Q: I received an email request to validate my domain contact information.  How can I tell if the request was sent from DomainRocket?

A: Good question. With all registration companies being required to validate registrant contact information starting in 2014, spammers are very likely to send phishing emails pretending to be from your domain registration company.  To identify a legitimate validation request from DomainRocket, you will be asked to click on a link that begins with the following string:****

https://**approve.domainadmin.com**/registrant/?verification_id=[additional-verification-data-here]

It is very important that you verify that the bolded/highlighted part of the address you click on matches what is displayed above.  Also hover your mouse over the link before clicking to verify that the link destination matches the link that is displayed in the email.

Q: Who is the Registrant?

A: The Registrant is the contact listed as the Owner on a domain's contact record.  On public Whois records, it is displayed as the Registrant of the domain.  To view who is listed as the owner of a domain, see: Updating your Whois contact information.

Q: When is validation necessary?

A: When a registrant purchases, transfers, or updates a domain's registrant contact information, and the combination of First name, Last name, and Email Address that is used has not been validated by DomainRocket previously.   Validation will also be required if a WHOIS Data Reminder Policy (WDRP) notice, 30 day expiration notice or 5 day expiration notice bounces. It will therefore be of paramount importance to ensure the WHOIS data on your domains is correct.

Q. Why is validation necessary?

A: It is a requirement being made by ICANN, the organization that governs domain registration policies for all domain registration companies.  For more information, read ICANN’s 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

Q: What exactly is the validation process?

A: The validation process is a 15 day window during which a Registrant must provide an affirmative response to an email that DomainRocket will send to them. Failure to respond to this email during the 15 day window by clicking on the verification link provided will result in the domain being suspended. Reminder emails will be re-sent on days 5, 10 and 13 within the 15-day validation window; messages on days 10 and 13 of this process are sent to the Admin, Tech and Billing contacts as well.

Q: What does "suspended" mean?

A: Suspended means that we interrupt the DNS and prevent the domain from resolving. The domain will be placed in ClientHold status.

Q. How do I view or update the contact information on my domains?

A. See: Updating your Whois contact information.  Note that your domain Whois contact information is different than your account contact information that you can update from the Account Information page.  Every domain on your account can have different Whois contact information.

Q: What information does the registrant need to validate?

A: DomainRocket will be validating three pieces of registrant contact data: First name, Last name and Email address. When a registrant purchases, transfers, or updates a domain's registrant contact information, DomainRocket first checks to see if a previously validated record exists for that combination of First name, Last name, and Email Address.  If an exact match exists, the domain will be considered validated and no further action is required. If an exact match does not exist, the registrant will be sent an email asking them to validate their First name, Last name, and Email Address. For example, John Doe john@doe.com is different from Johnathan Doe john@doe.com, and both will require separate validation.

Q: Which domain extensions (.com, .net, etc) does this process apply to?

A: The validation process applies to all domains, regardless of extension.

Q: What change will trigger the validation process for an existing domain?

A: Any change to the First name, Last name, or Email address will trigger the validation process, unless it was previously validated.

Q: What else will trigger the validation process for an existing domain?

A: If the WDRP or ERRP (Day 30 and Day 5 Renewal Notices) bounce, the domain will enter the validation process.

Q: Will previously registered domain names require validating as of Jan. 1/2014?

A: We do not have to retroactively validate domain names, unless the WDRP or ERRP (Day 30 and Day 5 Renewal Notices) bounce, in which case the domain will enter the validation process.

Q: How many emails will a Registrant receive once the validation process has started?

A: A Registrant will receive an email to validate their contact information on day 1, day 5, day 10 and day 13. On day 16, if they haven't validated their information, they will receive an email informing them that their domain name has been suspended.

Q: How long will it take for my domain to come back online after I validate my information?

A: Your domain should come back online instantly.

Q: My domain is suspended due to a bounced WDRP or ERRP notice so I can't receive the validation email. What do I do?

A: Send an email request to [email protected] for assistance. We can update the email address on file on suspended domains once we confirm that you are the owner of the domain. This will trigger the validation process if necessary.

Q: One of my domains WDRP or ERRP notice has bounced. Does that mean all my domains with the same contact information will enter the validation process?

A: No, the validation process only applies to that specific domain name where the WDRP and ERRP notice bounces. However, we would recommend that the registrant check their email address on all other domains to prevent any future WDRP or ERRP bounces.

Q: What if I'm using the Contact Privacy feature? 

A: If you are using the Contact Privacy feature, the Registrant's/Owner's real email address will not be displayed to the public, instead a unique email address belonging to the Contact Privacy service will be displayed.  This assigned email address forwards to your real email address listed on your private Whois contact record, and you will still need to make sure it is correct.