A .co.za domain is a name under the commercial second level of .za, South Africa’s country domain. You do not buy it from the regulator, ZADNA, or from the registry operator, ZARC. You buy it from an accredited registrar, and ZADNA’s FAQ says co.za normally accepts registrations from both South Africans and non-South Africans.
This guide to the .co.za domain comes from ZADNA’s website, the ZARC registry’s website and its published policy, and IANA’s record for .za, all opened in October 2026. Where a page did not say something, we say so. It is general information, not legal advice, and policies change, so check the current version before you pay.
The .co.za domain in brief
- Three bodies, three jobs. ZADNA regulates .za, ZARC runs the registry for co.za, org.za, net.za and web.za, and a registrar sells you the name.
- Who can register. ZADNA’s FAQ says co.za normally accepts both South Africans and non-South Africans. A non-South African registrant is usually asked to accept South African law and courts.
- Term. Registration runs for 1 to 5 years under ZARC’s policy. ZADNA says there is no standard fee for .za, so compare registrars.
- New company? The CIPC can register a .co.za name for a company, and ZADNA’s page lists R63.25. You must move it to an accredited registrar within a year.
- Control. Under ZARC’s policy you keep control of the name, and a registrar must not lock you in.
How a .co.za domain is organised
IANA’s record for .za names the ZA Domain Name Authority as sponsor. ZADNA’s home page calls it the statutory regulator and manager of the .ZA namespace, and explains that names can only be registered under a second-level domain such as yourname.gov.za or yourname.net.za. Its FAQ says ZADNA does not register names itself. It develops regulations, policy and procedures, and licenses registries and registrars.
ZARC’s website says it is the contracted registry operator for the commercial second-level domains co.za, org.za, net.za and web.za. One naming wrinkle: ZADNA’s FAQ refers to the registry operator as ZACR, while the operator’s own site uses ZARC. We use the name on the operator’s own site.
| Who | Role |
|---|---|
| ZADNA | Regulator. Sets the framework, does not sell names and cannot recommend a registrar, per its FAQ |
| ZARC | Registry operator for co.za. Keeps the register and publishes the rules |
| Registrar | The accredited company that registers the name, bills you and sends renewal notices |
| You | The registrant. Responsible for the right to use the name |
ZARC’s registrant FAQ adds that it only deals with expiry and renewals, and that all correspondence goes through your registrar. So the registrar is the one you will talk to.
Who can register a .co.za domain
ZADNA’s FAQ says no overall policy prohibits non-South Africans from registering .za names, though most second-level domains, especially the moderated ones, limit eligibility to South African persons. It then says co.za normally accepts both. Where a non-South African registers, there is usually a requirement to consent to South African law and the jurisdiction of South African courts over any dispute about the name.
ZARC’s published policies (version 12.0, 2025) add two points:
- Registrants must be identifiable natural or legal persons with the legal capacity to sign a registrant agreement with the registrar. A company or a named individual both fit that wording.
- The registry operator has no role in deciding whether you have a legitimate right to the name. When you apply, you warrant that you are entitled to register and use it.
The second point puts the risk on you. If you register a name that matches someone else’s brand, the registry will not check, but a dispute process can. ZADNA’s FAQ gives a plain example: a competitor registering a rival’s company name as a .co.za domain is an abusive registration.
How to register a .co.za domain
The policy and the FAQ describe the path, and in practice it looks like this:
- Choose the name. Check it against your company name and any trademarks.
- Choose an accredited registrar. ZARC lists accredited registrars on its website. ZADNA says it cannot advise on which to use.
- Search and pay at the registrar. Compare the first-year price and the renewal price, and what is bundled in.
- Give accurate details. The policy has the registrar record the registrant’s full legal name, email, phone and physical address, with administrative, technical and billing contacts.
- Set the name servers. The policy asks for at least 2 and at most 5. It says the registry checks them, and if they fail, the name is registered but not published in the zone. In plain terms, a mistake here can make a new domain, and the email on it, look dead.
- Pick the term. The registration period is 1 to 5 years.
The policy also describes a short grace period for new registrations, which Schedule B sets at seven days. The registrar can cancel in that window and claim a refund minus a fee, and a name cannot be transferred to another registrar during it. Do not plan a registrar move in the first week.
Name rules for a .co.za domain
ZARC’s Schedule B sets the technical limits. The name part can be up to 69 characters before .co.za. It uses letters, digits and hyphens, starts with a letter or digit, does not end in a hyphen and does not start with xn--. Names are issued first come, first served.
