India Domain: What You Need to Know in 2025

If you’re planning a website for an Indian audience, the first thing you’ll hear about is the .in domain. It’s cheap, trusted, and signals local relevance to visitors and search engines. But getting it right takes more than typing a name into a registrar. Below you’ll find the practical steps, legal must‑knows, and a few smart shortcuts.

How to Register a .in Domain

Start by choosing a short, memorable name that reflects your brand or niche. Use a keyword‑rich phrase if possible – it helps with SEO and credibility. Then head to an accredited registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or a local provider such as Net4. During checkout, you’ll need to provide a valid Indian address and a PAN card number; the registry uses this to verify identity.

Once you’ve paid, the registrar will file the request with the IN Registry (NIXI). The process usually finishes within a few hours, but it can take up to 24 hours during peak times. After approval, point the domain to your hosting server using the DNS records supplied by your host. If you’re using a free builder like Wix or Google Sites, they’ll give you the exact nameservers to add.

Legal Rules and Domain Flipping in India

India has clear rules about who can own a .in domain and what you can do with it. The key points: you must be an Indian resident or have a valid Indian entity, and the domain name can’t infringe on trademarks. Trying to register a brand name that belongs to someone else can get you a legal notice fast.

Domain flipping – buying a domain cheap and reselling it for profit – is legal, but you need to avoid "cybersquatting". That means you shouldn’t register a domain solely to hold it for a brand that hasn’t given you permission. If you stay within the trademark rules, you can list your .in domains on marketplaces like Sedo or GoDaddy Auctions without trouble.

Another pitfall is renewals. Some registrars offer cheap first‑year rates but hike the price after that. Set a reminder to renew before the grace period ends, or enable auto‑renew to keep the domain from lapsing. A dropped .in can be snapped up by anyone, and losing it could hurt your brand’s credibility.

Now that you’ve covered registration and legality, think about use. A .in domain works great for local SEO – Google tends to rank it higher for Indian searches. Pair it with content written for Indian readers, use Hindi or regional language where appropriate, and you’ll see traffic improve.

If you already own a .com and want to target India, consider dual‑branding: keep the .com for global visitors and redirect the .in to region‑specific pages. This way you get the best of both worlds and avoid duplicate content issues.

In short, grabbing an India domain is cheap and fast, but the real value comes from respecting the local rules, choosing a brand‑friendly name, and using it wisely for SEO and audience trust. Follow these steps and you’ll have a solid .in presence ready for 2025 and beyond.