How to find out a domain’s owner?

Finding out who owns a specific internet address (domain) may seem complicated to a layperson, but in reality you can do it within a few minutes using only simple websites. In this article, we’ll show you step by step how to do it without having to install or run anything.

WHOIS lookup tools – the basic approach

Visit an online WHOIS service

– Go to one of the popular websites, for example whois.domaintools.com, whois.com
– For Czech domains nic.cz/whois

Enter the domain you’re looking for

In the search box, type the address (e.g. example.com) and press the “Search” button.

Read the basic information

– You’ll see when the domain was registered and how long it’s valid.
– If the owner is public, their name, email, and contact address will appear.

Note: Some information may be hidden (for privacy protection or GDPR reasons). In that case, only general registration information and contact details for the registrar will be displayed.

National registries – special interfaces for CZ and SK domains

CZ.NIC for “.cz” domains

– Go to nic.cz/whois.
– Type the domain name into the field (e.g. mydomain.cz) and click “Verify”.

SK-NIC for “.sk” domains

– Visit sk-nic.sk.
– Same procedure: enter the domain and confirm.

Other European extensions (e.g. .eu, .at, etc.)

Look on the official website of the relevant registry (e.g. EURid for .eu).

What to do when the information is hidden?

Owner doesn’t want to be contacted

If no contact is listed for the domain, other methods need to be used, but it’s possible that the current domain owner does not wish to be contacted.

Request for data disclosure

– Registrars in the EU protect personal data under GDPR and may not pass it on to anyone else without the domain owner’s consent.
– For legal purposes (e.g. a trademark dispute), you can request disclosure of the actual holder.

Archival sources – when all other methods fail

Wayback Machine (archive.org)

– Enter the domain and see what it looked like before.
– Some older records may list the original holder’s information.

Google Cache

– In the search engine, type cache:domain-name.cz.
– If an older cached version of the page with contact details exists, it may help. Just search through the page.

Alternative verification via IP address

Finding the IP address

On ipinfo.io or whatismyipaddress.com enter the domain to find out its IP.

Looking up the IP owner

– In the RIPE tool (for Europe) or ARIN (for North America), enter the IP address.
– The organization to which the “network block” (a larger group of IP addresses) belongs will appear.

Direct contact and business register

Website contact form

If the operator provides an email or phone number directly on the website, send them an inquiry.

Business Register (Czechia)

– If it’s a Czech company, try ARES or Justice.cz.
– Search for the company name based on the website name and find its official registered office or statutory representatives.

Finding out a domain’s owner is fairly easy today thanks to online tools. If you manage to buy or transfer the domain, don’t forget to transfer it into your own name, only then can you be sure that you are the actual holder.

For registering or managing a domain, it’s always best to use a verified domain registrar. We recommend, for example, VEDOS, which is the only one to have received a full 5 stars from CZ.NIC. This gives you the assurance of quality support and a fair approach.

You can find out how to correctly transfer a domain to VEDOS.cz here.