How to look up a domain's registrar

Registry vs registrar: two often-confused roles

The two roles people most often confuse in a domain lookup are registry and registrar. The registry runs a TLD — Verisign for .com and .net, PIR for .org, TWNIC for .tw — maintaining the central database without selling to consumers. The registrar is the ICANN-accredited reseller — GoDaddy, Namecheap, Gandi, PChome, YuanJhen — selling domains to end users and pushing data to the registry. The Registrar field in a domain lookup names "the registrar currently managing this domain"; if you transfer, it changes.

Reading the Registrar fields in WHOIS/RDAP

Registrar-related fields commonly seen in a domain lookup: (1) Registrar — the company name, e.g. "GoDaddy.com, LLC"; (2) Registrar IANA ID — ICANN's unique numeric identifier (GoDaddy is 146, Namecheap 1068, PChome 1681); (3) Registrar URL — the registrar's official website; (4) Registrar Abuse Contact Email/Phone — the channel for reporting phishing or spam tied to that domain. RDAP wraps these in the entities array along with a vCard (jCard) for contact details. This site breaks each field into a readable card and links directly to the registrar's site.

Reverse-mapping an IANA Registrar ID

If you only have an IANA ID and want to find the company, consult IANA's official registrar list, which enumerates every ICANN-accredited gTLD registrar. For ccTLDs, check the relevant national registry — TWNIC publishes the .tw registrar list. Most domain lookup tools already do this mapping for you, but the IANA Registrar ID remains the canonical identifier when handling historical data or writing automation. This site shows both name and IANA ID for easy cross-checking.

Common registrars (global and Taiwan)

Major global registrars: (1) GoDaddy (IANA 146) — biggest worldwide, ~13% market share, multilingual UI; (2) Namecheap (IANA 1068) — developer favourite, strong price; (3) Cloudflare Registrar (IANA 1910) — at-cost pricing, no add-ons, but limited to Cloudflare users; (4) Gandi (IANA 81) — European veteran; (5) Porkbun (IANA 1861) — well-known for low prices. Common Taiwan registrars: (1) PChome (IANA 1681) — largest in Taiwan, most polished Chinese UI; (2) HiNet — suitable for enterprise customers; (3) NetChinese — Taiwan veteran; (4) YuanJhen — bundles domains with hosting. Compare annual fees, renewal increases, built-in privacy protection, and transfer policy.

Transferring a domain to another registrar

Standard procedure: (1) at the current registrar, unlock clientTransferProhibited and obtain the EPP Auth Code; (2) confirm the registrant email is one you can read — the confirmation arrives there; (3) at the new registrar, submit a transfer request with the auth code; (4) after verification, wait 5–7 days for ICANN's mandatory hold; (5) once complete, the Registrar field in your next domain lookup will reflect the new owner. Caveats: (a) you cannot transfer in the 30 days before expiry or 60 days after registration/transfer; (b) the transfer typically adds one year to the term; (c) ICANN may impose a 60-day lock after the move. A domain lookup gives you the current Registrar and transfer-lock status in real time.

Step-by-step: looking up a domain's registrar

1. 1

   Enter the domain on the home page

   Go to the home page, type the domain (e.g. example.com) into the search box, and click Lookup.

2. 2

   Read the Registrar Information section

   The result page groups registrar fields into a dedicated card showing Registrar name, IANA ID, official URL, and abuse contact channels.

3. 3

   Cross-check the IANA ID

   Click the IANA ID next to the registrar name to verify it against IANA's official registrar list.

4. 4

   Contact the registrar or take the next step

   Use the Registrar Abuse Contact Email/Phone for abuse reports, transfer questions, or further details.

Look up any domain's registrar now

Go to the home page, type a domain, and see its current registrar and contact details.