How .pk domains work

What a .pk domain is and who runs it

.pk is Pakistan's country code domain, the ending on names like yourshop.pk or yourshop.com.pk. The registry that keeps the master list of .pk names is PKNIC, a company in Lahore. In its own words, it operates the "Shared Registry System" for the .pk name space and runs the DNS for the .pk root servers.

PKNIC records who holds each name and keeps the .pk zone answering on the internet. It does not host websites or email; that is a separate purchase once the domain is yours.

SastiDomains is not PKNIC and not a registrar. We file .pk registrations in your own name through PKNIC or a registrar and take payment in rupees. PKNIC says its resellers and agents are independent companies with no financial link to it, and that applies to us. More in What is PKNIC?

The .pk family: which ending is for whom

PKNIC's domain structure page lists every ending and who it is for.

PKNIC also opened .ac.pk on 15 May 2024 for academic use without formal accreditation. For most shops, clinics, freelancers and companies the real choice is between a bare .pk and a .com.pk. PKNIC charges the same for both; what differs is the naming rules below and how the name reads. .pk vs .com.pk vs .com weighs that up.

Naming rules

• Length. A name directly under .pk must be at least four characters before the dot, so abc.pk is out but abcd.pk is fine. Under .com.pk and the other suffixes one character is enough. A label can run to 63 characters, the whole domain to 70.
• Dashes. A name cannot begin or end with a dash or contain two dashes in a row; PKNIC keeps double dashes for IDN encodings.
• Reserved labels. pk, www and the suffix names themselves are reserved under the suffixes (no www.com.pk). A four-character .pk name cannot contain a PKNIC suffix such as com, net or gov (coms.pk, net2.pk), and since May 2014 a bare .pk name normally cannot end in one either; PKNIC says it can make exceptions for longer names that are not easily confused with a suffix.
• Trade names. Registration is first come, first served, but PKNIC excludes names that infringe a registered trade name, and registering a name gives you no legal rights to it.

We found no PKNIC statement that Urdu or other non-Latin names can be registered, so plan on Latin letters, digits and dashes. If you are stuck, the name idea tool suggests ones that fit these rules.

Term and price

PKNIC's pricing page sets the fee for a registrant based in Pakistan at Rs 2,100 per domain per year. That rate applies from 1 August 2026, when PKNIC raised it by Rs 300. A registrant or registrar outside Pakistan pays USD 15.99 per year.

The fee is charged on a biennial basis, so the shortest term is two years: Rs 4,200 at the registry for a new .pk or .com.pk. You can pay for up to ten years at once. PKNIC states that the yearly renewal fee is the same as the registration fee, and that every ending is billed the same way.

That is the registry's fee, not the retail price. A reseller, including us, adds a charge for filing and taking rupee payments. Our prices are on the price list, with the renewal price beside each one. The full breakdown is in How much does a .pk domain cost?

How registration through SastiDomains works

1. Search. Type the name at the domain search. It checks PKNIC WHOIS and shows whether the .pk and .com.pk versions are free.
2. Order with your own details. Fill the order form with the registrant name exactly as on your CNIC or SECP certificate. PKNIC locks the registrant record after registration and the name itself cannot be edited, so get this step right.
3. Pay locally. We send the rupee total and payment details with your order number. Pay by bank transfer, Raast, JazzCash or Easypaisa. Orders unpaid after 48 hours are cancelled.
4. We file it in your name. Once the payment lands we re-check availability and submit the registration through PKNIC or a registrar, aiming for the same working day. If the name was taken in between, you get a full refund.
5. Track it. Use the order number on the tracking page. We message you when the filing is done and when the name resolves.

PKNIC does not require nameservers at registration, so you can point the domain at a host later; see .pk domain nameservers. The .edu.pk and .gov.pk paperwork and the rest of PKNIC's process are in How to register a .pk domain.

Renewals and what happens at expiry

A .pk renews in the same two-year blocks at the same yearly rate. PKNIC's reminder email is a courtesy, not a promise, so note the expiry date yourself. You can read it with a WHOIS lookup.

If the fee is unpaid at the due date, PKNIC may deactivate the domain, and any website or email on it stops. The name then sits on hold for two weeks, during which the owner can pay and reactivate it. After that PKNIC can offer it to anyone else, first come, first served. An expired domain also cannot be moved or have its registrant changed until it is paid up.

Renew in your own PKNIC account, or send us the domain name and we pay PKNIC on your behalf. Details are in .pk domain renewal and what happens when a .pk domain expires.

Moving or selling a .pk

Because PKNIC locks the registrant record, changing the owner is a paper process: original signed documents posted to Lahore, a phone check, then about three to four business days, and only while the domain is not expired. Moving it to another PKNIC account or registrar works the same way. .pk domain transfer, step by step walks through it.

To sell a .pk, or buy one already taken, the marketplace holds the buyer's payment until the transfer is confirmed, so neither side pays a stranger first. Sellers list free and pay 10% only when a sale completes.

PKNIC prepaid cards

PKNIC takes credit card online, cheque or bank draft by post, or a prepaid card: a ten to twelve digit code sold by independent resellers that tops up the rupee balance in your PKNIC account. It takes no cash. We do not sell the cards; order through us and you pay in rupees instead. Details in PKNIC prepaid cards explained.

Common questions