Quick answer
Is the .io domain going away, and what does it cost?
Not as of November 2026. The UK-Mauritius treaty on the Chagos Islands is on hold, .io works normally, and ICANN says a retirement would first open a five-year phase-out window. At Pearlcay, a .io costs $35.99/year the first year and $62.99/year to renew (2 November 2026), paid in crypto with no KYC.
Search a .io domain
Popular extensions
- .io $35.99
.io shows Availability confirmed at order: the registry cannot be queried live, so the final check happens when we register. If the name is taken or refused, the full amount goes back to your balance.
.io at a glance
| Country code of | British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Islands), a UK overseas territory |
|---|---|
| Registry | Internet Computer Bureau Limited |
| Technical operator | Identity Digital, through its subsidiary Internet Computer Bureau |
| Who can register | Anyone, anywhere. No presence in the territory is required. |
| Registration term | 1 to 10 years |
| Public WHOIS / RDAP | Registrant privacy is allowed; free at Pearlcay |
| Known for | Start-ups, developer tools and browser games; GitHub Pages sites use github.io |
.io price per year
| Extension | 1st year | Renewal | Transfer | WHOIS privacy | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .io | $35.99 | $62.99 | $62.99 | Free | None |
Our first year is lower than our renewal, and the renewal reflects the registry's announced wholesale rise from $50 to $56 a year on 19 January 2027 (Domain Name Wire, 21 July 2026). A transfer in adds one year.
The Chagos Islands, and why .io is in the news
The Chagos Archipelago is a group of atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The UK administers it as the British Indian Ocean Territory, and its largest island, Diego Garcia, hosts a US-UK military base. The code .io is the territory's ISO 3166 code, IO.
IANA delegated .io in 1997 to the British entrepreneur Paul Kane, together with .ac, .sh and .tm. He ran them as the Internet Computer Bureau until he sold the company to Afilias in 2017. Afilias later became part of Identity Digital, which owns the Bureau today, and IANA still lists Internet Computer Bureau Limited as the manager. In 2014 the UK government told the House of Lords that it receives no revenue from .io.
The sovereignty question is separate from the registry. In October 2024 the UK announced it would hand the archipelago to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia, and a treaty was signed on 22 May 2025. By July 2026 Domain Name Wire described the handover as on ice.
What would follow for .io is a policy matter, and ICANN has addressed it. On 14 November 2024 Kim Davies, who leads IANA services, wrote that the IO code remains in the ISO 3166-1 standard. If it were ever removed, ICANN's retirement policy would give a five-year window to phase the extension out, and that window can be extended. He added that a change of sovereignty would not necessarily change .io. Nothing has been decided, and we do not predict an outcome.
Who uses .io, and why?
The letters I and O stand for input/output in computing, so developers adopted .io early. Today it is the usual ending for start-ups, developer tools, APIs and open-source projects. Sites published with GitHub Pages use github.io addresses. The indie game store itch.io has used it since 2013, and browser games such as Agar.io and Slither.io, from 2015 and 2016, gave the ending its own game genre.
For a company, .io works as a signal: it says "tech" at a glance. The cost is in the renewal. Most registrars discount the first year and charge about twice as much from the second year, and the wholesale price rises again on 19 January 2027. Compare the renewal column in the table below, not only the first year.
A .io name also deserves a second thought if you plan to hold a brand for ten years or more. The Chagos question does not affect the extension today, but it is a long-term risk you can weigh. The rules section below says what we know, and our page on retired country-code domains shows how past cases ended.
.io at other registrars, 2 November 2026
Prices per year in US dollars. Most registrars discount the first year and charge about double at renewal, so compare the Renewal column. The wholesale price is $50 a year today and $56 from 19 January 2027.
| Registrar | First year | Renewal | Pays in crypto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearlcay | $35.99 | $62.99 | Yes, only crypto |
| Namecheap | $29.98 (sale; list $65.98) | $75.98 | Yes (deposit to account funds first) |
| Porkbun | $28.12 | $51.80 | Yes (USDC via Coinbase) |
| Dynadot | $28.89 | $53.50 | Yes (BTC, USDT, USDC and more) |
| Spaceship | $31.98 | $51.75 | Yes (Bitcoin; other coins not documented) |
| Cloudflare | $32.00 (list $50.00) | $50.00 | No |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Prices per year in US dollars, from each registrar's public price list on 2 November 2026 (sources below). They change often: check before you buy.
.io rules: terms, content and the Chagos risk
Terms and eligibility. Terms run 1 to 10 years. Anyone can register, and the registry asks for no presence in the territory.
Content. The registry regulations bar sexual or pornographic use and any use that is unlawful, as Namecheap's .io FAQ summarizes them.
Transfers. A domain must be at least 60 days old to transfer, and a transfer adds one year.
Privacy. The registry allows privacy. At Pearlcay it is free, and what stays public still depends on the registry.
Premium names. The registry prices some names higher. See why some .io names cost more.
Price. The wholesale price is $50 a year and goes to $56 on 19 January 2027, according to Domain Name Wire (21 July 2026).
The Chagos question, as of November 2026. The UK-Mauritius treaty signed on 22 May 2025 would move sovereignty of the territory, but the handover is on hold. In November 2024 ICANN's IANA chief wrote that .io stays in ISO 3166-1 for now, and that a removal would trigger a five-year retirement window that can be extended. We do not know what will happen, and we do not guess.
.io questions
Is .io only for tech companies?
No. Anyone can register a .io for any lawful use. It is popular with start-ups and developers, but nothing in the registry rules limits it to them.
Why is the first year cheaper than the renewal?
Registrars discount the first year to attract orders. At Pearlcay the first year is also lower than the renewal, and the renewal already reflects the wholesale rise to $56 a year announced for 19 January 2027.
Do I need to live in the Chagos Islands to register a .io?
No. The registry asks for no presence in the territory, and Pearlcay sells .io to anyone with no ID check. We collect one verified email address per domain, as ICANN rules require.
Why does the search say Availability confirmed at order?
The .io registry cannot be queried live from our search, so the final check happens when we register. If the name is taken or the registry refuses it, the full amount goes back to your balance.
Can I hide my details on a .io?
Yes, the registry allows privacy and it is free at Pearlcay. What stays public depends on the registry. Our Domain protection option goes further by registering the domain in our company name.
How long can I register a .io for?
From 1 to 10 years. A transfer in adds one year, and the domain must be at least 60 days old.
Sources (5)
- Delegation record for .io — IANA (checked 2026-11-02)
- .io (history of the delegation, Internet Computer Bureau and the Chagos agreement) — Wikipedia (checked 2026-11-02)
- The Chagos Archipelago and the .io domain (14 November 2024) — ICANN (checked 2026-11-02)
- .io price increase (21 July 2026) — Domain Name Wire (checked 2026-11-02)
- Registrar price lists read on 2 November 2026 (Namecheap shown; Porkbun, Dynadot, Spaceship, Cloudflare read the same day) namecheap.com/domains/full-tld-list — Namecheap and the other registrars named (checked 2026-11-02)