How to register a .co.zm domain in Zambia (2026): cost and rules
A .co.zm domain is Zambia’s commercial web address, managed by ZICTA. Any business with a Zambian presence can register one, and it is far cheaper through a local registrar than through an international reseller. The exact local price is a few hundred Kwacha a year (confirm the current figure); overseas resellers charge many times that. Spout registers and manages it for you as part of a package.
Who can register a .co.zm domain?
.co.zm is the commercial second level of Zambia’s .zm country domain, and the registry is ZICTA, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority. Any business or organisation operating in Zambia can register one.
The rule to know: you need a Zambian presence. You must give a valid local contact name, physical address and telephone number in Zambia. A foreign business without a local office has to appoint a Zambian representative or trustee (confirm ZICTA’s current policy before you rely on it).
There is also a naming rule: no hyphens are allowed anywhere in a .zm or .co.zm name. Choose a plain, alphanumeric name.
Other variants exist, each for a purpose: .org.zm for non-profits, .ac.zm for academic institutions, .gov.zm for government. For a normal business selling to Zambians, .co.zm is the one you want.
How do you register one, step by step?
- Check the name is free and legal. Search for your business name and confirm it is unregistered and contains no hyphens.
- Get your Zambian details ready. A local contact name, physical address and phone number. If you are not resident, arrange a local representative first.
- Register through a local Zambian registrar, not an international reseller. Local registration means Kwacha pricing and direct ZICTA processing.
- Set up the DNS. Point the domain at your hosting and email servers. Get this wrong and your site will not load or your email will not arrive.
- Track the renewal. A domain is an annual lease. Keep your details current and renew before it expires, or you can lose the address.
What does it cost: local vs international?
This is where most Zambian businesses overpay. The gap between registering locally and registering through an overseas platform is large.
One international reseller listed .co.zm registration at about US$115 a year, with a higher renewal rate and separate fees for DNS changes (101domain, pricing seen December 2023; dated, confirm the current rate). A local Zambian registrar charges a small fraction of that, typically a few hundred Kwacha a year (confirm the current local Kwacha figure before you commit).
| What you compare | Local Zambian registrar | International reseller |
|---|---|---|
| Annual registration | A few hundred Kwacha (verify current price) | ~US$115+ a year (101domain, Dec 2023; dated, verify) |
| Billing currency | Zambian Kwacha | US dollars |
| How you pay | MTN, Airtel, Zamtel mobile money or bank transfer | Card or foreign wire |
| DNS changes | Usually included | Often an extra fee |
| Local-presence help | Built in for Zambian businesses | Extra trustee fee, or not offered |
| Best for | Zambian businesses | Foreign entities without a local channel |
Register locally and you keep the cost low and pay in Kwacha by mobile money.
Should a Zambian business choose .co.zm or .com?
It depends on who you sell to. For a business serving Zambians, .co.zm earns local trust: customers recognise it as a real, locally present business, which matters when someone is deciding whether to buy from you online.
A .com is the better choice if your customers are mostly outside Zambia. Many growing companies register both, to protect the name, and point everything at the .co.zm as the main address. If you serve Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe, Livingstone or Solwezi, lead with .co.zm.
How Spout registers and manages it for you
We handle the whole thing. We register your .co.zm through a local, ZICTA-compliant channel, point the DNS correctly, set up your hosting and branded email on it (you@yourbusiness.co.zm), and watch the renewal so the address never lapses.
A .co.zm domain is included for the first term in every Spout package, alongside custom design, hosting, SSL, branded email, a logo and the built-in AI Copilot:
- Ignition — from K4,500, confirmed in your written quote.
- Orbit — from K7,500, confirmed in your written quote.
- Apollo — from K11,500, confirmed in your written quote.
Already have a site and just need the domain registered and managed? That is available standalone from K[figure], confirmed in your written quote. Pay in Kwacha by MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, Zamtel Kwacha or bank transfer. See more on our domains service.
Ready to claim your local web address? See the packages, or chat with us on WhatsApp and we will sort it out.
Written by the Spout team, drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publishing. Registry rules and prices are current as of October 2026; confirm the local Kwacha price and ZICTA policy before registering.