Quick answer
Who controls a .shop domain, and what does it cost?
.shop domain at PanamaRegistrar, as of October 2026: $33.49 a year, the same price to renew. .shop is managed and operated by GMO Registry, Inc. in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, under an ICANN registry agreement; Japanese courts have authority over the registry.
.shop registry facts
| Registry manager (IANA) | GMO Registry, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Registry location | Shibuya, Tokyo — Japan |
| Back-end operator | GMO Registry, Inc., Tokyo (Japan) |
| Legal framework | ICANN registry agreement (new gTLD, 2012 round) |
| Dispute policy | UDRP + URS |
| Who can register | Anyone: no residence, nexus or purpose rule |
| WHOIS / RDAP | WHOIS whois.nic.shop · RDAP rdap.gmoregistry.net/rdap/ |
| DNSSEC | Yes (DS record in the root zone) |
| Registration term | 1 to 10 years |
| Price at PanamaRegistrar | $33.49/year; renewal $33.49/year; transfer $33.49 |
| IANA record last updated | 20 August 2019 |
Who runs the .shop registry, and from which country?
IANA lists GMO Registry, Inc., 26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, as both manager and technical operator of .shop, at the Cerulean Tower address. WHOIS answers on whois.nic.shop and RDAP at rdap.gmoregistry.net. The IANA record was last changed on 20 August 2019, the oldest update date among our 43 extensions. .shop is a new gTLD from the 2012 round. It is the only extension we sell with a registry in Asia.
Can a court in Japan take down or seize a .shop domain?
A Japanese court is the court system with direct authority over GMO Registry. Japanese civil procedure would govern an order to change a .shop record. We could not confirm a published GMO Registry procedure for foreign judgments or court orders. No US registry-location rule applies, because neither the registry nor its operator is in the United States.
What does PanamaRegistrar do with a complaint about a .shop domain?
Nothing happens to a .shop domain on a complaint alone. Copyright, defamation, political or competitor complaints need a decision from a Panamanian court; a foreign judgment must first be recognised in Panama by exequatur. Phishing, malware, botnets and fraud that takes money from victims are suspended within 24 hours of a well-documented report, child sexual abuse material immediately, and the URLs are reported to NCMEC. You are told before any action on your domain, unless the law or the court order forbids it; with Domain protection, every complaint is also read by a person before any action on the domain. This rule covers what PanamaRegistrar does, not the registry or our registrar partner. Steps and time limits: takedown procedure and how we handle complaints.
Who uses .shop domains, and why?
E-commerce stores use .shop, according to the dataset. The word is short and understood in many languages. Anyone can register, for 1 to 10 years. Shops that ship worldwide often want a name not tied to a country code; .shop gives that while keeping the registry in Japan, outside both the United States and the European Union.
Which registry rules are specific to .shop?
Every part of .shop's registry is in one place: manager and technical operator are the same Tokyo company, at the same Shibuya address. That makes the jurisdiction question simple: Japan. .shop supports DNSSEC and IDN. Its IANA record has not changed since 20 August 2019.
What does the WHOIS show for a .shop domain?
WHOIS privacy is allowed on .shop and free at PanamaRegistrar. The public record on whois.nic.shop or rdap.gmoregistry.net shows the registrar, the dates, the nameservers and the status. Your details stay private, and with Domain protection the registry never receives them. A shop can still publish its legal address on its own site.
Do I need Domain protection for a .shop domain?
No, it is optional: +$29 per year, on top of the .shop price. Domain protection registers the domain in the name of DomaineGoat LLC, so the registration record and WHOIS/RDAP show our company, never you, and you can take it back in your own name for free. A transfer lock is on, and any transfer or DNS change must be confirmed from your account. We then hold only your email, and a person reads every complaint before any action on the domain; that review exists only with the option. It does not move the registry or change its courts.
Which dispute policy applies to .shop?
.shop follows the UDRP and the URS, as a new gTLD. A fake shop that takes money from buyers falls under our strict fraud exception and is suspended on a well-documented report. A shop accused of using a brand name faces the UDRP or the URS, decided by a panel or an examiner. Our steps for trademark cases: UDRP and URS.
How much does a .shop domain cost, and how is it renewed?
At PanamaRegistrar, as of October 2026, .shop costs $33.49/year; renewal is $33.49/year, and a transfer $33.49 with one year added, as ICANN rules provide for generic extensions. Term: 1 to 10 years. Payment is in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC) from a prepaid balance, minimum top-up $25. Every extension: price list.
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.shop questions
Is the .shop registry in Japan?
Yes. IANA lists GMO Registry, Inc. in Shibuya, Tokyo, as both manager and technical operator of .shop. Japanese courts have authority over the registry company, and no part of the .shop registry is listed in the United States.
What happens if someone reports my .shop as a scam?
We read the report. If it documents fraud that takes money from victims, such as goods paid and never sent, the domain is suspended on that evidence. A dispute over quality or a refund is not a takedown ground. See report abuse.
Can I register a .shop domain without a company?
Yes. The registry sets no eligibility rule, and terms run from 1 to 10 years. PanamaRegistrar asks for one verified email per domain, no ID and no company documents. Payment is in crypto from a prepaid balance.
Can PanamaRegistrar stop the .shop registry from acting on a court order?
No. The .shop registry, GMO Registry, Inc., keeps its own copy of the registration and applies the law of its own country. PanamaRegistrar decides only what its own service does: we act on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints. Our registrar partner also keeps its own legal duties. We tell you when we learn of a registry-level action, unless the law or the order forbids it. See the registry jurisdiction index.
How do I pay for a .shop domain?
In crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Top up your balance (minimum $25), then register the .shop domain from it at $33.49/year. Send the exact amount on the exact network; the top-up is credited after the network confirmations. No ID and no KYC: one verified email per domain, never published.
Sources (5)
- IANA Root Zone Database: .shop delegation record — IANA (checked 2026-10-19)
- Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
- Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
- Amazon Route 53 developer guide: .shop registration rules — Amazon Web Services (checked 2026-10-08)
- .shop (encyclopedia entry) — Wikipedia (checked 2026-10-08)