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<p>On November 1, 2026, Verisign, the .com registry operator, raised its wholesale fee for every .com registration, renewal, and transfer from $10.26 to $10.97 per year</p>



<p>With the $0.20 ICANN fee, the registrar cost of a .com went from $10.46 to $11.17 per year. At Openprovider, we used the change to simplify .com pricing: from November 1, there is one price of $12.17 to register, transfer, and renew, and Members pay cost price, $11.17.</p>



<p>Before the change, registrars and industry press, including Domain Name Wire, advised renewing before November 1 to lock in the old fee. At Openprovider, that advice no longer applies to non-members: renewals now cost $12.17, which is $4.81 less than the $16.98 renewal price before November 1.</p>



<p>This piece explains what changed, what you pay at Openprovider now, and what protects your margin before the next registry increase.</p>



<p><em>The last update of this article was on 5th of November 2026, including the latest information from Verisign and our new offer to help you make more margin on .com domains.</em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-this-com-increase-shouldn-t-catch-you-off-guard"><strong>Why this .com increase shouldn&#8217;t catch you off guard</strong></h2>



<p>The change was not a surprise. Verisign announced it on April 23, 2026, under its agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). </p>



<p>Operations completed before November 1, 2026, at 04:00 UTC were charged the old price. Anything placed after that is charged the new one.</p>



<p>Because the registry does not restrict .com renewal to a window close to expiry, you can renew in advance whenever a future increase is announced.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-com-wholesale-price-ladder"><strong>The .com wholesale price ladder</strong></h2>



<p>This is not the first .com price increase, and the last decade shows it will not be the last.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Effective date</strong></td><td><strong>Wholesale .com price</strong></td><td><strong>Change</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Jan 2012 to Aug 2021</td><td>$7.85</td><td>frozen</td></tr><tr><td>September 1, 2021</td><td>$8.39</td><td>+6.9%</td></tr><tr><td>September 1, 2022</td><td>$8.97</td><td>+6.9%</td></tr><tr><td>September 1, 2023</td><td>$9.59</td><td>+6.9%</td></tr><tr><td>September 1, 2024</td><td>$10.26</td><td>+7.0%</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>$10.26</td><td>no increase</td></tr><tr><td>November 1, 2026</td><td>$10.97</td><td>+6.9%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>*<em>Wholesale prices exclude the $0.20 ICANN fee. From November 1, 2026, the registrar cost of a .com is $11.17 per year ($10.97 + $0.20).</em></p>



<p>Verisign does not decide these increases year to year. Its agreement with ICANN sets the terms in advance: <strong>Verisign may raise .com by up to 7% in four of every six years</strong>, and the current six-year period began in October 2024 and runs to November 2030.</p>



<p>2025 was a year with no permitted increase, which made November 2026 the first of up to four permitted increases in the cycle. Up to three more are possible before the cycle ends.</p>



<p>If Verisign takes the full 7% in each remaining year, wholesale .com would reach $13.42 by the end of the cycle. Verisign does not forecast its own pricing, so treat that as the ceiling, not a prediction.</p>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
<p><strong>Good to know</strong></p>



<p>Verisign has also announced a .net increase, from $10.91 to $12.00 per year, effective March 1, 2027. It has not announced a 2027 .com increase yet.</p>
</blockquote>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-renewal-pricing-makes-or-breaks-your-margin"><strong>Why renewal pricing makes or breaks your margin</strong></h2>



<p>For most domain resellers, .com is not a separate product. It sits underneath hosting, email, DNS, and SSL, since it is the record every other service connects to. This means the registry cost repeats every time a domain renews, for as long as the customer stays with you.</p>



<p>Most competition in this industry focuses on the price of a first-year registration, but what happens at renewal, year after year, decides your margin. A low first-year price wins a customer once. What that customer pays every year after is what pays for your business, and each registry increase reduces that margin if you do not plan for it.</p>



