Oct 30 2015
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So while this is old information I thought I would get it posted again for all to see.  On January 1st 2014 ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), these are the folks that control the domain registration rules and regulations, made some updates to what is required of the registrars and their resellers.  The information listed below is long and wordy but important.  I will summarize the domain registration rules first then list the full rules second:

  1. All whois contact information is required in the proper format
  2. The registrant email address must be verified.  This means that when you register a domain with us you will receive an email requesting you to click a link and verify your address.  Once verified you won’t typically have to verify again.  If you don’t verify your email address by following that link your domain name will be suspended within 15 days until you do.
  3. If you change Registrant First Name, Last Name, or email address information in the whois contact information then you will have to re-verify the new information via the same kind of email verification
  4. Resellers must provide a link to the ICANN webpage for registrant education, this link can be found here:http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/registrant-rights/educational.
  5. Resellers must post a copy of the Registrant Benefits and Responsibilities to their site – Registrants Benefits and Responsibilities.

Here are the key changes to the domain registration rules in their entirety:

  1. Beginning January 1st, eNom will begin requiring complete WHOIS data for all gTLD domain name registrations. There are two methods Resellers use to send us this data – explicit information or default Billing Contact data. If you are sending us explicit contact information, you need to ensure the Registrant, Admin, and Tech fields are complete. If you rely on your default Billing data for new registrations, please ensure this data is complete.
  2. In addition to requiring “complete” WHOIS data, ICANN has mandated that the address, telephone, and email address be properly formatted. Therefore, beginning January 1st, all Resellers must ensure they are sending this data in the proper format. RFCs defining the formatting options are here:
    1. Validate that all email addresses are in the proper format according to RFC 5322 (or its successors).
    2. Validate that telephone numbers are in the proper format according to the ITU-T E.164 notation for international telephone numbers (or its equivalents or successors).
    3. Validate that postal addresses are in a proper format for the applicable country or territory as defined in Universal Postal Union (UPU) addressing format templates, the S42 address templates (as they may be updated) or other standard formats.
  3. ICANN has requested that Registrars verify the Registrant email address associated with gTLD new domain name registrations. eNom recognizes that this is a change from how our Resellers manage their new registrations today. Thus, we have outlined our process below for addressing this verification mandate:
    1. Beginning January 1st, all gTLD new registrations processed through eNom will be subject to email verification. Specifically, we will be focused on verifying the Registrant email address.
    2. When a new domain registration is received, eNom will send an email on the Reseller’s behalf to the Registrant email address.
    3. The white-labeled email will inform the Registrant that they must verify their email address within 15 calendar days of the domain name registration.
    4. If they click the link within this email, eNom will consider the Registrant as verified (future registrations from this Registrant will not require further verification)
    5. If the Registrant does not verify themselves within the 15 calendar day window, eNom will overtake the DNS of the domain name and post a page on this site listing instructions on how the name can be verified and, as a result, the DNS returned to the previous settings (i.e. their site goes back online).
    6. Once a Registrant contact has completed the verification process, all future new registrations using that same Registrant contact information will be considered verified and will not be subject to the verification process.
  4. ICANN has mandated that Registrars also utilize the above verification process when a domain name Registrant edits their First Name, Last Name, or email address information. As a result, eNom will manage this modification process on behalf of Resellers as follows:
    1. Beginning January 1st, eNom will utilize the verification procedure if an edit is made to the following Registrant fields:
      1. Registrant First Name
      2. Registrant Last name
      3. Registrant Email Address
    2. eNom will send a white labeled email to the Registrant new email address stating that we recognize they have modified their Registrant First Name, Last Name, or email address information and we are requesting they verify themselves by clicking on the link in the email.
    3. If they click on the link in the email within 15 calendar days, we will accept the Contact as verified. The Registrant is then considered “verified” and will require no further verification.
    4. If they do not click on the link within 15 calendar days, then eNom will overtake the DNS of the domain name associated with that specific Registrant contact. NOTE: In some cases, Resellers utilize the Account Information on file to populate the Registrant field. If the Account Information is modified and not verified within the 15 day verification window, then all domain names associated with this Contact will be be suspended.
    5. We will post a page on the domain listing instructions on how the domain(s) can be verified and, as a result, the DNS returned to the previous settings (i.e. their site(s) goes back online).
    6. Once a Registrant contact has completed the verification process, all future domain names that are updated to this same contact information will not be subject to the verification process.
  5. Resellers must provide a link to the ICANN webpage for registrant education, this link can be found here:http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/registrant-rights/educational.
  6. Resellers must post a copy of the Registrant Benefits and Responsibilities to their site – Registrants Benefits and Responsibilities.
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