Beginning January 1, 2014, ICANN, the governing body for top level domain names, introduced a new change for domain owners requiring them to verify their contact information through a simple verification link sent to their email address.

How do I validate my domain contact information?

You will be sent an email, to the address you listed with your domain, asking you to click a link to validate your email address. Once you click the verification link, you’ll be immediately taken to a web page confirming your contact information has been verified; then you’re done!

You cannot use the domain until you click the link so don’t ignore the email; open it and click the link as soon as possible.

How can I view my domain contact details?

You can view your domain contact details through your access control panel or by doing a WhoIs search which shows what’s listed publicly. If you have domain privacy, your domain contact information will be protected from public viewing so going to your control panel is the best option.

When does my domain contact information need to be validated?

When you make a change to a domain name including;

1.    Registering a new domain name (if you use the same contact information again you don’t have to verify every time, see below)
2.    Renewing an existing domain
3.    Transferring a domain
4.    Or, changing the contact info of a valid domain

Do I have to do this for every domain?

Once you have completed the verification process once, all future new domain registrations using the same registrant contact information will be considered verified and will not be subject to the verification process.

How long do I have to validate my domain contact information?

You have 15 days from the time you received your first notification. It’s best to respond right away, but reminders will be sent out on days 5, 10 and 13 to remind you if you haven’t clicked the link.

What if I didn’t get the email?

If you don’t see the email within 24 hours, check your spam folder first). If you still do not receive the email, please contact our billing department to verify the correct email was entered and have the verification email resent.

What happens if I don’t click the validation link?

Let’s not even go there… but, just because you’re curious; if you don’t validate your details within 15 days of your initial notification, your domain will be suspended and any website or email using the domain will be unavailable. When someone tries to view the domain it will display a page explaining that the domain needs to be verified (see below). 

[caption id="attachment_2140" align="alignnone" width="600"]<img src="http://abacohosting.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Domain-Validation-1-285x300.png" alt="Domain-Validation" width="600" height="398" class="size-large wp-image-2140" /> Domain-Validation[/caption]

Your domain can be reactivated, but it can take up to 48 hours, so it’s best to not let it get to this stage. While you domain is reactivated it will show the screen below to all website visitors.

[caption id="attachment_2141" align="alignnone" width="600"]<img src="http://abacohosting.com/us/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Domain-Validation-2-1024x680.png" alt="Domain-Validation" width="600" height="398" class="size-large wp-image-2141" /> Domain-Validation[/caption]