<p>This makes renewal pricing worth checking carefully, every year. It is also <strong>why Openprovider now charges the same $12.17 for .com renewals</strong> as for registrations, with no higher price in year two.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.openprovider.com/get/com">See the full .com pricing and terms.</a></em></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-was-renewing-early-worth-it-a-rule-for-the-next-increase"><strong>Was renewing early worth it? A rule for the next increase</strong></h2>



<p>Before November 1, the case for renewing early only applied to Members, who pay cost price. For them, renewing a year early cost $10.46 instead of $11.17, a saving of $0.71 per domain. For non-members at Openprovider, renewing early would have cost $16.98 instead of $12.17.</p>



<p>The rule still applies to the next increase. If a customer does not renew a domain you paid for early, you lose the full amount, not just the saving. Before November 1, a Member risked $10.46 to save $0.71, so early renewal only paid off if at least 93.64% of those domains renewed ($10.46 divided by $11.17).</p>



<p>Based on Openprovider’s 2025 settled renewal data, even our best-performing customer group falls short of that rate.</p>



<p>For most of your portfolio, paying early is not worth tying up the cash. This raises a better question: what should you do before the next increase?</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-protects-your-margin-now"><strong>What protects your margin now</strong></h2>



<p>There is no single tool to renew many domains at once, so protecting your margin means using the data and settings you already have.</p>



<p>If your team uses the <a href="https://developer.openprovider.com/">API</a>, renewing many domains early means writing a script that repeats the process automatically: pull the list of your .com domains, filter for the ones expiring soon, then call the renew function once for each domain you choose.</p>



<p>Before running it for real, test the script so it shows the total cost without spending anything.</p>



<p>The most useful step does not involve renewing anything early: check how many of your .com domains expire in the next twelve months.</p>



<p>Make sure your auto-renew settings match what you think they are, since a wrong setting costs far more than any early-renewal saving. Getting this right protects your margin more than any early-renewal decision, and this is also where paying cost price becomes important.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cost-price-11-17-for-members-on-every-com-operation"><strong>Cost price: $11.17 for Members on every .com operation</strong></h2>



<p>Timing early renewal correctly can save you money once. Paying cost price saves you money on every renewal, indefinitely.</p>



<p>Timing a renewal can save you money once. Paying cost price saves you money on every renewal. With an <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/membership-plans">Openprovider Membership</a>, a .com costs $11.17 per year to register, transfer, or renew: the Verisign fee of $10.97 plus the $0.20 ICANN fee, with no markup on top. That is $1.00 less than the non-member price of $12.17.</p>



<p>This means every registry fee, including this one, reaches you without anyone adding a margin on top. This protects your profit on every renewal for as long as Verisign keeps raising this fee.</p>



<p>If you do not have a Membership yet, you can <a href="https://cp.openprovider.eu/signup">create a free account</a>, compare plans, and pay cost price on every .com renewal from then on.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pricing-you-can-plan-around-now"><strong>Pricing you can plan around now</strong></h2>



<p>The registry increase is one part of the story. The other is what you pay your registrar. At Openprovider, .com now has one price for every operation, so your renewal cost in year two matches your registration cost in year one.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>.com operation</th><th>Non-member before Nov 1</th><th>Non-member from Nov 1</th><th>Member before Nov 1</th><th>Member from Nov 1</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Renew</td><td>$16.98</td><td>$12.17</td><td>$10.46</td><td>$11.17</td></tr><tr><td>Register</td><td>$11.98</td><td>$12.17</td><td>$10.46</td><td>$11.17</td></tr><tr><td>Transfer in</td><td>$11.98</td><td>$12.17</td><td>$10.46</td><td>$11.17</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p><em>Prices per .com per year, in USD, excluding VAT. Accounts with custom .com pricing are not covered.”</em></p>



<p>What you control is where your domains are managed, what you pay for them, and how clearly you can see the numbers when they change.</p>



