Also called .io · dot io
.io domain, explained
The registry, Internet Computer Bureau, has managed .io since 1997 and is now part of Identity Digital, following a sale to Afilias in 2017 and later acquisitions. There is no local-presence rule. The registry sets prices, and renewals cost well above a typical .com renewal, which matters across a portfolio of long holds.
The extension carries a sovereignty risk that .com does not. In May 2025 the UK and Mauritius signed a treaty to hand the Chagos Archipelago, which makes up the territory, to Mauritius. Country-code extensions follow the ISO 3166-1 list of country codes; if the IO code were withdrawn, IANA's retirement policy gives the operator five years by default to phase the extension out, extendable to a maximum of ten. As of late September 2026 the deal was on hold for lack of US support, the treaty had not taken effect, and .io was operating normally.
For an investor this changes the math. A .io name is a bet on the extension's survival as well as on the name, and the downside is not a lower price but a possible forced migration years away. Short, brandable .io names with a clear technical meaning still trade, but informed buyers will raise the Chagos question, so expect it in negotiations and price long holds with it in mind. Avoid paying aftermarket premiums for long or generic keyword .io names.
The AI boom added a rival for the same founders: .ai, which passed one million registered names in January 2026. When you value a .io, check whether the matching .ai and .com are taken and by whom, because an active company on either one narrows your buyers.
Example. A founder weighing a short .io against a longer .com asks the seller about the Chagos situation and uses the extension risk to negotiate the .io price down.
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- IANA — Root zone delegation record for .io
- Wikipedia — .io (registry ownership history)
- IANA — Retirement of a country-code top-level domain
- ICANN — The Chagos Archipelago and the .io domain (Nov 14, 2024)
- House of Commons Library — 2025 treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago (updated July 8, 2026)
- ITV News — Chagos Islands deal on hold after lack of US support (Sept 23, 2026)
- Domain Name Wire — .ai namespace hits 1 million domain names (Jan 28, 2026)
Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.