Registering a Domain Name: Choosing, Renewing and Keeping It Yours

Registering a domain name takes a few minutes. Keeping it for the next twenty years takes a little planning: choosing a name you will not outgrow, registering it in your own name, and making sure renewal notices actually reach you.

This guide covers the choices an individual faces when registering a personal domain, and the ICANN rules that protect you as a registrant. ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, coordinates the domain name system and sets policies that accredited registrars must follow for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) such as .com, .org and many newer endings.

Choosing a name you can live with

For a personal site, the simplest choice is usually your name, or a close variation if your exact name is taken. A few practical tests help:

• Say it out loud. If you have to spell it every time ("that's two Ls and a hyphen"), people will get it wrong.
• Keep it short and plain. Avoid clever spellings, numbers that could be written as words, and double letters where two words meet.
• Think long term. A name tied to a current job title, employer or city may not fit in five years.
• Stay clear of other people's brands. ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), which all registrars must follow, lets trademark holders bring complaints over abusive registrations, such as cybersquatting. A personal domain built on your own name avoids that problem.

Choosing an ending

The part after the last dot is the top-level domain. IANA's root zone database lists top-level domains and their delegation details, and lets you filter them by type, such as generic and country code. ICANN's guidance for new registrants encourages exploring the options before choosing.

Two cautions apply. First, the ICANN policies described in this guide are written for generic top-level domains. If you choose a country-code ending, ask the registrar which rules and eligibility requirements apply. Second, ICANN warns that some companies sell "non-DNS" names that may look like ordinary domain names but are not compatible with the domain name system. Before you pay, ask the seller whether the name will work in the DNS.

Choosing where to register

ICANN recommends dealing directly with an ICANN-accredited registrar, and checking whether a company is a registrar or a reseller, since they may offer different levels of customer support. ICANN publishes a list of accredited registrars. Its other suggestions:

• Research the registrar's customer service before you buy, including how to reach a person after registration.
• Read the registration agreement. ICANN notes it contains important information such as the fees a registrar may charge you and the conditions under which you may move to a new provider.

ICANN's statement of registrant benefits says you are entitled to accurate and accessible information about your registrar's terms and pricing, and about its processes for registering, managing, transferring, renewing and restoring your domain. It also says you shall not be subject to false advertising or deceptive practices by your registrar, including hidden fees.

Register it in your own name

This step matters more than any other. ICANN's FAQ explains that if a third party such as a developer registered a domain for you using their own contact details, they may be listed as the registrant of record, even if you paid. You might then need proof of payment to show your registrar you are the rightful holder.

If someone else manages your domain, ICANN's advice is to ask where it is registered and to get the account credentials, so you have access if needed. If you register it yourself, keep the login somewhere safe, such as a password manager.

Your contact details and privacy

Registrants have responsibilities too. According to ICANN, you must provide accurate contact information and update it promptly, respond to inquiries from your registrar within 15 days, and keep your account data current. If you choose automatic renewal, you must keep your payment information current as well.

Many people worry that registering a domain will publish their home address. That has changed over time. ICANN says data-protection regulations, notably the European Union's GDPR, changed its agreements and policies, and that one key outcome was the restriction of access to most personal data in registration lookups. ICANN's Registration Data Policy, in effect since August 21, 2025, now sets the rules registrars and registries follow for collecting and publishing registration data, including when certain fields must be redacted. Many registrars also offer privacy or proxy services. In ICANN's definitions, a privacy service lists you as the registrant but publishes alternative contact details, such as a forwarding email address; a proxy service makes the provider the registrant of record and licenses the name to you, which carries different legal rights.

To see what is published about your own domain after you register it, look it up with the ICANN Lookup tool, which ICANN points new registrants to, and adjust your privacy settings with your registrar if needed. You may still hear these lookups called WHOIS. ICANN says RDAP, the Registration Data Access Protocol, was created as the replacement for the WHOIS protocol, and since January 28, 2025, gTLD registries and registrars have no longer been required to provide WHOIS services, with a few exceptions.

Renewal, expiration and getting it back

ICANN describes registration as closer to leasing than buying: you cannot buy a domain name forever, but you can keep renewing it. Registrars may offer terms in one-year increments, with no more than ten years remaining at a time.

ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy sets minimum protections for gTLD registrants:

1. Registrars must send at least two notices before expiration, approximately one month and one week ahead.
2. If the domain is not renewed or deleted within five days after it expires, the registrar must send at least one more notice with renewal instructions.
3. After expiration, the registrar must interrupt the domain's normal resolution for a period while you can still renew it, so your site and any email on the domain may stop working. The registrar must let you renew during that time.
4. Most gTLD registries must offer a 30-day Redemption Grace Period after a registration is deleted, during which the registrar that deleted it can restore it at your request. Restore fees can apply, and registrars must disclose them.

The weak point is email. ICANN's notes on the policy say registrars should advise registrants to provide a secondary email contact that is not tied to the domain itself. If your only contact address is on the domain that just expired, the reminder may never arrive. Turning on automatic renewal, with a current card, removes most of the risk.

Moving to a different registrar later

You can switch registrars. ICANN's summary of its Transfer Policy highlights a few rules:

• You generally cannot transfer to a new registrar within 60 days of changing your contact information, unless your registrar offers an opt-out. The lock exists to prevent unauthorized transfers.
• Registrars may deny transfers in limited cases, including a domain in "lock" status, but must give you a reasonable way to remove the lock.
• A registrar may also deny a transfer within 60 days of the initial registration or of a previous transfer.
• You will need an authorization code, sometimes called an AuthInfo or transfer code, from your current registrar.
• If you believe a transfer was wrongly denied, you can file a complaint with ICANN.

These rules reflect the Transfer Policy as ICANN last updated it on February 21, 2024. A community review of the policy has produced recommendations that ICANN lists among implementation projects in its queue, so some rules may change. Check ICANN's current Transfer Policy page before you move a domain.

Key takeaways

• Pick a short name you can spell aloud and will not outgrow; avoid other people's trademarks.
• Use an ICANN-accredited registrar, read the agreement and check renewal and restore fees, not just the first-year price.
• Make sure you are the registrant of record and hold the account login yourself.
• Keep contact details accurate, and use a backup email that does not depend on the domain.
• ICANN rules give gTLD registrants renewal notices and, at most registries, a 30-day Redemption Grace Period, but automatic renewal is the simplest protection.

Sources

• ICANN, Thinking About Registering a Domain Name? (February 2023)
• IANA, Top-Level Domains (Root Zone Database)
• ICANN, Registrants' Benefits and Responsibilities
• ICANN, General Questions and Registering a Domain Name (registrant FAQ)
• ICANN, Expired Registration Recovery Policy (updated February 21, 2024)
• ICANN, 5 Things Every Domain Name Registrant Should Know About ICANN's Transfer Policy
• ICANN, Transfer Policy (updated February 21, 2024)
• ICANN, Policy Implementation
• ICANN, Domain Name Registration Data
• ICANN, Registration Data Policy
• ICANN, Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
• ICANN, Information for Privacy and Proxy Service Providers, Customers and Third-Party Requesters
• ICANN, Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy