Domain Registration

TLDR

  • You must use a registrar to register a domain.
  • Register now, especially if you have found a good .com domain.
  • Provide accurate registrant and contact information.
  • Immediately renew your domain for at least 2 years. Never renew more than 8 years into the future.
  • Take screenshots of the registration and renewal processes.
  • Download a copy of your receipts.
  • Review account recovery options for your registrar account.
  • Schedule the reminders described for domain maintenance.

Overview

This page contains steps you should take during domain registration and immediately after registration. The goal is to take steps that will help defend your rights as a registrant should the need arise.

Choose a Registrar

Choosing a registrar can be a daunting task because there are a lot of registrars. The most important thing to consider when choosing a registrar is the quality of their support. If you ever have domain related problems or get into a dispute, your registrar is the party that is going to be providing you with support, documentation, and, possibly, advocacy.

The choice of registrar and TLD (registry) has an impact on abuse handling. Abuse handling policies are often overlooked or ignored when choosing a registrar and a TLD, but they are important for domains that become a critical part of a larger brand. This is described in more detail in the abuse section.

Register Now

If you find a non-premium domain that you like, register it right away if the cost is not significant to you. It can always be left to expire if you find a better domain before using it. This is especially important if you find a good .com domain. Aftermarket and premium domains can cost thousands of dollars, so it is comparatively inexpensive to spend $10-30 to hold onto a usable domain while you search for something better.

Provide Accurate Info

Providing, and maintaining, accurate contact information is a requirement when registering almost any domain. In addition to that, you want to have up-to-date, accurate information listed so that you can prove you are the registrant if the need ever arises.

If someone files a complaint claiming your domain has inaccurate registrant and / or contact information, you will need to prove the information is accurate.

Immediately Renew

Immediately renewing your domain will give you a receipt showing the domain’s renewal price at the time of initial registration. This can be useful as you may not have access to historical pricing in the future.

Additionally, many registrars do not process 2+ year renewals for registry premium domains, so immediately renewing your domain for 2+ years might help demonstrate you registered a standard, non-premium domain should the need arise. This step might (but is not guaranteed to) help you notice if you inadvertently registered a premium domain without knowing it.

Do not renew your domain for more than 8 years into the future. To be clear, that is +7 years after an initial registration of 1 year. Most domains will have a maximum registration period of 10 years, and transferring your domain to a new registrar requires the registration period be extended by one year. If your domain is already registered for the maximum 10 years, transfers will fail. Leaving the registration 2 years short of the maximum ensures you can transfer between registrars twice should the need arise.

Take Screenshots

Always take screenshots showing the following:

  • The listing for the domain before adding it to your cart.
  • The domain in your cart.
  • Anything else that seems relevant.
  • Do not take a screenshot of your credit card number.

Store the screenshots somewhere safe or email them to yourself.

Download Receipts

If you transfer your domain to a new registrar or lose access to your registrar account for some reason, having a copy of your receipts, especially for the initial registration, is important.

Review Account Recovery Options

These can usually be found in your account settings. Everyone’s risk tolerance differs, so make sure you have chosen account recovery options that you are happy with. This might include a recovery email, recovery phone number, recovery codes, etc.

Schedule Reminders

A domain should be treated like an asset. Review it regularly to ensure it is renewed and that you are meeting your obligations as a registrant. See maintenance for more info.