<p>Openprovider Membership gives you cost-price access to Openprovider-accredited domains, including .com, with no markup added between you and the registry. It also includes discounts on SSL, DNS, email, and security add-ons, all in one annual subscription. </p>



<p>If you manage thousands of <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/domains/tlds/com">.com domains</a> or have custom .com pricing, <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/company/contact-us">talk to our team</a> about what applies to your account.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frequently-asked-questions"><strong>Frequently asked questions</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-much-is-the-com-price-increase-in-2026"><strong>How much is the .com price increase in 2026?</strong></h3>



<p><a href="https://www.verisign.com/">Verisign</a> raised its .com wholesale fee from $10.26 to $10.97 per year, an increase of $0.71. With the $0.20 ICANN fee, the registrar cost is $11.17. At Openprovider, a .com now costs $12.17 to register, transfer, or renew, and Members pay $11.17.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-does-the-com-price-increase-take-effect"><strong>When does the .com price increase take effect?</strong></h3>



<p>It took effect on November 1, 2026, at 04:00 UTC. Operations completed before then were charged the previous price.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-i-renew-my-domain-early-before-the-increase"><strong>Can I renew my domain early, before the increase?</strong></h3>



<p>Not anymore. From November 1, 2026, <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/domains/tlds/com">.com at Openprovider</a> is one price: $12.17 to register, transfer, or renew for non-members, and <strong>$11.17 for Members.</strong> Multi-year renewals follow the same per-year price</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-does-renewing-early-save-money"><strong>Does renewing early save money?</strong></h3>



<p>Ahead of the November 1 increase, it only made sense for <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/membership-plans">Members</a>, and only if at least 93.64% of the domains renewed early would have renewed anyway ($10.46 divided by $11.17). For non-members at Openprovider, renewing early would have cost more, because the renewal price dropped from $16.98 to $12.17.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-does-the-93-64-break-even-figure-come-from"><strong>Where does the 93.64% break-even figure come from?</strong></h3>



<p>Divide the current price by the new price. For Members ahead of November 1, 2026: $10.46 divided by $11.17 equals 93.64%. That is the share of domains that must renew for early renewal to pay off.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-openprovider-members-pay-for-com">What do Openprovider Members pay for .com?</h3>



<p><a href="https://www.openprovider.com/membership-plans">Members</a> pay cost price: $11.17 per year to register, transfer, or renew a .com. That is the Verisign fee of $10.97 plus the $0.20 ICANN fee. Restore prices did not change.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-does-renewing-early-shorten-the-time-i-ve-already-paid-for"><strong>Does renewing early shorten the time I&#8217;ve already paid for?</strong></h3>



<p>No. Early renewal adds time to a domain&#8217;s expiry date, starting from where it already is. It does not remove or replace time you already paid for.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-will-com-prices-keep-rising-after-2026"><strong>Will .com prices keep rising after 2026?</strong></h3>



<p>They can. Under its registry agreement with ICANN, Verisign may raise .com by up to 7% in each of the final four years of every six-year period, and the current cycle permits up to three further increases. If it takes all three in full, wholesale .com would reach $13.42. Verisign has not announced a 2027 .com increase, but .net rises from $10.91 to $12.00 on March 1, 2027.</p>


com-november-renewal-campaign-custom

com November Renewal Campaign - custom

What the .com price increase in 2026 means for your domain portfolio


<p>Some say .si is the new .ai, and the early numbers support their argument. According to Register.si, the registry behind .si, <a href="https://xenospectrum.com/en/slovenia-si-domain-boom-registration-resale/">new .si registrations jumped from 3,515 in August to 46,066 in September</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Here at Openprovider, daily .si registrations rose from about 13 a day in August to over 300 in early October.</p>



