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.de · Germany

Can a foreigner register a .de domain?

Yes, in principle. DENIC removed the requirement for a German administrative contact in 2018, so any registrant worldwide can hold a .de domain directly. A registrant based outside Germany must name a general authorised recipient with a German address for legal service.

Registry
DENIC eG
EEA address enough
No
Trustee route
Available
Yes.The verdict

There is no eligibility test on the .de registrant. The one practical requirement for a registrant outside Germany is a general authorised recipient with a German address, which is what most .de local-presence services provide.

Keep reading on .de

.de local-presence servicesProviders that supply the German-address authorised recipient.Read thisCan a foreigner register a .no domain?A stricter case: Norway tests the registrant itself, not just a contact.Read thisEvery restricted country-code domainThe full index, grouped by how the restriction works.Read this

How restrictive .de really is

This makes .de less restrictive than .no or .ca: no eligibility test on the registrant at all. The requirement that matters in practice is the authorised recipient with a German address, for service of legal documents when the registrant is abroad.

Full explainer in progress

A version with the DENIC domain guidelines cited clause by clause, and a compared list of providers, is being written. For now see .de local-presence services.

Last updated September 2026. This page will be expanded with primary source references before it is treated as complete.