cctld.by

Platform Positioning and Core Services

cctld.by is the official registry website for Belarus’s country-code top-level domains .BY (Latin script) and .БЕЛ (Cyrillic script), with beCloud serving as the technical administrator. It is important to note that this platform is a registry, not a retail registrar: end users cannot register domains directly here and must use one of its accredited third-party registrars instead. The number of registered .BY domains has now exceeded 138,000, with the combined total across both extensions surpassing 150,000.

Domain Rules and Supported TLDs

The platform manages two core TLDs: .BY and .БЕЛ. .BY follows standard Latin-character rules (2–63 characters), while .БЕЛ supports Russian and Belarusian letters and even allows the use of apostrophes, significantly improving local-language branding options. Both extensions impose strict rules on hyphen usage, such as prohibiting hyphens at the beginning or end of a domain and disallowing consecutive hyphens.

Pricing, Transfers, and Recovery Policy

As cctld.by is a registry, registration and renewal prices are not disclosed directly on the website; the actual cost depends on the accredited registrar you choose. For transfers and recovery, the platform provides clear rules: if a domain is deleted after expiration, the original owner has a 10-calendar-day priority recovery period. During this time, they may submit a recovery request and pay the fee through the registry’s personal account system. If the domain is not restored within this period, it may be registered by the former owner or a rights holder, or may even enter an auction process.

DNS, Privacy Protection, and Payments

For DNS and related services, NS record changes are made through the registrar’s control panel, and propagation may take up to 24 hours, which is slightly slower than the mainstream international standard. Regarding privacy protection, the website does not mention any WHOIS privacy policy. Payment methods also depend on the capabilities of each accredited registrar, while the registry’s direct recovery service requires payment through its personal account portal.

Pros, Cons, and Suitable Users

The advantages are its official authority, support for a localized Cyrillic domain extension, and a 10-day priority recovery period after expiration. The drawbacks are the lack of a direct purchase channel, relatively slow DNS propagation, and unclear privacy-protection policies. This service is mainly suitable for Belarusian local businesses and international brands that need a presence in Belarus. For users in China, the website is directly accessible, but its Russian-only interface and the need to find a local Belarusian registrar create higher barriers in payment and communication. Chinese users are advised to register .BY domains through internationally known registrars such as Namecheap as an alternative.