<p>The surge was turbocharged after the UN General Assembly on 22 September 2026, when the US government said it would use &#8220;super intelligence&#8221;, or SI, in place of &#8220;artificial intelligence&#8221;. A week later, an executive order made the new term official in US federal agency communications. SI also happens to be the country code for Slovenia, and within days the whole domain industry was talking about it.</p>



<p>Domain investors have seen this story before. When Anguilla&#8217;s country code became the go-to address for AI companies, the people who registered short .ai names early paid standard prices for them, and some of those names now sell for <a href="https://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2026/posts/0224.htm">seven figures</a>. Many are now watching to see if history repeats itself with .si, while the best names are still available.</p>



<p>For resellers, .si is at that same early stage today. In this article, we look at:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>How the .si surge unfolded, and why the best names are going first</li>



<li>Why .si may appeal to domain investors</li>



<li>How .si compares to .ai, and whether it can become the new .ai</li>



<li>Why .si fits a reseller portfolio, and what to tell your customers</li>



<li>The .si offer, and how to sell .si with Openprovider</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daily-si-registrations-passed-12-000-and-the-rush-created-a-new-sales-opportunity"><strong>Daily .si registrations passed 12,000, and the rush created a new sales opportunity</strong></h2>



<p>Before September, Slovenia&#8217;s country domain grew at a steady, unremarkable pace.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Then the executive order landed on 29 September, and the daily numbers took off:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Date</th><th>New .si domains that day</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>29 September 2026</td><td>4,115</td></tr><tr><td>30 September 2026</td><td>11,331</td></tr><tr><td>1 October 2026</td><td>12,728</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Source: Register.si data reported by <a href="https://www.techradar.com/pro/scalpers-from-the-us-are-not-the-only-players-looking-to-score-a-piece-of-the-si-domain-gold-rush-but-the-country-dominating-the-list-might-surprise-you">TechRadar</a>.</p>



<p>When you look at what people registered, most of the demand goes to short names, and those are always the first to go.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-short-si-names-are-going-fast-so-the-best-picks-go-to-early-movers"><strong>Short .si names are going fast, so the best picks go to early movers</strong></h2>



<p>Every domain rush follows the same pattern. The short, clear names go first, because one-word names, two- and three-letter names, and common words like build, cloud or shop are easy to remember and easy to brand.</p>



<p>The .ai story shows what happens next. Most short .ai names now have an owner, and a business that wants one today has to buy it from that owner, often at many times the registration price.</p>



<p>In .si, that same race started in September. Names like build.si already carry <a href="https://techradar.com/pro/scalpers-from-the-us-are-not-the-only-players-looking-to-score-a-piece-of-the-si-domain-gold-rush-but-the-country-dominating-the-list-might-surprise-you">seven-figure asking prices</a>, and AI company Recursive bought recursive.si for $20,000 months before the surge began, an early bet that now looks well timed.</p>



<p>Once someone registers a short name, nobody else can use it until it expires or the owner sells it. For your customers, the best time to secure the .si name they want is now, while short options are still on the table.</p>



<p>Domain investors understood this first, and they moved fast.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-domain-investors-are-buying-si-and-they-need-a-reseller-with-bulk-tools"><strong>Domain investors are buying .si, and they need a reseller with bulk tools</strong></h2>



<p>Domain investors make their living by spotting the next big extension early. They register strong names at standard prices, hold them, and sell them later to the businesses that need them. The .ai market shows how far those names can go. These .ai domains all sold publicly in 2026:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>Domain</th><th>Sale price</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bot.ai</td><td>$1,200,000</td></tr><tr><td>Genesis.ai</td><td>$400,000</td></tr><tr><td>Lotus.ai</td><td>$400,000</td></tr><tr><td>Free.ai</td><td>$350,000</td></tr><tr><td>Neo.ai</td><td>$275,000</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Source: DNJournal sales data reported by <a href="https://www.strategicrevenue.com/2026-ytd-domain-sales-show-premium-com-domains-still-rule-as-ai-gains-ground/">Strategic Revenue</a>.</p>



