Most people we speak to on WhatsApp assume buying a .pk domain is complicated. It used to be. A few years ago it meant forms, a bank draft and a week of waiting. Today you can search, pay in rupees and have the name registered in about ten minutes, as long as you know a couple of rules that are specific to .pk.
This guide walks through the whole thing in order, the way we'd explain it to a customer sitting across the desk. If you just want to get on with it, you can search for your .pk domain here and come back if something isn't clear.
Before you start: three things that are different about .pk
1. The minimum term is two years. PKNIC, the registry that runs .pk, registers and renews these domains in two-year blocks. You can go longer (4, 6, 8 or 10 years), but you can't buy a single year the way you can with a .com. So when you compare prices, compare them per two years.
2. Every .pk sits with PKNIC, whoever you buy it from. Registrars like us are the shop front. The domain itself is recorded at PKNIC in the registrant's name. That's why it matters that the domain is registered in your name and not your web developer's. More on that below.
3. Transfers don't work like .com. There's no EPP code. Moving a .pk between accounts is done through PKNIC with an authority letter (we've written up the steps in our .pk transfer guide). It's not hard, but it's slower, so it pays to get the registration right the first time.
Step 1: Pick the name (and the extension)
Start with the name your customers already use when they talk about you. If people call your shop "Ali Electronics", that's the name to look for, not "AliElectronicsKarachiBestPrice". Short, easy to spell over the phone, no hyphens if you can avoid them.
Then the extension. For most businesses it comes down to .pk or .com.pk. Plain .pk is shorter and is what most new brands go for now. .com.pk is the older, traditional choice for companies. There's also .net.pk, .org.pk, .biz.pk and .web.pk. If you're still deciding whether you need a .pk at all, read why choose a .pk domain first.
One tip: if the .pk is free and you can afford it, take the .com.pk too (or the other way round). It stops someone else sitting on the twin of your name.
Step 2: Check if it's available
Type the name into the .pk domain search. You'll see straight away whether it's free across the extensions.
If it's taken, don't give up immediately. Try:
- adding your city (alielectronicskhi.pk)
- adding what you do (alielectronics-store.pk is fine; a single hyphen won't hurt you)
- a different extension in the family
You can also run a WHOIS lookup on a taken name to see when it was registered and when it expires. PKNIC hides the owner's personal details by default, so you won't see who owns it, but the expiry date alone tells you whether the name is actively used or likely to lapse.
Step 3: Enter the registrant details carefully
This is the step people rush, and it's the one that causes problems two years later.
The registrant is the legal owner of the domain. Use the name of the business (or your own name if it's personal), a phone number you'll still have in five years, and an email address you control. Not your developer's Gmail. Not an employee's work address that disappears when they leave.
We see this every month: a business wants to move hosting or renew, and the domain turns out to be registered to a freelancer who's no longer reachable. Because .pk changes go through PKNIC, fixing that means paperwork. Two minutes of care at checkout avoids it.
Step 4: Choose the term and pay
Pick two years or longer. A longer term saves you the renewal reminder each cycle and protects you from future price changes for that period. PKNIC raised its fees in August 2026 (we explain the details in the PKNIC price update), and registering for longer is the simplest hedge against the next one.
You can pay in rupees by JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast, bank transfer or card. No dollar card needed. If you pay by bank transfer, send us the reference through the payment confirmation form or on WhatsApp so we can match it quickly.
Step 5: Registration and what happens next
Once the payment is confirmed, the domain is registered with PKNIC in your name, usually within ten minutes. You'll get the details by email and the domain appears in your client area, where you can manage nameservers and DNS records.
A domain on its own is just a name, though. To actually put a website or email on it you need hosting. If you're starting from zero, our .pk hosting plans include the domain free for the two-year term, which usually works out cheaper than buying the two separately.
Common questions
Do I need a company to register a .pk?
No. Individuals can register .pk, .com.pk and the other open extensions. Only a few, like .edu.pk and .gov.pk, are restricted to educational institutions and government bodies.
Can I buy a .pk for one year?
No. Two years is the minimum PKNIC allows, for both new registrations and renewals.
Can someone overseas register a .pk?
Yes. We have plenty of customers in the Gulf, the UK and North America who register .pk domains for family businesses back home. You can pay by card from abroad.
What happens if I forget to renew?
The domain expires and the website and email on it stop working. If it stays unrenewed, it's eventually released and anyone can register it. We send reminders before the expiry date, which is another reason to keep that email address current.
If you're stuck at any step, message us on WhatsApp. A real person replies, in Urdu or English, and we can check names for you while you wait.
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