How to Register a Domain: .com, .com.tr and .tr Explained
Quick answer
To register a domain, choose a short, memorable name, check its availability on a registrar's domain search page and register it for at least one year. Generic extensions such as .com and .net follow ICANN rules, while .tr extensions are allocated through TRABİS, run by Türkiye's ICT Authority (BTK). Since 2022, .com.tr, .net.tr and .org.tr no longer require documents and go to whoever applies first; extensions such as .av.tr, .dr.tr and .edu.tr still require proof of eligibility.
How do you choose a good domain name?
A good domain is short, easy to say and spelled only one way. If you have to spell it out letter by letter over the phone, or it is unclear whether to use Turkish characters or their English equivalents, some visitors will end up at the wrong address. Avoid hyphens and numbers where you can, since both cause confusion when a name is passed on by word of mouth.
If the domain carries a brand name, check whether that name is a registered trademark before you buy. In Türkiye that means a search on the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office database; elsewhere, the national trademark office. A domain containing someone else's trademark can be taken away through a dispute process and can bring legal trouble. Checking that matching social media handles are free also helps you build a consistent identity.
- Choose a short name with only one obvious spelling
- Avoid hyphens, digits and characters like ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş, ü
- Make sure it does not contain someone else's trademark
- Think about common typos of the name
- Check whether matching social media handles are available
Which domain extension should you pick?
The right extension depends on your audience. .com is the best-known extension worldwide, and visitors who half-remember an address usually try it first. For a business or community in Türkiye, .com.tr or a plain .tr signals a local identity and builds trust. .net, .org and newer extensions such as .dev, .shop or .gg are good alternatives when the .com is taken or the extension adds meaning to the name.
If the budget allows, a common approach is to register both the .com and the .com.tr and redirect one to the other. You protect the name, and visitors reach the right site whichever ending they type. Annual fees vary by registrar and extension. Newer extensions in particular often have a cheap first year and a much higher renewal price, so always check the renewal cost before you commit.
| Extension | Governed by | Documents needed | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com / .net / .org | ICANN rules and the extension's registry | No | General and international projects |
| .tr | BTK (TRABİS) | No, first come first served | Short brand addresses aimed at Türkiye |
| .com.tr / .net.tr / .org.tr | BTK (TRABİS) | No, first come first served | Businesses, communities and associations in Türkiye |
| .av.tr / .dr.tr | BTK (TRABİS) | Yes | Lawyers and physicians |
| .edu.tr / .k12.tr / .gov.tr / .bel.tr | BTK (TRABİS) | Yes | Schools, public bodies and municipalities |
How does domain registration work?
You do not buy a domain from the operator of the extension directly; you go through a registrar. For generic extensions like .com and .net the registrar must be accredited by ICANN. It submits the registration to the registry that runs the extension, and the domain is recorded in your name. Registrations usually run from one to ten years and must be renewed before they expire.
In practice the process takes minutes. You type the name into a domain search, add it to the cart if it is free, enter the registrant details and pay. After registration the domain uses either the registrar's default nameservers or the ones you enter. On TheCrewHost's domain search page you can check a name across .com, .com.tr and other extensions in one go.
Always make sure you or your company are listed as the registrant. If an agency or freelancer registers the domain for you, confirm that your details are in the registrant fields and that you have your own access to the registrar account. When ownership sits with someone else, getting the domain back after a falling-out is slow and sometimes impossible.
Do .com.tr and .tr registrations need documents?
Management of .tr domains moved to TRABİS, the .tr Network Information System run by BTK, on 14 September 2022. Before that, a .com.tr needed paperwork such as a trademark certificate or a tax registration. Now .com.tr, .net.tr and .org.tr are allocated without documents on a first come, first served basis: the time an application reaches TRABİS decides the order, and if the name is free the first applicant gets it. You still apply through a registrar authorised by BTK.
Some extensions still require proof of eligibility. .av.tr is reserved for lawyers, .dr.tr for physicians, .edu.tr and .k12.tr for educational institutions, and .gov.tr, .bel.tr, .pol.tr and .tsk.tr for public bodies; applications for these need documents proving eligibility. Direct second-level names such as example.tr were rolled out in phases, with priority first for public bodies and then for holders of existing .tr names, and opened to general applicants once those phases ended.
No documents does not mean every name is fair game. A .tr address that contains another party's trademark or trade name can be taken through the dispute resolution process. BTK can update the rules by board decision, so check your registrar's or TRABİS's latest announcements before you apply.
What happens to WHOIS data and your privacy?
Every domain has registrant, administrative and technical contacts, and these used to be publicly searchable through WHOIS. After GDPR took effect in 2018, personal data for generic extensions was largely redacted. Today ICANN's lookup tool and the newer RDAP protocol usually show only technical data for individual registrants: the registrar, key dates and nameservers.
In Türkiye, KVKK, the national data protection law, also requires personal data on .tr registrations to be protected. Your registration details still have to be accurate: false or fake information can get a domain suspended or leave you unable to prove you own it. If your registrar offers privacy or masking, you can turn it on; the registrar keeps your real details while the public record stays hidden. Keep the registrant email current, because transfer approvals and renewal reminders go there.
Which DNS records do you need to know?
A domain is only a name; DNS records decide where everything runs. Nameservers say which servers hold the domain's DNS records. You can keep those records at your hosting company, at your registrar or with a separate DNS service such as Cloudflare. What matters is knowing which one is authoritative and making changes there.