<p>These sales sit at the top of the market, and most domains never sell for prices like these. Still, they explain why so many investors are watching .si. At Openprovider, a .si domain renews at €10.29 a year with a 1-year term (at the time of writing), so holding a name costs little, and the extension still has short names that .ai lost years ago. Whether those names gain value depends on whether &#8220;SI&#8221; catches on beyond US government use.</p>



<p>For you, these investors are customers. They want bulk search, bulk registration and API access, and you can give them all three with .si today. To pitch them well, start with how .si and .ai compare side by side.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-si-vs-ai-at-a-glance-lower-entry-cost-and-more-names-left"><strong>.si vs .ai at a glance: lower entry cost and more names left</strong></h2>



<p>The two extensions share the same origin story, but they sit at different points in it. The table below covers the points your customers ask about.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th></th><th>.si</th><th>.ai</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>What the letters stand for</td><td>Slovenia, now also &#8220;super intelligence&#8221;</td><td>Anguilla, widely read as &#8220;artificial intelligence&#8221;</td></tr><tr><td>Registered domains</td><td>241,000+ (1 Oct 2026)</td><td>1 million+ (Jan 2026)</td></tr><tr><td>Minimum term</td><td>1 year</td><td>2 years</td></tr><tr><td>Cost to start with Openprovider</td><td>€8.39 (.si&nbsp; promo price)</td><td>$109 (2-year minimum)</td></tr><tr><td>Renewal</td><td>€10.29 per year</td><td>$134 for 1 year, $268 for 2 years</td></tr><tr><td>Short names left</td><td>Many</td><td>Most short names are taken</td></tr><tr><td>Who can register</td><td>Anyone, anywhere, no local contact needed</td><td>Anyone, anywhere</td></tr><tr><td>How Google treats it</td><td>As a Slovenian country domain (ccTLD)</td><td>As a generic domain, since 2023</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>A ccTLD is a country-code top-level domain, such as .si for Slovenia or .de for Germany. Google links most ccTLDs to their country, which matters for search results, and we cover what this means for your customers further down.</p>



<p>Price and availability make .si easy to sell today. The bigger story is whether it can follow the path .ai took, and the early signs help you decide how to position it.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-si-the-new-ai-too-early-to-say"><strong>Is .si the new .ai? Too early to say</strong></h2>



<p>The rise of .ai took years. AI startups around the world built their brands on it, registrations passed one million in January 2026, and in 2023 Google started treating .ai as a generic domain, so a .ai site can rank in any country, the same as a .com.</p>



<p>Right now, .si is at the start of that journey. Most new .si names sit with investors, few companies use .si as their main domain yet, and Google still links .si to Slovenia.</p>



<p>Our view: it is too early to call .si the next .ai, and that is what makes this moment interesting. Demand today is mostly investor-led, and the next chapter depends on whether &#8220;SI&#8221; spreads beyond US government use. A .si domain costs little to register and renew, so you can offer it now and grow with demand as the story develops.</p>



<p>That low cost is also what makes .si such an easy product to add to your portfolio.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-si-fits-a-reseller-portfolio-easy-to-add-easy-to-renew"><strong>Why .si fits a reseller portfolio: easy to add, easy to renew</strong></h2>



<p>Three things make .si an easy sell for your customers:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>A low entry price:</strong> many customers want an AI-linked domain but stop at the cost of .ai, as we explain in<a href="https://www.openprovider.com/blog/why-are-ai-domains-so-expensive"> what makes .ai domains so expensive</a>. With .si, you can offer a low-cost option next to every .com or .ai search.</li>



<li><strong>Predictable renewals:</strong> at €10.29 a year with Openprovider, the renewal price keeps year two predictable for your customers and for your margin.</li>



<li><strong>Brand protection demand:</strong> Register.si<a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/01/slovenia039s-si-domains-boom-after-trump-calls-ai-039superintelligence039"> advised owners of brands</a> to register their .si as soon as possible, which gives you a clear reason to call your agency and trademark clients this week.</li>
</ul>



