Since recently (after GDPR was introduced on 25 of May 2018) the matter with disclosing domain Registrant contacts in Whois caused issues with confirming the domain ownership for third-party services. This article is mostly dedicated to dealing with this issue.
How to make the contacts visible in public WHOIS?
WHOIS services can help to check if your Registrant contacts are visible in WHOIS. If they are visible, you will see your full name and email address in public Whois. If that is the case, you are lucky and there will be no issues with confirming your domain ownership rights.
What if the Registrant contacts are hidden?
You will have to use alternative ways to verify your domain ownership in such a case. Most popular services offer such options. One of such ways is adding a TXT or CNAME records. In such a case, you will need access to your domain’s settings and you won’t have to edit your domain’s Registrant contacts.
What if there are no alternative ways of confirming the domain ownership?
In such a case, you can reach the technical support of the service that requests verification of the domain ownership and ask to send you an email via the Registrant contact form. Most Registrars have such a form.
If there is no Registrant contact form at your Registrar’s, you should take the following steps:
- Specify with your Registrar’s support if they can send an email from the company’s email to the one that you listed in domain Registrant contacts. If so, you can move to point 2.
- Ask the support of the service you need to confirm your domain ownership with, if they can send an email to domain Registrar’s email that is listed in Whois. If they can send that email you can move on to point 3.
- Ask the service support to send the above-mentioned email to your Registrar’s email address.
- If your Registrar doesn’t forward the email to your mailbox within one day, you need to contact Registrar’s support and ask to forward it.
- Follow the steps in the email.
There’s always a way out of the situation.
