.cv Domain Names
15 registrars compared — cheapest from $8.03 at Porkbun
A two-letter national suffix for a West African archipelago that has quietly rebranded itself as the internet's résumé extension — .cv lets anyone in the world signal 'curriculum vitae' without asking Cape Verde's permission.
| # | Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Porkbun Cheapest | $8.03 | $8.03 | $8.03 | $40.15 | $80.30 | Visit |
| 2 | NameSilo | $8.99 | $9.99 | $8.49 | $48.95 | $98.90 | Visit |
| 3 | Dynadot | $9.75 | $9.75 | $9.75 | $48.75 | $97.50 | Visit |
| 4 | Namecheap | $14.98 | $14.98 | $19.98 | $74.90 | $149.80 | Visit |
| 5 | Gname | $17.99 | $17.99 | $17.99 | $89.95 | $179.90 | Visit |
| 6 | Netim | $24.00 | $24.00 | $17.50 | $120.00 | $240.00 | Visit |
| 7 | Regery | $24.99 | $26.99 | $24.99 | $132.95 | $267.90 | Visit |
| 8 | Regtons | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00 | $150.00 | $300.00 | Visit |
| 9 | Sav | $30.00 | $30.00 | $30.00 | $150.00 | $300.00 | Visit |
| 10 | INWX | $50.40 | $50.40 | $50.40 | $252.00 | $504.00 | Visit |
| 11 | Marcaria | $68.00 | $68.00 | $68.00 | $340.00 | $680.00 | Visit |
| 12 | 101domain | $68.49 | $88.99 | $68.49 | $424.45 | $869.40 | Visit |
| 13 | Cosmotown | $68.49 | $88.99 | $68.49 | $424.45 | $869.40 | Visit |
| 14 | Directnic | $68.49 | $88.99 | $68.49 | $424.45 | $869.40 | Visit |
| 15 | Gandi | $115.00 | $231.98 | $98.32 | $1042.92 | $2202.82 | Visit |
Prices updated daily. Some registrars show promotional first-year prices. Always verify the final price on the registrar's website before purchasing.
A Two-Letter Code With a Résumé Double Life
Officially, .cv belongs to Cape Verde, an island nation off West Africa's coast, and the IANA record says it's meant for entities connected with that country. But because 'CV' is also the universal abbreviation for curriculum vitae, the .cv Wikipedia entry notes that registrants worldwide use it as a personal namespace or a résumé-style website. There are no restrictions on who can register, so a job seeker in Berlin and a company in Praia can both grab a .cv name. The duality is baked into the code itself — a national identifier that doubles as a global shorthand.
Since 1996: A Slow-Burn African ccTLD
Delegated on October 21, 1996, .cv is one of the older country-code top-level domains in Africa, predating many of its neighbors. The registry is run by Agência Reguladora Multissectorial da Economia (ARME), Cape Verde's multi-sector economic regulator, with WHOIS service at whois.nic.cv and a registry website at ola.cv. Compared to other African ccTLDs that emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, .cv had a head start — though its global popularity came later, driven by the résumé hack rather than by Cape Verde's own internet penetration.
The 'CV' Catch: Why a Nation Embraces a Global Hack
Cape Verde's official language is Portuguese — the country's Wikipedia profile lists it as such — and in Portuguese, 'CV' doesn't carry the same curriculum-vitae weight it does in English. Yet the registry hasn't restricted the extension to Cape Verdean entities. Instead, ARME and its operators have let the global CV meaning drive demand. The result is a ccTLD that gets meaningful use both inside the archipelago and abroad, with no policies blocking foreigners. That open stance is unusual for an African national domain, where many registries prioritize local presence or charge local fees.
Dispute Resolution and the UDRP Floor
Like most ccTLDs, .cv has adopted the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), meaning trademark holders can file complaints with approved providers to fight cybersquatting. The fact that .cv has no restrictions makes UDRP all the more relevant: since anyone can register a .cv name without proving a connection to Cape Verde, disputes are more likely to arise. The safety net reassures registrants — and it positions .cv as a business-friendly extension for personal branding, as long as you don't infringe on someone else's mark.
Pricing and Africa's Other Geo-Hacks
Among African ccTLDs, .cv sits in an interesting niche. It's offered by 15 registrars with a dramatic price spread — the cheapest, Porkbun, is about a tenth of the most expensive, making it a budget-friendly extension for personal sites. That puts it in company with .io, .ac, .sh, .sc, and .cm — all African ccTLDs that have found global audiences by repurposing their codes. But while .io rode the tech wave and .sh attracted file-hosting services, .cv's claim is more personal: a professional identity that fits on a business card. The low entry price makes experimentation easy, and the résumé meaning gives it a built-in marketing hook that most national domains lack.