# Why does a .ai domain need a 2-year minimum? > .ai domains are registered for 2 years minimum: $81.99/year at BuyDomainsCrypto, billed 2 years at a time, paid in crypto with no KYC. - URL: https://buydomainscrypto.com/guides/ai-domain-2-year-minimum/ - Last updated: 2026-10-08 - Publisher: BuyDomainsCrypto (https://buydomainscrypto.com) .ai is the country code of Anguilla, and its registry sells names two years at a time. What that means for the first payment, for renewals and for transfers. **Quick answer — Why does .ai require a 2-year minimum?** A .ai domain needs a 2-year minimum because the registry of Anguilla's country code sets it, for new registrations and for renewals, and registrars must apply it. At **BuyDomainsCrypto**, .ai costs $81.99/year, so the first payment covers two years: 2 × $81.99. You pay in crypto, with no KYC; WHOIS privacy is free. ## .ai at a glance | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Type | Country-code TLD (ccTLD) of Anguilla | | Registry | Government of Anguilla, operated by Identity Digital | | Minimum term | 2 years, for registration and for renewal | | Maximum term | 10 years | | Price at BuyDomainsCrypto | $81.99/year; first payment for 2 years: 2 × $81.99 | | Renewal | $81.99/year, at least 2 years per renewal | | Who can register | Anyone: no residency rule | | WHOIS privacy at BuyDomainsCrypto | Free | | Payment | Crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC | ## Why is .ai sold two years at a time? Because the .ai registry requires it. A registry sets the rules of its extension, and the .ai registry sets a minimum term of 2 years for new names and for renewals. Registrars cannot sell a shorter term. That is why most .ai prices are shown per year but charged for two years. Compare the yearly price, not the first invoice. .ai is the country-code TLD of Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is open to anyone worldwide, and it is popular with AI companies, models, tools and agents. ## How much does a .ai domain cost for two years? Two years at the yearly price. At BuyDomainsCrypto: - **First payment:** 2 × $81.99, for 2 years. - **Each renewal:** at least 2 years, at $81.99 a year. - **Five years at once:** first year $81.99 + 4 years at $81.99. Top up enough balance for at least two years before you order, or the order waits for the top-up. WHOIS privacy is free. All prices are on the [pricing page](https://buydomainscrypto.com/pricing/) and on the [.ai extension page](https://buydomainscrypto.com/tld/ai/). ## .ai price per year at registrars that accept crypto As of 8 October 2026, per each registrar's pricing page or the named aggregator. Prices are per year; most registrars bill two years at a time. | Registrar | First term, per year | Renewal, per year | Transfer | Crypto accepted | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BuyDomainsCrypto | $81.99 | $81.99 | $81.99 a year | BTC, USDT (TRC-20, ERC-20), USDC (ERC-20), ETH, SOL, LTC | | Porkbun | $82.70 | $82.70 | $165.09 (2 years) | USDC via Coinbase Business | | Dynadot | $85.60 | $85.60 | $171.20 (2 years) | BTC, USDC, USDT, coins via BitPay | | Namecheap | $84.18 | $92.18 | — | BTC, as an account top-up | | Njalla | about $84.39 (€75) | about $84.39 (€75) | — | BTC, LTC, XMR, ETH | | NameSilo | $98.99 | $99.99 | — | BTC; ETH, LTC, USDT, USDC via Nicky | | Gandi | $112.06 | $179.76 | — | BTC, ETH, BCH via BitPay | | Cloudflare Registrar (at cost) | $80.00 | $80.00 | — | No crypto documented | | Spaceship | $79.98 | $79.98 | — | Not confirmed | | Epik | $74.95 | $74.95 | — | Not confirmed in 2026 | *Prices checked on October 8, 2026.* Porkbun and Dynadot per their pricing pages, Cloudflare per cfdomainpricing.com, the others per domainoffer.net (prices updated 8 October 2026; Namecheap includes the $0.20 ICANN fee). Njalla converted from euros at domainoffer's rate. "Not confirmed": we found no primary page confirming crypto payments. ## Does a .ai transfer also cost two years? At most registrars, yes. As of 8 October 2026, per their pricing pages, Porkbun charged $165.09 and Dynadot $171.20 to transfer a .ai, about two years of their yearly price. At BuyDomainsCrypto, the .ai transfer price is $81.99/year, charged for each year the registry adds. Read the [transfer guide](https://buydomainscrypto.com/guides/transfer-domain-pay-with-crypto/) before you start: unlock the domain and get its auth code at your current registrar. ## Is a .ai domain worth two years of payment? If the name is your product's main address, usually yes. For a test project, a cheaper extension may be enough. - **.ai** suits AI products, models and agents: the extension itself says what you do. - **.io** costs $32.99/year the first year, with a 1-year minimum; see [is .io safe in 2026](https://buydomainscrypto.com/guides/is-io-safe-2026/). - **.com** costs $11.49/year, the same to renew. - **.app** and **.dev** start at $8.49/year and $8.49/year, with HTTPS required. The startup extensions are compared on [domains for Web3 startups](https://buydomainscrypto.com/web3-startup-domains/). ## .ai and its alternatives Prices per year in US dollars. The restrictions column shows the .ai 2-year minimum. | Extension | 1st year | Renewal | Transfer | WHOIS privacy | Restrictions | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | .ai | $81.99 | $81.99 | $81.99 | Free | min. 2 years | | .io | $32.99 | $50.49 | $50.49 | Free | None | | .com | $11.49 | $11.49 | $11.49 | Free | None | | .app | $8.49 | $14.49 | $14.49 | Free | HTTPS required | | .dev | $8.49 | $12.49 | $12.49 | Free | HTTPS required | | .xyz | $11.49 | $11.49 | $11.49 | Free | None | *6 extensions · prices per year in USD* ## How to buy a .ai domain with crypto 1. **Search the name** — Type the name in the domain search and check that the .ai is free. 2. **Choose 2 years or more** — Pick 2 to 10 years. The cart shows the total for the years chosen. 3. **Top up in crypto** — Top up at least the cart total, in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. The exchange rate is locked for 30 minutes. 4. **Use your .ai** — The domain is registered usually within minutes of the top-up being credited; a few extensions take a few hours. Then set its DNS records or your own nameservers in My domains. ## Search a .ai name Search a domain name: https://buydomainscrypto.com/app/domains/?q=yourname.ai Popular extensions: .ai ($81.99), .io ($32.99), .com ($11.49) ## .ai 2-year minimum: FAQ ### Can I register a .ai domain for one year? No. The .ai registry sets a minimum term of 2 years, and registrars cannot sell less. At BuyDomainsCrypto the price is $81.99/year, so the first payment is 2 × $81.99. You can choose more years, up to 10, in one order. ### Does a .ai renewal also need two years? Yes. The 2-year minimum applies to renewals as well as to new registrations. At BuyDomainsCrypto a .ai renews at $81.99/year, at least two years at a time. With auto-renew on, keep enough balance for two years before the expiry date. ### How much is a .ai domain at BuyDomainsCrypto? $81.99/year for the first term, $81.99/year to renew and $81.99/year to transfer, always with the 2-year registry minimum. WHOIS privacy: Free. You pay in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC) from a balance topped up from $25, with no KYC. ### Is .ai cheaper at other registrars? Among the registrars in our 8 October 2026 check that confirm crypto payments, Porkbun listed the lowest yearly .ai price, $82.70. Cloudflare sells at cost ($80.00) but documents no crypto payment. Epik ($74.95) and Spaceship ($79.98) listed lower prices, but we found no primary page confirming that they accept crypto. ### Who runs the .ai registry? The Government of Anguilla is the registry of .ai, per the IANA root zone database, and Identity Digital operates it. Anyone can register a .ai name: there is no residency rule. .ai supports DNSSEC, and the registry allows WHOIS privacy services. ### Can I pay for a .ai domain with USDT? Yes. Top up your balance with USDT on Tron (TRC-20) or Ethereum (ERC-20), or with BTC, USDC, ETH, SOL or LTC, then register the .ai from it. Top up enough for two years. No ID is asked: only a working email, verified after registration as ICANN rules require. ### Is WHOIS privacy available on .ai? Yes. The .ai registry allows privacy services, although not every registrar offers one. At BuyDomainsCrypto, WHOIS privacy on .ai is free: your email stays out of the public record, and it is the only data we collect. Registrant data only goes out on a Panamanian court order, except urgent requests that ICANN rules require registrars to answer. ## Sources 1. [Root zone database: .ai](https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/ai.html) — IANA (2026-10-08) 2. [.ai domain registration (2-year minimum)](https://www.spaceship.com/domains/cctld/ai/) — Spaceship (2026-10-08) 3. [Domain pricing](https://porkbun.com/products/domains) — Porkbun (2026-10-08) 4. [Domain extension pricing](https://www.dynadot.com/domain/tlds) — Dynadot (2026-10-08) 5. [Cloudflare domain pricing](https://cfdomainpricing.com/) — cfdomainpricing.com (2026-10-08) 6. [.ai prices across registrars](https://domainoffer.net/tld/ai) — domainoffer.net (2026-10-08) **Register your .ai with crypto** .ai $81.99/year, 2 years minimum. Pay in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC; minimum top-up $25. No KYC. [Search a .ai name](https://buydomainscrypto.com/app/domains/?lang=en) · [.ai prices and rules](https://buydomainscrypto.com/tld/ai/) --- BuyDomainsCrypto: BuyDomainsCrypto is a crypto-only domain registration service with no KYC: pay in BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC; .com costs $11.49/year with the same price to renew, free WHOIS privacy where the registry allows it.