<p>With demand this strong, the next step is getting .si into your storefront.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-add-si-to-your-storefront-in-bulk-with-the-tools-you-already-use"><strong>Add .si to your storefront in bulk with the tools you already use</strong></h2>



<p>When thousands of new .si names are registered every day, speed matters. With Openprovider, you can register .si domains in bulk from the Reseller Control Panel or through the API, so your customers can lock in their names before someone else does.</p>



<p>These are the tools you can use from day one:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Bulk check:</strong> search up to 500 .si names in one go and see which ones are free.</li>



<li><strong>Bulk registration:</strong> register multiple .si domains in a single order.</li>



<li><strong>DNS templates:</strong> apply one DNS setup to every new .si domain at once, so you do not set up each domain by hand.</li>



<li><strong>API and free sandbox:</strong> test your .si integration in a free test environment before you go live. See the <a href="https://developer.openprovider.com/">API documentation</a>.</li>



<li><strong>WHMCS module:</strong> sell .si through WHMCS, the billing and automation software many hosting providers already use.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-four-points-to-share-with-customers-before-you-sell-si"><strong>Four points to share with customers before you sell .si</strong></h2>



<p>Customers who know what to expect stay longer and renew with fewer questions. Cover these four points with every customer who asks about .si.</p>



<p><strong>Search results outside Slovenia.</strong> Google links .si sites to Slovenia, which can make it harder to rank elsewhere. Customers targeting the US or UK should keep their main site on .com and use .si for redirects or campaigns.</p>



<p><strong>Renewal drop-off in year two.</strong> Some investors will let unsold names expire, so factor this into your renewal forecasts.</p>



<p><strong>Trademark disputes.</strong> Register.si handles .si disputes under its own rules, separate from UDRP, so brand owners should start there.</p>



<p><strong>Typo and lookalike domains.</strong> Because s and a sit side by side on the keyboard, brand owners with a .ai domain should register the matching .si to block lookalike sites.</p>



<p>With these points covered, your customers start on the right foot, and Openprovider’s .si offer makes it easy to get started.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-si-offer-your-first-year-for-8-39-until-30-november"><strong>The .si offer: your first year for €8.39 until 30 November</strong></h2>



<p>To help you move while the best names are still available, Openprovider customers can register .si for €8.39 for the first year until 30 November 2026. You do not need a promo code. After the first year, .si renews at €10.29 per year, so you and your customers know the cost from the start.</p>



<p>The offer has a few simple conditions:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>New customers can register up to 5 .si domains at the offer price.</li>



<li>Existing customers can register 1 .si domain at the offer price.</li>



<li>The €8.39 price covers the first year of a new registration only.</li>



<li>The offer ends on 30 November 2026.</li>
</ul>



<p><a href="https://www.openprovider.com/membership-plans">Openprovider Members</a> pay cost price for every .si after the offer domains. Membership starts at €4.99 for the first year and includes cost-price access to every TLD we are accredited for.</p>



<p><a href="https://openprovider-offers-git-registersi-openprovider.vercel.app/get/register-si">See the .si offer</a> and claim the names your customers want before someone else does.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frequently-asked-questions-faq"><strong>Frequently asked questions (FAQ)</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-resellers-outside-slovenia-sell-si-domains"><strong>Can resellers outside Slovenia sell .si domains?</strong></h3>



<p>Yes. Register.si allows anyone, anywhere to register a .si domain, with no local contact or Slovenian company needed. This means hosting providers, agencies and MSPs in any country can sell .si to their customers. With Openprovider, you add .si to the same account and platform you use for your other domains.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-si-cheaper-than-ai"><strong>Is .si cheaper than .ai?</strong></h3>



