Namecheap compared: US vs Panamanian jurisdiction

Where is Namecheap based, and why does it matter?

Namecheap, Inc. is based in Phoenix, Arizona. That places the company itself under US federal and Arizona law. A US court order, a federal seizure warrant or a US subpoena can be served on it at home, without any treaty step.

PanamaRegistrar is operated by DomaineGoat LLC, incorporated in Panama, through our ICANN-accredited registrar partner. A US order reaches us only through Panamanian law. A civil judgment must first be recognised by the Fourth Chamber of Panama's Supreme Court, under articles 155 to 157 of Law 61 of 2015. A criminal request usually travels under the US–Panama mutual legal assistance treaty, in force since 6 September 1995.

One point is the same at both: a .com is managed by Verisign in Reston, Virginia. A US court can order the registry directly, whoever the registrar is. Read can a foreign court seize my domain? for how that works.

Does Namecheap ask for ID?

Sometimes. Namecheap's help page on identity and payment verification, updated 25 May 2026, says it uses Veriff. When its system flags an account, the Risk Management department emails a Veriff link. You then photograph a valid government-issued ID and take a selfie, on a smartphone. The link is valid for 7 days. The page also says you may be asked to verify your payment, identity or residence.

PanamaRegistrar asks for no ID document, no selfie and no ID number. Your account has a random number, with no name, address or phone asked. Each domain needs one email address that you confirm, because ICANN requires registrars to verify it within 15 days. It is never published. See no-KYC domain registration.

Can I pay Namecheap in crypto?

Yes, but only Bitcoin and only as account funds. Namecheap documents two routes. BTCPay accepts any wallet, with deposits from $1 to $100,000, and the funds are not refundable. BitPay requires a BitPay wallet. Namecheap has accepted Bitcoin since 2013, and the BTCPay project reported 1.1 million Namecheap transactions between May 2020 and October 2024.

PanamaRegistrar is crypto only. We take Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). You top up a balance, minimum $25, and pay registrations, renewals and transfers from it. Send the exact amount on the exact network; the top-up is credited after the network confirmations. Unused balance stays on your account and never expires, and it pays for new domains, renewals and transfers. When a purchase costs less than the minimum top-up, the part added only to reach the minimum is refundable on request to support within 30 days of the payment, in USDT or USDC, as long as it has not been spent. The rest of the balance is not paid back, except where the law requires it. More on buying a domain with crypto.

How do the prices work?

At Namecheap, a new customer can use a promo code for the first year, and the renewal price is different. Both change often; check them on Namecheap's own pages on the day you buy. We do not quote them here, because the sources we read in October 2026 disagreed.

At PanamaRegistrar the price is $11.99/year every year: three years cost three times $11.99. There is no first-year discount and no renewal jump. A transfer in also costs $11.99 and adds a year to a .com.

On some extensions Namecheap will be lower in the first year. Check your own extension on the price list.

How does each handle complaints about a domain?

Our rules are public; we did not review Namecheap's complaint policy for this page. Every ICANN-accredited registrar, Namecheap and our registrar partner included, must act promptly on well-documented DNS abuse. The duty is in section 3.18.2 of the registrar contract, in force since 5 April 2024.

At PanamaRegistrar, phishing, malware, botnets, child sexual abuse material and fraud that takes money from victims are suspended on a well-documented report. Everything else waits for a Panamanian court. A copyright notice, a defamation claim or a competitor's complaint does not suspend a domain on its own.

With Domain protection, every complaint is also read by a person before any action on the domain. For court orders, we confirm every order with the court or prosecutor's office that issued it, through its official contact details, before acting. The steps are on the takedown procedure page; US-style copyright notices are covered on DMCA notices.

When is Namecheap the better choice?

Namecheap is the better pick in four cases.

• You want to pay by card or PayPal.
• You want a very large catalogue.
• You want hosting and email bundled with the domain.
• You want a low first-year promo on a .com.

Its long history and size are real strengths. PanamaRegistrar fits better if you want no ID check at any point and payment in stablecoins. It also fits if you want a flat price every year and a registrar bound by Panamanian courts. You can also split the two: keep business domains at a mainstream registrar and move publishing domains here.