General ·
Register a domain
Check whether a domain is free, fill in the owner details correctly, pay, and follow the registration until the domain is active. Includes the phone number format registries expect.
This guide walks you through registering a domain in the panel: checking that the name is free, entering the owner details, paying, and what happens while the registration is processed.
Before you start
- You need an account in the panel with your billing details filled in.
- Have the details of the domain owner ready: name, email address, phone number and postal address. The registry stores these as the official owner of the domain, so use real, correct data.
Check the name and start the order
- Sign in to the panel and open Domains.
- Click Register domain.
- Under Domain Name, type the full name including the ending, for example
example.com. - Click Check.
If the name is free, the panel shows the price per year. Domains are billed once a year. If the name is taken, try another name or another ending.
Fill in the owner details
Fill in every field marked with a star.
- Full Name: first and last name of the owner.
- Phone: use the international format, starting with
+and the country code, for example+49 151 12345678or+31 6 12345678. A number that starts with0is not accepted. The panel checks the number before you pay. - Country (ISO): the two-letter country code, for example
DE,NLorUS.
DNS zone
Leave Create DNS Zone on Yes (recommended) unless you host your DNS somewhere else. With a DNS zone, the domain uses our nameservers and you can manage its records in the panel right away. Some registries, such as the one for .de, check that the nameservers already answer for the domain before they accept a registration. The panel takes care of that when it creates the zone.
Pay
Click Continue to checkout. You are taken to our payment provider to set up the yearly payment. If you have enough credit on your account to cover the first year, nothing is charged and no payment method is asked for.
The registration starts automatically as soon as the payment is confirmed.
While the domain is registering
After payment the domain page shows Registering your domain…. The registry is processing the request. This usually takes a few minutes, and the page updates automatically when it is done.
Until the domain is active, its settings are not available. Changing nameservers or other settings works as soon as the status is active.
If the registration fails
Sometimes a registry refuses a registration, for example because someone else registered the name a moment earlier or because the owner details were not accepted. In that case:
- the domain page tells you the registration did not complete;
- your payment is refunded automatically;
- you can place the order again with corrected details.
After registration
Open the domain in Domains to manage it.
- Nameservers: shows which nameservers the domain uses. Change them here if you host your DNS elsewhere.
- Auto-Renew: keeps the domain registered by renewing it every year. Leave it on for a domain you want to keep.
Want to use the domain for one of your apps? See Connect your own domain to an app.