<p>Yes. A .si domain costs €8.39 for the first year with our current offer, and renews at €10.29 per year. A .ai domain needs a 2-year minimum registration and costs $109 to start with Openprovider. This makes .si a low-cost option for customers who want an AI-linked domain without the .ai price.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-does-a-si-domain-rank-outside-slovenia"><strong>Does a .si domain rank outside Slovenia?</strong></h3>



<p>Google treats .si as a Slovenian country domain, so a .si site can find it harder to rank in other countries. This is different from .ai, which Google has treated as a generic domain since 2023. Customers who need to rank in the US or Europe should keep a generic domain as their main site.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-i-register-si-domains-in-bulk-through-the-api"><strong>Can I register .si domains in bulk through the API?</strong></h3>



<p>Yes. Openprovider lets you check up to 500 .si names at once and register multiple domains in one order from the Reseller Control Panel. You can also register .si through our API, test it first in a free sandbox, and sell it through our WHMCS module.</p>



<p></p>


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si_vs_ai_blog_1124x400 · light · DCX-2344

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<p>Portugal is building a name as one of Europe&#8217;s new digital hubs, and the .pt country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) is growing with it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>.pt now has more than 2 million registered domains, and according to its non-profit registry, <a href="http://dns.pt">Associação DNS.PT</a>, it is among the fastest-growing ccTLDs in Europe.</p>



<p>For resellers, that growth makes <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/domains/tlds/pt">.pt domains</a> easier to sell. Your long-term profitability, however, depends on how well they manage renewals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Since July 1, 2026, new <a href="https://www.pt.pt/en/domain/pt-terms-and-conditions-registration-rules/">.pt registration rules</a> set out the renewal timeline in full. Timing matters more for .pt than for most TLDs, because a .pt domain stops working the day after it expires.</p>



<p>This article explains what those rules mean for renewals, what happens at each stage after a .pt domain expires, what a missed renewal costs your business, and six steps that keep every .pt renewal in your portfolio on time.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-pt-domain-renewal-works-and-when-client-sites-go-offline"><strong>How .pt domain renewal works, and when client sites go offline</strong></h2>



<p>A .pt domain leaves the .pt zone as soon as it expires, so its website and email stop working straight away. DNS.PT then gives an additional 30-day period to renew, for an extra fee. If nobody renews within those 30 days, DNS.PT removes the domain and anyone can register it.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th><strong>Stage</strong></th><th><strong>When</strong></th><th><strong>Domain status</strong></th><th><strong>Cost</strong></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Before expiry</td><td>Up to the end of the term</td><td>Online</td><td>Standard renewal price</td></tr><tr><td>Additional period</td><td>Days 1–30 after expiry</td><td>Offline: website and email stop. No ownership transfer</td><td>Renewal price plus an extra fee</td></tr><tr><td>Removal</td><td>After day 30</td><td>DNS.PT removes it, and anyone can register it</td><td>Client must register it again, if still available</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Source: <a href="https://www.pt.pt/fotos/editor2/registration_rules_2026.pdf">.pt registration rules 2026, articles 14 and 17</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>For .pt, the additional 30-day period works like a <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/glossary/redemption-period">redemption period</a>. Our guide on <a href="https://www.openprovider.com/explore/how-to-renew-a-domain-name">how to renew a domain name</a> covers the general steps.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-missed-pt-renewal-can-cost-you-the-whole-client"><strong>A missed .pt renewal can cost you the whole client</strong></h2>



<p>A missed .pt renewal takes down more than the domain. It stops your client&#8217;s website, email and often the hosting and SSL you sell with it, and the support tickets land with your team.</p>



<p>Your clients see your brand on their invoices, so they hold you responsible for the outage, whatever the cause. If they leave, you lose the domain, the hosting and every other service on that account.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-a-pt-client-costs-less-than-replacing-one"><strong>Keeping a .pt client costs less than replacing one</strong></h2>



