How do I buy a domain name, and can I own it permanently?

ICANN's own answer to whether you can own a domain forever: registrars sell registrations in one-year increments and the remaining term can never exceed ten years.

FAQs: How long does a domain registration last?

From icann.org by ICANN FAQ

• You cannot buy a domain permanently; the maximum remaining term is ten years.
• Buy from an ICANN-accredited registrar.
• Renew before expiry to keep it.

ICANN's guide to renewal: if you do not renew before the domain expires you risk losing it for a short time or for good, and ICANN cannot give it back.

Renewing Domain Names

From icann.org by ICANN Guide

• Renew before expiry; ICANN cannot transfer an expired domain back to you.
• Turn on auto-renew with a card that will not lapse.
• Keep your registrar contact email current so renewal notices reach you.

Cloudflare's registrar charges only what the registry and ICANN charge, with no markup, and redacts WHOIS details by default.

Cloudflare Registrar (developer docs)

From developers.cloudflare.com by Cloudflare Docs

• Renewals are at cost, so the renewal price does not jump after year one.
• WHOIS details are redacted by default.
• You only pay what the registry and ICANN charge.

Most registrars hook you with a cheap first year and quietly triple the renewal, which is exactly the trap a bootstrapped founder does not need. Cloudflare Registrar sells domains at cost with zero markup, so what you pay is what the registry and ICANN charge, and the renewal price does not jump on you later. It bundles free WHOIS privacy and DNS, so there is nothing extra to buy on top.

Cloudflare Registrar

From Cloudflare by Cloudflare

Cloudflare Registrar on eChai Explore

• At-cost pricing with no markup means the same low price at registration and at renewal, so no surprise year-two bill.
• Free WHOIS privacy and DNS are included, so you are not upsold on the basics.
• You must run your domain on Cloudflare's nameservers, which is fine for most founders but worth knowing before you commit.

Before you get attached to a name, you want one screen that tells you if the handle is free everywhere at once. Namechk checks a name against 100+ social platforms and dozens of domain extensions in a single search, so you catch a clash on Instagram or TikTok in seconds instead of finding out after you have printed the cards. Treat it as a fast first sweep, not a legal clearance.

Namechk: Username and Domain Availability Checker

From namechk.com by Namechk

• Green means available, dimmed means taken, so you can scan a name across social platforms and domains at a glance
• One search covers 100+ platforms plus common domain extensions, replacing dozens of manual checks
• It flags handle and domain conflicts only, so pair it with a trademark and company-name check before you commit