Domain Structure
All new domains that are registered under .PK, must belong to one of the following second-level or third-level domains. General guidelines for each categories are given below. Payment schedule for all the domain type are the same.
.PK General Second Level Domains without .com.pk etc Suffix .COM.PK General Business, or Individual .NET.PK Network Related Business .ORG.PK Non-profit Organizations .FAM.PK Family and Individuals .BIZ.PK General Business, Promotional .WEB.PK Web Sites .EDU.PK Educational Institutes .AC.PK Academic & Educational (Accreditation not required) .GOV.PK Domains for Government of Pakistan .GOB.PK Domains for Government of Baluchistan .GOG.PK Domains for Government of Gilgit Baltistan .GKP.PK Domains for Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .GOP.PK Domains for Government of Punjab .GOS.PK Domains for Government of Sindh .GOK.PK Domains for Government of Azad Kashmir
Applications for these domains must conform to the PKNIC registration policy agreement in addition to the requirements given below. In the case of any difference between the PKNIC registration policy and the specific domain terms and conditions described below, these terms and conditions will apply.
- The maximum domain name length is 63 characters (excluding the suffix .pk, .com.pk, etc). Total domain length can not exceed 70.
- For second level .PK domains, the minimum length for the domain name, exclusive of the .pk portion is four characters (e.g. 1234.pk). A four character name before .pk can not start with one of the PKNIC second level sub-domains (e.g. com, net, org, gov, gop, etc.). For example the following domain names are not acceptable: (coms.pk, comm.pk, nets.pk, net2.pk, govs.pk, a-ac.pk, etc). The complete list of the .PK current and reserved sub-domains includes but is not limited to .COM.PK, .NET.PK, .ORG.PK, .FAM.PK, .BIZ.PK, .WEB.PK, .EDU.PK, .GOV.PK, .GOB.PK, .GOG.PK, .GKP.PK, .GOP.PK, .GOS.PK, .GOK.PK, .INFO.PK. For the second-level subdomains less than three characters, a dash (-) prefix is added for the inclusion check purpose.
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To help minimize website phishing attacks, the following restrictions are placed:
- Any new domain registration, since August 2013, with a four character name before .pk can not contain one of the PKNIC second level sub-domains (e.g. com, net, org, gov, gop, -ac, etc.)
- Any new second level domain registration, since May 2014, can not end with one of the PKNIC second level sub-domains (e.g. com, net, edu, org, biz, web, -ac, fam, gov, gop, gos, etc.) Exceptions can be made for longer names who's meaning are not easily confused with second level sub-domain space.
- For third level .COM.PK, etc domains, the minimum domain name of one character are allowed (e.g. a.com.pk). The label 'pk', 'www' and all the second level suffix names are reserved for these domain types (e.g. can not register pk.com.pk, net.com.pk, www.net.pk, com.com.pk, gov.com.pk, etc).
- A domain name can not begin with a dash "-", and can not have two consecutive dashes "--"in it. These are reserved for IDN encodings
- Generic dictionary words are allowed (unless they violate other terms set forth here or in the general PKNIC Registration Policy).
- The domain name is not present in the list of reserved or blocked names. Examples of reserved namespace are INFO.PK, NAME.PK, etc.
- Domain names are not required to have pre configured name servers for them.
- The registration for .ac.pk domains started from 15th May 2024. Details about AC.PK. The .ac.pk domains are available without the requirement for formal educational accreditation or registration with the education department.
Frequently Asked Questions
In principle, you are free to choose the domain name. However, you cannot choose names that are in use by other organizations, or names that for various reasons are prohibited or reserved for technical, ethical or national considerations. You also have a duty to ensure that your registration of a domain name does not infringe another party's right to the same name. Remember that the responsibility always rests with you. Here, you can read more about choosing a name.
To find out if a name is available or to find out who registered a particular name, use our WHOIS Search tool which can be found on the home page of our website.
For domain registrants based in Pakistan, a domain fee of Rs. 1600 per year will be charged. For domain registrant or their registrar located outside Pakistan, a fee of $15.99 per domain per year is charged. The fee is charged on a biennial basis (two-year period) and can be paid up to a maximum of ten years.
Once the Registry System has been updated, the information in our database is shared with the Internet's zone files worldwide. This sharing process is called 'propagation', because the new information about your Domain Name spreads or propagates across the Internet. The zone files are propagated frequently, every few hours. We cannot control the rate at which the millions of servers on the Internet are updated, but generally your domain should be available to Internet users within a very short period.
Once a domain has been registered, its name can not be modified.
From time to time it is necessary to reach a contact person for the domain. This could be due to technical problems or disputes. In these situations, it is vital that the contact data is up to date. As the domain name holder, you are responsible for keeping your contact information updated.
PKNIC office is located in Lahore. PKNIC has no other offices or outlets in the country. Please note that any appointed resellers or agents are independent companies with whom PKNIC has no financial ownership affiliation or partnership.
PKNIC does not provide any website or email hosting services. PKNIC is responsible for the operation of the .PK root servers and thus enabling the registered .pk domains on the internet.
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