Changes do not reach everyone instantly, because resolvers cache records for the length of their TTL. Lowering the TTL a few hours before a migration speeds up the switch. If you use email on the domain, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT records alongside your MX records so your messages do not land in spam.
| Record | What it does | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| NS | Names the servers that hold the domain's DNS | Your hosting provider's ns1 and ns2 |
| A / AAAA | Maps a name to an IPv4 / IPv6 address | example.com to the server's IP |
| CNAME | Points one name at another name | www.example.com to example.com |
| MX | Tells mail servers where to deliver email | Your hosting or business email provider |
| TXT | Holds text for verification and email security | SPF, DKIM, DMARC, domain verification |
How do you transfer a domain to another registrar?
For generic extensions, the domain's transfer lock must be off and you need an authorisation code (also called an auth or EPP code) from your current registrar. You enter that code when you start the transfer at the new registrar; the old one approves it, or it completes automatically when the waiting period runs out. For extensions like .com, a transfer normally adds one year to the registration.
Under ICANN's Transfer Policy, a newly registered or newly transferred domain cannot move to another registrar for 60 days, and a similar lock can apply after a change of registrant. ICANN has been working on a policy update that shortens these windows, so ask your registrar which period currently applies. .tr transfers follow TRABİS rules and take place between two authorised registrars.
Before you start, make sure the domain is not about to expire, that you can read the registrant email, and that you have a copy of your DNS records. If the nameservers stay the same, the website and email keep working throughout the transfer.
- Turn off the transfer lock
- Get the authorisation (EPP or auth) code
- Confirm you can access the registrant email
- Back up your DNS records
- Start the transfer at the new registrar and watch for the approval email
What happens when a domain expires?
An expired domain is not deleted at once, but it can stop working at once. For generic extensions, registrars give a renewal window after expiry during which the site and email usually go dark but you can still renew at the normal price. After that, most extensions put the domain into a redemption period, where getting it back costs a restore fee well above a normal renewal. A short pending-delete phase follows, and then the name is released for anyone to register.
Valuable expired names are often caught the moment they drop by people who monitor this process automatically. To avoid that, turn on auto-renew, keep the stored payment method valid and renew important domains for several years at a time. The length of each phase depends on the extension and the registrar, so ask yours for the exact timings that apply to your domain.
How do you avoid domain scams?
A common scam aimed at domain owners is a renewal notice or search engine registration letter dressed up as an official invoice. These emails and letters try to get you to transfer the domain to a company that is not your registrar, or to pay for a service with no value. Only trust renewal notices you can confirm inside your own registrar's control panel, and log in directly rather than clicking links in the message.
Another favourite is an urgent message, often from abroad, claiming that some other company is about to register your brand name under various extensions. The aim is to push you into expensive registrations you do not need. Add two-factor authentication to your registrar account, secure the email address on file and keep the transfer lock on. Most domain thefts begin with a compromised email account.
Register a domain in 7 steps
- 1
Shortlist names
Write down a few short, easy-to-say names with one obvious spelling, and check them against trademark records.
- 2
Choose the extension
Pick .com, .com.tr or .tr based on your audience; if possible register the main ones together and redirect one to the other.
- 3
Check availability
Search the names on a registrar's domain search page and compare renewal prices as well as first-year prices.
- 4
Enter accurate registrant details
List yourself or your company as the registrant and use an email address you check regularly and will keep.
- 5
Set the term and renewal
Register for at least a year, enable auto-renew and make sure the payment method on file is valid.
- 6
Point the DNS
Set the nameservers to your hosting provider's, or add A, MX and TXT records in the DNS panel you use.
- 7
Lock down the account
Add two-factor authentication to the registrar account, keep the transfer lock on and enable privacy if offered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a company to register a .com.tr?
No. Since the move to TRABİS, .com.tr, .net.tr and .org.tr are allocated without documents on a first come, first served basis, and individuals can register them too. You only need to enter accurate identity and contact details. If you pick a name that contains someone else's registered trademark, though, the owner can start a dispute and have the domain transferred to them.
Once I buy a domain, is it mine forever?
No. You do not buy a domain outright; you register the right to use it for a set term. That right continues as long as you renew before expiry. Miss the renewal and, once the grace and redemption periods have passed, the domain is released and anyone can register it. For important names, auto-renew combined with multi-year registration is the safest setup.
Do I have to buy the domain and hosting from the same company?
No. The domain can sit at one company and the hosting at another; you connect them by changing nameservers or A records. Keeping both in one place simplifies billing and DNS management through a single panel. Keeping them apart means you can switch hosts later without touching the domain. Both approaches are common and work equally well.
How soon does a new domain start working?
The registration itself usually completes within minutes, but the domain only shows a website once DNS records are in place. New nameservers can take from a few minutes to a few hours to be recognised across the internet, and .tr applications through TRABİS are normally processed quickly as well. During that window some visitors may see the site while others do not, which is normal.
How can I buy a domain someone else already owns?
First see whether the owner has listed it for sale on a domain marketplace. If not, try contacting the registrant through the registrar's contact form or the channels on the site itself. If you agree on a price, pay through a reputable escrow service and do not release the money until the transfer is complete and the domain sits in your own account.
How do people lose their domains by accident?
The most common cause is a registrant email that nobody reads any more, so the renewal reminders go unseen. The second is a compromised registrar or email account. Keep the email on file current, turn on auto-renew, protect the registrar account with two-factor authentication and never leave the transfer lock off. Those four habits remove most of the risk.
Should I register common misspellings of my domain?
For a small site it is rarely worth it. For an established brand, registering one or two of the most likely typos and the main alternative extensions can stop competitors or phishing sites from using them. Point every extra domain to your main site with a 301 redirect, and keep a list of all of them with their renewal dates so none of them lapses unnoticed.
