Is your domain name available? Check it live

You have come up with a company name, the logo sketch is ready, and then the question comes: is that domain name available? The answer takes you about ten seconds. You do not need to create an account, and you do not have to pay anything.

For a .nl address, it is best to check live at the registry itself, which SIDN manages for all .nl domains. Our domain check queries that registry directly. So what you see is what is actually in the registry, not what an intermediary still had in a cache somewhere. Below you can read how the check works, how to read the result and what to do next. No sales pitch, because searching costs you nothing.

How to check if a domain name is available

The steps are almost too simple to write down, but a few details often go wrong.

1. Go to our domain check and type in the name you want.
2. Type the name you want, for example bakkerijdevries.nl. Leave www. and https:// out. That is not part of the domain name.
3. Confirm the search and read the result.

That is it. You get an answer right away, because the check queries the registry itself. That is the difference with sites that show a list from yesterday: with a live check you see the situation as it is now.

Check the spelling before you press enter

It sounds silly, but most wrong conclusions come from a typo. You check jansenadvies.nl and it is available, while you actually meant janssenadvies.nl . So read your search back aloud once. Also keep hyphens in mind: de-vries-bakkerij.nl and devriesbakkerij.nl are two different domain names, so two separate checks.

What you see on the screen

There are roughly two outcomes, with a few variants within them.

The name is available

You see that the domain name is available. Nobody has registered it, so you can claim it first. That does not mean it is yours yet. Only once you have registered and paid for it with a registrar is it in your name. Until then, someone else may have the same idea and beat you to it.

The name is taken

Then the domain name is already registered to someone else. Usually you can at least see the status of the domain, and often which registrar manages it. You normally do not see the holder's details for private individuals, as they are hidden for privacy reasons. If you want to know who is behind it, you will quickly hit that limit.

The name is taken, but seems to be cancelled

Sometimes a domain is in quarantine. This happens after a holder has cancelled it. The domain is then not yet available to others, so the previous holder can fix a mistake. A quarantine period like this lasts a few weeks. Afterwards the name becomes available again, but do not count on timing it exactly: some parties keep an eye on such domains.

Domain name available: what do you do next?

If it says the name is available, first go through a short list before you pay. It takes a few minutes and can save you a lot of hassle later.

• Is the name easy to pronounce and spell? If you have to explain it over the phone with “double s, no hyphen”, it gets difficult.
• Is there no existing brand or company behind it? An available domain name is not a free pass. If someone else has a trademark with the same name, they can ask you for the domain name later. So also look up the name in Google and in the trademark register.
• Are your social accounts available? It is annoying if your site bakkerijdevries.nl is called and on Instagram only bakkerij_de_vries_1982 is left.
• Is there a near-identical name that could cause confusion? Also check the variant with and without a hyphen, and the most common typo. You don't want customers to end up at your competitor.

Does all of this check out? Then register the name right away. There is no guarantee it will still be available in an hour. With a registrar, you can do it in a few minutes. If you want to know what is involved, see our page on registering domain names. A .nl costs € 9.95 per year there.

If the domain name is already taken

That is not a disaster, but you do need to choose with a clear head. There are roughly five routes, from easy to difficult.

1. A different extension. If .nl is taken, look at .com, .eu of .be. For a business that operates in the Netherlands, .nl is usually still the most trusted. For a Belgian audience, .be makes sense.
2. A small variation. Add your town or field: devriesbakkerij-utrecht.nl of devriesbrood.nl. Keep it short, or it becomes a billboard.
3. Look at what is on the taken name. Open the domain in your browser. An empty page or a parking page tells you something different than a full, active website.
4. Contact the holder. If a name seems unused, you can ask whether the holder wants to sell it. Don't expect a bargain, and don't accept the first price you hear.
5. Wait until it becomes available. That is possible, but it is not a plan. You don't know whether the holder will renew.

All options are covered in more detail in our article domain name already taken? How to get it anyway.

What an availability check doesn't tell you

A few things don't show up in the result, and people sometimes count on them.

The check says nothing about the quality of the name. A name is available because nobody wanted it, or because nobody thought of it yet. The latter is your chance, the former is a warning. Say the name to three people and see whether they write it down correctly.

One extension says nothing about the others. A .nl domain can be available while someone else .com of .eu already has. Our domain check looks live at the registry for .nl, .be, .com and more at the same time, so you see it all at once. For a normal business, it is smart to check the two or three most important extensions and, if the budget allows, secure them. Then nobody walks off with your name and a different extension.

The check says nothing about email and website. A domain name is only the address. You still need a website or mailbox with it. That is a second step, and fortunately not a complicated one.

After registering: what still needs to happen

Your domain name is registered in your name. What now? A domain only does something once you connect it to something.

• Website: connect the domain to your hosting. If you don't have hosting yet, see whether you can get a free domain name with hosting. Then you don't have to pay for it separately.
• Email: set up a mailbox on your own domain. If you want to work with Google, you can have Google Workspace set up on your domain, including the DNS records.
• DNS: the DNS records say where your site and email go. You can read how to change them in the article on managing DNS records in your portal.
• Renewal: turn on automatic renewal. A domain that expires by accident is the most expensive mistake in this whole story, because your site and email then go down.

If you already have a domain with another provider and want to leave, you can do that without your site going offline. This is explained step by step in moving a domain name without downtime.

What to do now

Go to our domain check and type in your name without www.. If it is available, go through the list above: pronunciation, brand, social media, typos. If everything checks out, register it the same day and turn on automatic renewal.

If the name is taken, think of two or three alternatives and check them all in the same session. That saves you an evening of going back and forth. If you can't decide or want to go through the name with someone, you can see directly on our domain names page whether your candidate is available and what it costs.

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything to check whether a domain name is available?

No, searching costs nothing. You only pay when you actually register the domain name with a registrar. So you can try ten variants before you choose.

Can I still get a domain name that is taken?

Sometimes. You can contact the holder and ask whether they want to transfer the name, or you wait until it is not renewed. Both routes are uncertain and take time, so always have an alternative ready.

How long does a domain name stay available after I have checked it?

There is no guarantee. A check does not reserve anything. As soon as someone else registers the name, it is gone, even if you saw it as available an hour earlier.

Does an available domain name mean I can also use the name as a brand?

No. Registering a domain name and protecting a brand are two separate things. An available domain name can still clash with an existing brand, so also search for the name in trademark registers and Google.