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Who can register a .ca domain?
A .ca domain requires meeting one of the Canadian Presence Requirements set by CIRA, the registry that runs the extension. The common routes are Canadian citizenship, permanent residence for someone ordinarily resident in Canada, or a company incorporated federally, provincially, or in a territory. Registration goes through a CIRA-certified registrar rather than the registry directly.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Rules change and thresholds get revised, so confirm anything you are relying on against the sources listed with each answer.
The categories that matter to a business
There are eighteen eligible categories. Most businesses qualify through incorporation in Canada, or through an owner who is a citizen or permanent resident. Partnerships, trade unions, associations, educational institutions, hospitals, and Indigenous Peoples in Canada each have their own category.
The trademark route and its catch
A foreign company with a trademark registered in Canada can register a .ca, but only for a domain that consists of or includes the exact word part of that mark. The brand plus a city qualifies. A descriptive domain that leaves the mark out does not. Eligibility also has to be maintained: losing the qualifying status can mean losing the domain.
Is it worth having
For a business serving Canadian customers, yes. A .ca reads as local to Canadian buyers, and Google treats a country-code domain as a strong signal that a site is meant for that country, which is different from a general ranking boost. The usual arrangement is to own both, run the site on one, and redirect the other permanently so there is only ever one indexed version.
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