Why can’t Canadians use domain names they own on a free WordPress site?

highlandparkadmin · Member · May 22, 2021 at 2:01 am
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I had to cancel our WordPress Premium account because as a small community club we’ve lost members and revenue because of Covid. Your help desk suggested I keep the domain registrar for the name we have owned for years (highlandparklawnbowling.ca) but now WordPress refuses to let me access (highlandparklbc.wordpress.com) when I changed the name server on my domain registrar’s site. You won’t allow me to use the domain we own because it’s *.ca yet you seem to allow others to transfer their registration to you for $20 a year. I love WordPress but you are forcing me to consider dumping you because your help desk recommended I do something that now cuts off access to our web site.
helper-heroponriki · Member · May 22, 2021 at 1:42 pm
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Mapping an existing domain to your site requires a WordPress.com plan, which is why you’re unable to use it on your highlandparklbc.wordpress.com site now that you cancelled your Premium plan.

Additionally, we’re not able to register new or accept transfers in on .ca domains as that domain TLD is restricted by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). We also can’t register or transfer in .uk and .fr domains for similar reasons.

You can continue to use your free WordPress.com URL without mapping your domain and if you want to make sure your site traffic goes to that URL, you can set up a domain forwarding at your domain registrar so that any traffic to highlandparklawnbowling.ca will be redirected to highlandparklbc.wordpress.com.

I hope that helps!
highlandparkadmin · Member · May 22, 2021 at 7:10 pm
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I already did set up domain forwarding for <highlandparklawnbowling.ca> at my domain registrar’s site/account and have named <highlandparklbc.wordpress.com> as the “target”. However, trying to get to <highlanwparklawnbowling.ca> now we get the WordPress (?) error message “Warning! Domain mapping upgrade for this domain not found. Please log in and go to the Domains Upgrades page of your blog to use this domain.” The “log in” link in that error message goes to <https://wordpress.com/wp-login.php”. So it appears to me that we are the “victims” of either an internet delay in propagating the name server change or a WordPress refusal to accept registered domain names for free accounts.
helper-heroponriki · Member · May 22, 2021 at 7:24 pm
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I already did set up domain forwarding for <highlandparklawnbowling.ca> at my domain registrar’s site/account and have named <highlandparklbc.wordpress.com> as the “target”.

I’m not sure that you set up actual domain forwarding. Looking at your domain nameservers, you have them listed as:
```
highlandparklbc.wordpress.com
ns2.wordpress.com
ns3.wordpress.com
```
You need to point your domain nameservers back to your domain registrar and add domain forwarding to the domain – this is like a redirect and does not involve your domain nameservers. If you’re not sure how to do this, you need to reach out to your domain registrar for help.

“Warning! Domain mapping upgrade for this domain not found. Please log in and go to the Domains Upgrades page of your blog to use this domain.”

You’ll see this message if your domain is using WordPress.com nameservers without a domain mapping upgrade – which is what is happening here.

I hope that clarifies things!

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