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.cl Domain: Chile ccTLD Guide

Updated October 2026

.cl is the country-code top-level domain for Chile.

Overview

Used by Chilean companies, institutions and individuals, and by foreign firms targeting the Chilean market.

NIC Chile, part of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chile, runs .cl. The domain was introduced on 15 December 1987. Registration was free until 1999, when fees began, according to a registrar history. Support for non-ASCII characters (IDNs) was added in 2005 and DNSSEC in 2011.

Only the plain .cl extension is registered: there is no .com.cl or .net.cl. Names need at least three characters, and the 63-character limit applies to the encoded form, so internationalised names have fewer usable characters. Besides a to z, digits and hyphens, the accepted accented characters are á, é, í, ó, ú, ü and ñ. Names cannot begin or end with a hyphen.

Registrant data must be complete and accurate. Under the registry's regulations, incomplete or false identification data is grounds for deletion, and the registry can ask for a correction within five calendar days. Registration and renewal terms run from one to ten years. Registrars report that a local contact with a Chilean identity number was required until 2013, when the rule was lifted.

Disputes do not follow the UDRP. The .cl Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy requires a complainant to show a name identical or confusingly similar to a prior right, no legitimate interest by the holder, and bad faith. Parties may agree an arbitrator, or the registry appoints one from a published list. A 2020 amendment lets NIC Chile suspend domains used for phishing, malware or botnets. There were 712,665 .cl domains in July 2023, down from a peak of 736,931 in October 2021.

Who can register

Any natural or legal person, in Chile or abroad, may register a .cl name. A registrant must name an administrative contact, and NIC Chile can ask for proof of identity in exceptional cases.

Before you buy a .cl name

• Check the renewal price as well as the first-year price. Our cost calculator shows what a name really costs over time.
• Make sure you meet the eligibility rules yourself, without relying on a trustee if you can avoid it.
• Search for trademarks and for the same name in .com.
• Say the name out loud: will people type it correctly?

Weighing up a specific .cl name? TLD.is gives an AI appraisal that explains a name's strengths and weaknesses.

Frequently asked questions

What country is .cl?

.cl is the country-code top-level domain for Chile.

Who runs the .cl domain?

The .cl registry is managed by NIC Chile (Universidad de Chile).

Can I register a .cl domain from another country?

Any natural or legal person, in Chile or abroad, may register a .cl name. A registrant must name an administrative contact, and NIC Chile can ask for proof of identity in exceptional cases.

Does Google treat .cl as a country domain?

Yes. Google normally treats .cl as a signal that a site targets Chile.

Compare and explore

Compare .cl side by side with other extensions, or browse more in the Americas:

Sources checked: Nominus.com · icannwiki.org · www.openprovider.com. Last reviewed October 2026.

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