How to Check if a Domain Name is Already Registered? Detailed Guide and Accurate Lookup Tools

When you start building a website for yourself, your business, or an online business project, choosing and registering a domain name is the first important step. However, a common situation that many people encounter is that the desired domain name has already been registered by someone else.

So how do you check if a domain name has been registered? Is there any way to find out who owns the domain, when they registered it, and whether the domain is still available? All will be answered in this article with detailed instructions, free checking tools, and tips for choosing an alternative domain when the main domain has been purchased.

Why Check a Domain Name Before Registering?

Before spending money to buy a domain name, you should check some important information to avoid risks and save time:

• Verify if the domain name has been registered: If it has been purchased, you cannot register it again – unless you contact the owner or wait for them not to renew it.
• Find out the domain owner's information: This is useful if you want to negotiate to buy back the domain.
• Avoid trademark infringement: Check if the domain name coincides with a registered trademark.
• Choose an alternative domain name if needed: If the desired domain name is already owned, you can switch to other extensions or name variations.

Where are Domain Names Registered?

Domain names are managed by international and national organizations such as:

• ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers): Manages the global domain name system.
• VNNIC (Vietnam Internet Network Information Center): Manages Vietnamese national domain names (.vn).

Domain name registration is done through domain registrars such as:

• GoDaddy
• Namecheap
• Google Domains
• Mắt Bão
• PA Việt Nam
• iNET

Information about domain name registration is stored publicly in the form of a WHOIS database.

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS is a query protocol that allows you to look up information about domain names, including:

• Status: registered or not
• Owner: name, organization (if not hidden)
• Registration date – expiration date
• Registrar
• Nameservers

WHOIS is the most accurate and commonly used tool when you want to know information about domain names.

How to Check if a Domain Name Has Been Registered

There are many simple and quick ways to check, you can choose according to your purpose:

Using International WHOIS Tools

Some websites allow you to look up domain names for free:

1. https://whois.domaintools.com

• Professional interface
• Displays ownership history if available
• See registrar, registration date and expiration date

2. https://who.is

• Easy-to-see interface, supports most domain extensions (.com, .net, .org…)
• Displays nameservers, current IP

3. https://www.whois.com/whois

• Quick lookup
• Provides accurate information about domain status

4. https://lookup.icann.org

• Official lookup page from ICANN
• Suitable for international domains (.com, .net…)

Check Vietnamese Domain Names (.vn)

If you want to know if a .vn domain name has been registered, visit:

• https://www.vnnic.vn/tenmien – Official lookup page from Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC)
• Or look up at Vietnamese domain registrars such as:
• Mắt Bão: https://www.matbao.net
• iNET: https://inet.vn
• PA Việt Nam: https://www.pavietnam.vn

Check Using Domain Registrar

You can visit domain purchase sites to check availability:

• Enter the domain name in the search box (domain search)
• The system will report "Domain has been registered" or "Domain is available"

Reading WHOIS Results: How to Understand?

After looking up WHOIS, you will see many information fields, among which you should pay attention to:

• Domain Status: If it shows "active" or "clientTransferProhibited" it means it has been registered.
• Creation Date: The date the domain was registered.
• Expiration Date: Expiration date (if the owner does not renew, you can buy it back later).
• Registrar: The registrar that is managing the domain.
• Registrant Contact: Owner information. May be hidden by Privacy Protection service.
• Nameservers: Indicates where the website (hosting) is stored.

When a Domain Name Has Been Registered, What Can You Do?

Contact the Owner to Buy it Back
If you really need the domain name that has been registered, you can:

• Send a negotiation email
• Buy through an intermediary platform like Sedo, Dan.com
• Use GoDaddy's "Domain Broker" service (negotiation intermediary)

Set a Schedule to Track Expiring Domain Names

If the owner does not renew, the domain will be "released" to an available state. You can:

• Register for the "Backorder" service (reserve the right to re-register)
• Track the expiration date and prepare to buy early

Choose Another Suitable Domain Name
If you cannot buy it back, you can:

• Change the suffix (.vn, .net, .co, .info…)
• Add descriptive keywords, brand (e.g.: chatgptvn.com)
• Keep the brand name short, easy to remember, easy to SEO

Tips When Checking and Choosing a Domain Name

• Check many different extensions: Not just .com, .vn but also .co, .io, .tech,…
• Avoid trademark infringement: Look up the domain name and check the trademark at https://ipvietnam.gov.vn
• Check domain history: Use Wayback Machine (https://archive.org) to see what the previous website used that domain name for.
• Check SEO blacklist: Use Google Safe Browsing or https://virustotal.com to see if the domain name is marked as dangerous by Google.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Registered Domain Name Be Bought Back?

Yes. However, you need to:

• Contact the owner
• Negotiate the price
• Ensure a clear contract, avoid fraud

Is WHOIS Lookup Free?

• Most WHOIS tools are free. However, if you need advanced information (history, technical analysis), some services charge a fee.

How Long Does it Take for an Expired Domain Name to be Available for Re-Registration?
Depending on the registrar and type of domain name:

• After expiration: there are 30–45 days of "late renewal"
• Then: 30 days of "pending delete"
• Finally: the domain name is released to the market

Contact Information

MIMA DIGITAL SERVICE CO., LTD
Tax Code: 0318672839
Address: Hoc Mon, Ho Chi Minh City
Hotline/Zalo: 0909 035 333
Email: info@mimadigi.com
Website: https://mimadigi.com/