How to Check If a .PK Domain Is Available (and Read Its WHOIS)

Checking whether a .pk domain is free takes about five seconds. Working out what to do when it isn't takes a bit more thought. This guide covers both: how to check availability, how to read a WHOIS result for a .pk, and your options when the name you wanted is already taken.

Checking availability

Go to the .pk domain search, type the name without any extension (just yourbusiness) and search. You'll see the result for .pk, .com.pk and the other extensions in the family together, so you can compare in one go.

A few things that help:

• Search the name people will actually say. If customers call you "Karachi Bakers", search that, not an abbreviation nobody uses.
• Check the spelling variations. If your name is easy to misspell, it's worth knowing who owns the common misspelling.
• Check the .com too. Even if you're going with .pk, it's useful to know whether the .com is taken and by whom.

If it's available, don't wait too long. We've seen plenty of people check a name, sleep on it, and come back to find it registered the next week.

Reading a WHOIS result

A WHOIS lookup shows the public registration record of a domain. Run one on our WHOIS tool and you'll typically see:

• Registration date: when the domain was first registered.
• Expiry date: when the current term ends.
• Nameservers: which hosting or DNS provider the domain points to.
• Registrar: the company it was registered through.

What you usually won't see for a .pk is the owner's name, phone or email. PKNIC hides registrant details by default to protect privacy. So WHOIS can tell you a lot about a .pk domain, but not who owns it. We explain a bit more in our knowledgebase article on checking domain WHOIS.

What the WHOIS tells you about a taken name

Even without the owner's details, the record gives you clues:

• Registered years ago and pointing to a working website? The owner is using it. Move on.
• Nameservers set to a "parked" page or no website at all? The owner may not be using it, and it might lapse at the next renewal.
• Expiry date coming up soon? Note it down. If the owner doesn't renew, the name will eventually be released.

Don't count on a name being released, though. Most owners renew, especially for good names.

Options when the name is taken

1. Try another extension. If the .pk is gone, the .com.pk might be free, or the other way round. Our comparison of .pk vs .com.pk vs .com helps you decide whether that's a good fit.
2. Add a word. Your city, your industry or a simple word like "get", "shop" or "online". karachibakers.pk taken? karachibakers-online.pk or karachibakery.pk might work just as well.
3. Approach the owner. If the name really matters, you can try to buy it. Since .pk owner details are hidden, you'd need to reach them through the website if there is one. We can help you think this through if you message us.

When you find one that's free

Register it. It takes about ten minutes after payment, and the domain is recorded with PKNIC in your name. Our guide on how to buy a .pk domain covers the registrant details that you'll want to get right.

And if you're building a website straight away, have a look at the .pk hosting bundles, which include the .pk domain free for the two-year term.