<p>Every .pt renewal keeps revenue you already won. You paid sales, marketing and onboarding costs to win that client once. A renewal costs a few clicks, or none with auto-renew, while replacing a lost client means paying those costs again.</p>



<p><a href="https://www.benchmarkit.ai/2025benchmarks">Benchmarkit’s 2025 report on B2B software companies</a> found they spend twice as much on sales and marketing to win revenue from new customers as to grow revenue from existing ones.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keep-registrant-data-ready-to-help-pt-renewals-go-through-smoothly"><strong>Keep registrant data ready to help .pt renewals go through smoothly</strong></h2>



<p>.pt registrant data needs to stay accurate, because DNS.PT checks it on a regular basis.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If DNS.PT has doubts about the data and gets no answer within 10 days, it removes the domain. Under the rules, the managing body (the organization that manages the domain with DNS.PT) must keep that data current.</p>



<p>Each renewal is a good moment to confirm your client&#8217;s contact details (<a href="https://www.pt.pt/fotos/editor2/registration_rules_2026.pdf">rules, articles 9 and 24</a>).</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-six-steps-to-protect-pt-renewal-revenue-across-your-portfolio"><strong>Six steps to protect .pt renewal revenue across your portfolio</strong></h2>



<p>A .pt renewal can fail for simple reasons: an empty account balance, an expiry date that is out of sync, or contact details that DNS.PT can’t confirm.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The six steps below close each of those gaps, so every .pt domain in your portfolio renews on time.</p>



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Turn auto-renew on by default:</strong> every new .pt domain renews unless your client asks otherwise.</li>



<li><strong>Keep your account balance funded:</strong> auto-renewals go through only when your balance covers them.</li>



<li><strong>Offer multi-year renewals for brand domains:</strong> longer terms mean fewer renewal dates and fewer chances for a client to leave.</li>



<li><strong>Sync expiry dates in WHMCS:</strong> at Openprovider, our<a href="https://www.openprovider.com/resellers/plugins"> WHMCS module</a> keeps expiry dates current in your billing system.</li>



<li><strong>Send branded reminders to clients:</strong> remind clients ahead of each renewal under your own brand.</li>



<li><strong>Check registrant data at renewal:</strong> confirm contact details before the renewal goes through.</li>
</ol>



<p>DNS.PT also gives 60 days&#8217; notice of price changes where possible, so you can update your own pricing in time.</p>



<p><strong>How to add a .pt domain to your reseller portfolio with Openprovider</strong></p>



<p>With an<a href="https://www.openprovider.com/membership-plans"> Openprovider Membership</a>, you register and renew .pt domains at cost price, so you protect your margin from the first registration through every renewal that follows. You don’t need a separate registry agreement, a new accreditation or a parallel workflow, because .pt runs through the same domain API and WHMCS module as every other TLD you sell, all from one Reseller Control Panel.</p>



<p>If your clients are asking for .pt and your current setup makes it hard to offer,<a href="https://cp.openprovider.eu/signup"> create a free Openprovider account</a> and start registering your .pt domains, then renew them on time, year after year.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frequently-asked-questions-faq"><strong>Frequently asked questions (FAQ)</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-there-a-grace-period-for-pt-domains"><strong>Is there a grace period for .pt domains?</strong></h3>



<p>Yes. DNS.PT, the .pt registry, gives you an additional 30 days to renew after expiry, for an extra fee. The domain stays offline during that time.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-can-i-transfer-an-expired-pt-domain"><strong>Can I transfer an expired .pt domain?</strong></h3>



<p>Not its ownership. If a .pt domain expired less than 30 days ago, you can still renew it, but the rules don&#8217;t allow an ownership transfer.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-changed-in-the-pt-rules-in-2026"><strong>What changed in the .pt rules in 2026?</strong></h3>



<p>New rules from July 1, 2026 set out the renewal timeline, the additional 30-day period and regular checks on registrant data.</p>



<p></p>


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pt_renewal_blog_1124x400 · DCX-2339

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