diff --git a/app/models/account.rb b/app/models/account.rb
index 6258857b1b..05e833d575 100644
--- a/app/models/account.rb
+++ b/app/models/account.rb
@@ -126,6 +126,8 @@ class Account < ApplicationRecord
     validates :uri, absence: true
   end
 
+  validates :domain, exclusion: { in: [''] }
+
   normalizes :username, with: ->(username) { username.squish }
 
   scope :without_internal, -> { where(id: 1...) }
@@ -187,7 +189,7 @@ class Account < ApplicationRecord
   end
 
   def remote?
-    domain.present?
+    !domain.nil?
   end
 
   def moved?
diff --git a/spec/models/account_spec.rb b/spec/models/account_spec.rb
index 5b995b4af6..a0187b6211 100644
--- a/spec/models/account_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/account_spec.rb
@@ -49,14 +49,16 @@ RSpec.describe Account do
   end
 
   describe '#local?' do
-    it 'returns true when domain is null' do
-      account = Fabricate(:account, domain: nil)
-      expect(account).to be_local
+    context 'when the domain is null' do
+      subject { Fabricate.build :account, domain: nil }
+
+      it { is_expected.to be_local }
     end
 
-    it 'returns false when domain is present' do
-      account = Fabricate(:account, domain: 'foreign.tld')
-      expect(account).to_not be_local
+    context 'when the domain is present' do
+      subject { Fabricate.build :account, domain: 'host.example' }
+
+      it { is_expected.to_not be_local }
     end
   end
 
@@ -67,12 +69,6 @@ RSpec.describe Account do
       it { is_expected.to_not be_remote }
     end
 
-    context 'when the domain is blank' do
-      subject { Fabricate.build :account, domain: '' }
-
-      it { is_expected.to_not be_remote }
-    end
-
     context 'when the domain is present' do
       subject { Fabricate.build :account, domain: 'host.example' }
 
@@ -557,6 +553,8 @@ RSpec.describe Account do
   describe 'Validations' do
     it { is_expected.to validate_presence_of(:username) }
 
+    it { is_expected.to_not allow_value('').for(:domain) }
+
     context 'when account is local' do
       subject { Fabricate.build :account, domain: nil }
 
diff --git a/spec/services/import_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/import_service_spec.rb
index 0a99c5e748..2e1358c635 100644
--- a/spec/services/import_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/import_service_spec.rb
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ RSpec.describe ImportService, :inline_jobs do
     subject { described_class.new }
 
     let(:csv) { attachment_fixture('bookmark-imports.txt') }
-    let(:local_account)  { Fabricate(:account, username: 'foo', domain: '') }
+    let(:local_account)  { Fabricate(:account, username: 'foo', domain: nil) }
     let!(:remote_status) { Fabricate(:status, uri: 'https://example.com/statuses/1312') }
     let!(:direct_status) { Fabricate(:status, uri: 'https://example.com/statuses/direct', visibility: :direct) }