change the rule?
No. The price changed, not the rule. On 5 March 2026 the .ai wholesale price rose from $70 to $80 a year, a rise of 14%. A 2-year order went from $140 to $160 at the registry, as Domain Name Wire reported on 2 February 2026.
The prices on this page are our grid of 2 November 2026, after the rise. We found no source showing that the 2-year minimum itself changed in 2024, 2025 or 2026. The .ai over 10 years page adds up what the rise means across a decade.
How do other registrars show the .ai 2-year price?
Most registrars show a price per year and charge two years at checkout. Some show a 2-year total on a transfer or a renewal. Compare them on the same basis: what leaves your balance for the first 2 years.
| Registrar | Registration price shown | Due for 2 years | Transfer price shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearlcay | $86.99/year | $173.98 | $86.99/year, 2-year rule applies |
| Spaceship | $79.98 per year | $159.96, shown on its page | $79.98 per year, 2-year minimum applies |
| Cloudflare | $80.00 per year, sold at cost | $160.00 | Not shown on its search page |
| Porkbun | $82.70 per year | $165.40 (2 × $82.70) | $165.09, includes a 2-year renewal |
| Sav | $83.19 per year | $166.38, shown in its cart | $83.19 listed, term not stated |
| Njalla | About $83.70 per year (EUR 75, estimate) | Not documented on its site | About $83.70, not listed separately |
| Dynadot | $85.60 per year | $171.20 | $171.20, exactly twice its yearly price |
| Namecheap | $89.98, taken as a yearly price | Not checked; its .ai FAQ says 2 to 10 years | $99.98, term not stated |
| NameSilo | $99.99 per year | $199.98 (2 × $99.99) | $245.00, years not stated |
| Gandi | About $108.74 per year (EUR 97.44, estimate) | Not computed | About $176.10 (EUR 157.80), renews 2 years |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Euro prices (Njalla, Gandi) are converted at 1.115981 dollars per euro and are estimates. Epik is left out because we found its prices only on a third-party aggregator.
Why can a .ai price look like half of what I pay?
Because the same rule is shown in three ways.
- A yearly price with a 2-year bill: Spaceship, Cloudflare, Porkbun, Dynadot and Sav show a price per year and take two years at checkout.
- A 2-year total on a transfer: Porkbun and Gandi say the transfer covers 2 years, and Dynadot's transfer price is twice its yearly price.
- A 2-year total on a renewal: the Sav cart shows $166.38 for a 2-year renewal.
A headline such as "from $80 a year" is half of the checkout total. Pearlcay shows both numbers: $86.99/year per year and $173.98 for the first order.
.ai 2-year minimum: questions
Can I register a .ai domain for one year?
No. The registry requires at least 2 years for a registration and for a renewal, and registrars such as Porkbun and Dynadot say so on their pages. At Pearlcay the first order is $173.98, which is two years at $86.99/year. If you need a one-year term, see the .io page.
Is the second year of a .ai more expensive?
Not at Pearlcay. The renewal price is $86.99/year, the same as the first year. The wholesale price rose from $70 to $80 a year on 5 March 2026, before our grid of 2 November 2026.
Can I pay for more than 2 years at once?
Yes, up to 10 years. Registrars such as Gandi and Netim list a registration period of 2 to 10 years. Ten years of a .ai cost $869.90 at Pearlcay. See the 10-year cost.
Does a .ai transfer cost one year or two?
Two. Porkbun and Gandi say a .ai transfer renews the domain for 2 years. At Pearlcay a transfer in costs the renewal price per year and follows the 2-year rule. The transfer (EPP) code to leave is free, requested from the client area.
Why do some sites show a .ai at half your price?
They show a price per year and charge two years at checkout, so the headline is half of the first bill. Compare the amount due for 2 years: $173.98 at Pearlcay. The table above lists the registrars we read on 2 November 2026.
Register a .ai in crypto
$173.98 for the first 2 years. No ID, paid in crypto.
Sources (17)
- .ai domains: minimum term of 2 years and transfers porkbun.com/tld/ai — Porkbun (checked 2026-11-02)
- .AI domains year restrictions (updated 2026/05/25) dynadot.com/help/question/ai-domains-year-restrictions — Dynadot (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai domain page: minimum 2-year term dynadot.com/domain/ai.html — Dynadot (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai domain names: registration period, transfer rules, registry gandi.net/en/domain/tld/ai — Gandi (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai domain: registration and renewal period netim.com/en/domain-name/ai-domain — Netim (checked 2026-11-02)
- .AI domain name: renewal increment eurodns.com/domain-extensions/ai-domain-registration — EuroDNS (checked 2026-11-02)
- Domain pricing search: .ai spaceship.com/domain-search/pricing — Spaceship (checked 2026-11-02)
- Domain search: name.ai (cart and renewal) sav.com/app/domain?search=name.ai — Sav (checked 2026-11-02)
- Domain search: name.ai (at-cost price) — Cloudflare (checked 2026-11-02)
- Full TLD list: .ai namecheap.com/domains/full-tld-list — Namecheap (checked 2026-11-02)
- Pricing table: .ai registrations and transfers namesilo.com/pricing — NameSilo (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai domain registry rules, pricing and renewals (8 October 2026) namesilo.com/blog/en/domain-name-search/ai-domain-registry-rules-pricing-and-renewals — NameSilo (checked 2026-11-02)
- Pricing: .ai in euros njal.la/pricing — Njalla (checked 2026-11-02)
- Delegation record for .ai — IANA (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai official registry operator website: FAQ — Identity Digital for the Government of Anguilla (checked 2026-11-02)
- .ai domain name prices going up (2 February 2026) — Domain Name Wire (checked 2026-11-02)
- Euro to dollar rate used for Njalla and Gandi: 1.115981 — ExchangeRate-API (checked 2026-11-02)