# Namecheap review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> Namecheap is a domain registrar operating since 2000. Its terms put it at KYC level 3 of 4: ID on risk flag. NoKYC Score grades it 1.5/10 for privacy (poor) and 6.1/10 for safety (fair). In its favour: company named and 5+ years operating. To watch: it may ask for ID, requires an email address and requires a phone number. No incidents are on record.

Source: NoKYC Score, "Namecheap review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/namecheap

## Key facts
- **Category:** Domains
- **KYC level:** 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- **Grades:** Privacy 1.5/10, Safety 6.1/10
- **Sign-up:** Email required
- **Limits:** Crypto account deposits from $1 to $100,000; BitPay requires ID at $3,000 or more
- **Jurisdiction:** United States
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://www.namecheap.com

## What it is
Namecheap, Inc. is a large ICANN-accredited domain registrar based in Phoenix, Arizona, with WHOIS privacy on by default. Customers can add account funds with Bitcoin through BTCPay, which works with any Bitcoin wallet, or with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and other coins through BitPay. Funds are then used for domains and other products, alongside cards and PayPal. BitPay asks for ID from customers who pay $3,000 or more and from anyone requesting a refund; BTCPay has no such note. The registration agreement requires the registrant, admin, technical and billing contacts to provide a name, postal address, email address and phone number. The universal terms of service include a clause where the customer agrees to provide government-issued photo ID, plus anything else Namecheap deems necessary, to verify identity. They also allow automated tools to flag high-risk registrations and suspend them, and require identity verification, which can use the Veriff service, before support or account recovery. Crypto top-ups are not refundable.

## What the terms say about ID
Universal Terms of Service section 7(F): you agree to provide government-issued photo ID or business ID, plus whatever else Namecheap deems necessary, to verify your identity. Section 21 requires identity verification, which may use Veriff, before support is given, and section 22 requires identification to restore account access. BitPay deposits need ID at $3,000 or more. The registration agreement requires name, postal address, email and phone for all contacts.

## Features and warnings
- **Identity:** ID never required: no; No account needed: no; No email needed: no; No phone number: no
- **Payment:** Accepts Monero: not stated; Accepts Lightning: not stated
- **Access:** Tor onion address: not stated; Works without JavaScript: not stated
- **Trust:** Independent audit: not stated; Company named: yes; 5+ years operating: yes
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Email required: yes; Phone number required: yes; Nobody accountable: not in terms

## Questions
### Does Namecheap require KYC?
Namecheap is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. Universal Terms of Service section 7(F): you agree to provide government-issued photo ID or business ID, plus whatever else Namecheap deems necessary, to verify your identity. Section 21 requires identity verification, which may use Veriff, before support is given, and section 22 requires identification to restore account access. BitPay deposits need ID at $3,000 or more. The registration agreement requires name, postal address, email and phone for all contacts.

### Is Namecheap safe to use?
Namecheap has a Safety grade of 6.1 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 1.5 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is Namecheap legit?
Namecheap is a working domain registrar that has operated since 2000. It publishes the company that runs it, in United States. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 6.1 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

### Is Namecheap a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for Namecheap. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.

### Do I need an account or email to use Namecheap?
Email required. A phone number is required.

### What are Namecheap's limits?
Crypto account deposits from $1 to $100,000; BitPay requires ID at $3,000 or more.

### Does Namecheap have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on Namecheap's own pages.

### Which cryptocurrencies does Namecheap support?
Namecheap supports BTC, BCH, ETH, and fiat payments in USD.

### Can I use Namecheap over Tor?
Namecheap does not publish an official onion address.

## Sources
- https://www.namecheap.com/legal/
- https://www.namecheap.com/legal/universal/universal-tos/
- https://www.namecheap.com/legal/domains/registration-agreement/
- https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/35/7/what-payment-methods-do-you-accept-for-domain-registrations/
- https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10312/2200/how-do-i-add-funds-to-my-namecheap-account-using-btcpay/
- https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10089/7/how-do-i-add-funds-to-my-namecheap-account-using-bitpay/

How grades are calculated: https://nokycscore.com/methodology