Who owns my domain name, and how do I get it back?
Whoever controls the registrar account, which is frighteningly often a developer, an agency or an ex-employee. Check today: look up your domain's registrant details, and if it is not your business, start the polite recovery now, before you need it in a hurry.
The longer answer
In practice.
Why this is the one that matters
The domain is your address, your email and your Google history; lose it and
every card, sign and ranking dies with it. It outranks the website itself,
which can be rebuilt.
The recovery ladder
Ask nicely in writing for registrant transfer to your account (most comply);
for .au domains, auDA rules give the registrant of record real rights and a
complaints path; unresponsive holders can often be routed around at renewal
time with evidence of your business identity. Escalate calmly and keep
records.
Once it is yours
Your own registrar account, your card on the renewal, auto-renew on, two
people in your business with access. I set this up as part of every
rescue, because half of them start here.
Same rabbit hole