After you have registered your domain name and paid for it, it is reserved immediately. From then on, it is attributed to you and is not available for purchase by anyone else for the term of the registration.
The domain name then has to be technically available. This will happen within 24 to 72 hours later, assuming you have provided the correct technical parameters such as valid DNS servers.
At one time or another, you may have wondered, “why is my domain name taking so long to be registered?”. The answer is that not all domains are registered the same. Every domain is owned and operated by an entity called a Registry. For example, Verisign is one of the world’s most notable Registries because it operates two of the most popular domain endings .com domain and .net domain as well as others. Every domain is a unique brand and therefore has its own requirements and processes for registration so there are different time phrases for the question of how does long it takes to register a domain.
The Domain Registration Process: How Long Does It Take to Register A Domain?
Step 1: Registration requirements
Some domains are easier to register than others. While many domains are unrestricted and open to all to register, others are held to a stricter standard. There are verified domains that require documents and go through a verification process to make sure the intention of the domain registration aligns with the domain brand’s policies. Some Country Code domains require a local presence or proof of business registration in order to register a domain name in that country.
Step 2: Check requirements
When a domain is registered it goes through our team of domain service specialists who make sure all registration requirements are met and all necessary documents submitted. When everything is in order, it is passed along to the Registry for activation and release of the domain name.
Step 3: Get with the Registry for approval
This stage is where the answer to how long does it take to register a domain varies the most. A domain registration can take anywhere from 24 hours to 3 months, however, a majority of domains can be registered within a day as you can see in the breakdown below. The chart below shows, in general, how long does it take to register a domain.
Step 4: Propagate the domain name
The final step is to push the domain name to the root servers, once this is done your domain name will be live. The DNS root name servers translate URLs into IP addresses so that instead of typing a string of random numbers into our web browsers we can type in the URLs we are used to seeing. These root servers are a network of hundreds of servers in countries around the world. However, together they are identified as 13 named servers.
So when we are asked how long does it take to register a domain you can see there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes of the domain name system than you would imagine, including a narrative of 14 people in the world who hold and protect 7 keys that safeguard the mechanism for authenticating the data in the domain name system (no, really) but we aren’t going to go down that rabbit hole today. Just know that we are doing everything we can to ensure your domain name is registered first and promptly so you can get to doing the things you want to be doing online.
Domain Name Registration or Transfer
Find EPP Code for Generic TLD’s (.com, .net, .org .. )
- Go to whois.sc (external link)
- In the first text field, enter your domain name and click the orange magnifying glass.
- Next, select the Registration tab.
- In the Registration Tab, next to ICANN Registrar, you will find your current domain registrar’s name.
Find EPP Code for Australian gTLD (.com.au, .net.au, .org.au ..)
- Firstly, ensure that your domain has domain privacy disabled, and the email address attached to your domain is active. This is where your domains EPP code will be sent.
- Go to AUDA at https://pw.auda.org.au/
- Enter your domain name (without the www) in the first text field
- In the second text field called "Requestor Name", enter the domain owners name.
- Select the Recover button
- Your domains EPP code will arrive via email shortly