For email, shorter is kinder. Say info@yourbusiness.co.za out loud. If the address needs spelling twice, rethink the name. The business email address format guide covers the part before the @.
The CIPC route for a new company
South Africa’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) offers a domain service for newly registered businesses. ZADNA’s CIPC page says:
- It is open to a registered company, close corporation or co-operative, and the name must be linked to an existing company.
- The CIPC offers .co.za only (the page says org.za, web.za and net.za will follow), at R63.25, and no hosting. The page carries a 2024 footer, so confirm the current fee with the CIPC.
- You start in the CIPC eServices portal, using TRANSACT and then DOMAIN NAME SERVICES.
- The name must be transferred to an accredited registrar within a year, or it is de-registered.
ZARC’s page on CIPC registrations adds that CIPC handles the first year, that the name sits on a temporary parking page until you transfer it, that you remain the legal registrant throughout, and that the registry does not charge for the transfer. For email, that means one thing: move the name before you set up mail, because a parked name cannot carry your mailboxes.
What a .co.za name costs
ZADNA’s FAQ says there are no standard fees for .za yet, that each second-level operator sets its own, and that you will usually pay a registration fee and then an annual renewal. Registrars may add charges for hosting, website and email, which it calls outside ZADNA’s regulatory ambit. ZARC’s policy refers to a registrar price list on its portal and publishes no consumer price.
So the honest answer is: ask registrars, in rand, and compare the renewal price rather than the introductory one. We did not find a price on the ZADNA or ZARC pages we read, so we quote none.
Renewal, expiry and moving registrars
At the registry, a new name starts with auto-renew on, and registrars can turn it off. If a name is cancelled, there is a closed redemption period of 20 days, where reinstating costs the registrar a fee that is likely to reach you. Treat the registrar’s reminder emails as real, and make sure the contact address is a mailbox that does not depend on the domain itself.
If you move registrar, ZARC’s own advice, dated 28 September 2026, is to treat the transfer and any DNS change as separate jobs. Keep the name servers unchanged, record every DNS entry first, including MX and the TXT entries for SPF and DKIM, and read every transfer message before approving it. ZARC’s registrant FAQ says transfers are approved by a vote link emailed to you, and its policy does not allow a registrar to lock you in over a contract dispute.
After you register the .co.za domain
With the .co.za domain registered, pick the mail provider, add the verification and MX records, and test. Our business email setup guide for Africa walks through it, and the article on SPF and DKIM covers the records that keep your mail out of spam.
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Example only: a signature with a +27 number, ready for mail on a new domain. The company and person are made up.
Once mail on your .co.za domain works, give everyone the same signature. The guide to a business email signature in South Africa shows how to lay out a +27 number, and our overview of how to choose a business domain name in Africa compares .co.za with the other endings.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreigner register a .co.za domain?
ZADNA’s FAQ says co.za normally accepts registrations from both South Africans and non-South Africans. A non-South African registrant is usually asked to consent to South African law and courts. Your registrar can confirm what it needs.
Does ZADNA register .co.za names?
No. ZADNA says it only administers and manages the .za namespace. You register through an accredited registrar, and ZARC runs the co.za registry behind it.
How much is a .co.za domain?
The pages we read set no standard price. ZADNA says each second-level operator sets its own fees and registrars may add charges. The CIPC route for new companies listed R63.25 on ZADNA’s page, which carries a 2024 footer.
How long can a .co.za domain be registered for?
The registration period is 1 to 5 years under ZARC’s policy.
Can an individual register a .co.za domain?
Under ZARC’s policy, registrants are identifiable natural or legal persons who can sign the registrar’s agreement, so an individual is not excluded by that wording. The CIPC route is only for registered companies, close corporations and co-operatives.
Keep reading
- How to choose a business domain name in Africa: .com or a country domain?: Choose a business domain name in Africa: .com versus .ng, .co.ke, .co.za and .com.gh, with what each registry’s own pages say and what to check before you buy.
- Business email signature in South Africa: +27 numbers, registration and VAT lines, and a POPIA-aware opt-out: A business email signature South Africa example with +27 numbers, a registration line, an optional VAT line and a POPIA-aware opt-out for marketing mail.
- How to set up professional business email for an African company: Business email setup Africa guide: pick a domain, compare Zoho, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and cPanel on public prices, add DNS records and a signature.
- Business email address format: names, role addresses and what to avoid: Pick a business email address format with a pattern table, the rules Google and Microsoft enforce, role addresses like info@, and the aliases worth setting up.
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