.de Domain Names

The .de extension is the official German TLD (Top-Level Domain). It's been in widespread use since the birth of the Internet and is extremely popular, and as the third most popular domain in the world is taken seriously and highly trusted. Many private website owners use the .de domain just as much as the most prestigious companies and government institutions.

If you want to sell successfully in Germany – with its 62.3 million online shoppers – and also beyond its borders, this domain extension is the perfect solution to reach the second largest online market in Europe with your own .de web address.

Just like in the German language, you can use the umlauts ‘ä’, ‘ö’ and ‘ü’ as well as the special character ‘ß’ (Eszett) in your .de web address. However, there are some web browsers and email clients that have difficulties with the ‘ß’ character and will convert this into ‘ss’ instead, potentially resulting in a different website being displayed.

Your registered domain name is usually used to publish a new website, although you also have the option of using it as the basis for your own custom email address — linking your email to your website can make your business look more professional and instill additional trust in it. What’s more, you can even use the new domain to set up a redirect to an existing website that has a different domain. With this triple offer, you can create a truly professional online presence. That's why the choice of your ideal domain name is extremely important.

With your domain, you secure an exclusive place on the Internet and give your business a global presence. The name you choose should be considered very carefully as it's extremely important to the success of your online business. Here are a some basic recommendations:

• Find a name that's as short and memorable as possible.
• Avoid numbers and dashes as they are often misunderstood.
• Make sure your web address is not easily confused with another, as this could lead to copyright problems.
• Choose a simple spelling that makes typing easier.
• Think about purchasing additional domains to redirect any misspellings of your company name to your website.
• If your company has a long name, we recommend you register additional .de domains with short forms or abbreviations.

Consider what you want your web address to say – why not ask a few of your friends which of your domain name ideas they can understand and find best? Once you’ve registered and published your domain, it isn’t advisable to change it.

For example, imagine if you changed your domain name - it would take a while for all your friends, relatives, acquaintances and customers to learn this information and remember it. That’s why product and brand names are changed only rarely and after much consideration.

You've found the name of your dreams. Now secure it as soon as possible because until you do, someone could beat you to it.

If your ideal .de domain gets registered by someone else, there's no chance of registering it a second time as every web address is unique. Sure, it may become available at some point when the current owner no longer wants it. But that could be a very long wait. Years, even. No, you definitely want your name online today.

1. Type your desired domain into the ‘Domain Check’ field at the top of this page.
2. Select ‘Click & Check’. You will receive an answer immediately.
3. If your desired domain is available, add it to the shopping cart right away.
4. If your desired domain is taken, GoDaddy will suggest similar domains that are available. From this list, you may also find other domain extensions that you could use as an alternative.
5. Once you have decided on a domain and added it to the shopping cart, simply click on the link to proceed to the payment process.
6. Login to your existing GoDaddy account or create a new account as a new customer. It's simple to do.
7. By selecting ‘Complete Purchase’ you've done everything needed to secure your domain. We will now take care of the registration and get back to you as soon as possible. Congratulations!

All .de domains are allocated and managed centrally by DENIC eG (Deutsches Network Information Center). The registered co-operative is based in Frankfurt, although it maintains 18 domain name servers worldwide – including Hong Kong, Sao Paolo and Seoul – on which more than 16 million domains are stored.

If you want to register a German domain, DENIC generally requires a German owner. However, non-Germans can also obtain this domain. The only requirement is that an administrative contact can be reached at a domestic address, which must be given in full - a PO box address will not be accepted. Essentially, this means that anyone who has an official place of residence or business in Germany can also obtain a .de domain.

If you already own a .de domain but would like to have it managed by GoDaddy in the future, it's very easy to transfer it. You can find out more about transfers here.