What is .vc?
.vc has a second life online. Because of what the letters suggest, it's picked up a following for venture capital, beyond Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's borders. Legally it remains Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's ccTLD.
A little context on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: the capital is Kingstown, the main language is English, the currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD) and the international dialing code is +1784.
IANA lists Ministry of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry as the manager of .vc, with an address in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. ccTLD managers set their own policies — who can register, which second-level names exist, pricing to registrars — so those rules differ from country to country.
On the technical side, .vc is served by 6 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .vc, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.identitydigital.services).
.vc FAQ
What country is .vc?
.vc is the country-code top-level domain for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in Caribbean. Online it's also used for venture capital.
What does .vc mean?
Officially, .vc is simply the ISO 3166-1 code for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Online, it's also used for venture capital — a "domain hack" that uses the letters for what they spell.
What does .vc mean in an email address?
Only that the sender's domain is registered under .vc. Because .vc is also used for venture capital, it doesn't necessarily mean the person is in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Who owns the .vc domain?
IANA lists Ministry of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry as the manager of .vc: it runs the registry and sets the rules for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines's ccTLD. Individual .vc names belong to whoever registers them.
Can I register a .vc domain from the US?
It depends on Ministry of Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Industry's policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .vc DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .vc, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .vc domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is whois.identitydigital.services. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed July 9, 2024. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
