According to regulations in the Chinese mainland, all domain names must complete identity verification before they can be resolved and used. If verification is not completed, the registry locks the domain name, which changes the domain status to serverHold and makes the website inaccessible. This document guides you through the process of completing identity verification for your domain names on Alibaba Cloud. This service is free of charge.
Identity verification for domain names involves two key steps: creating and verifying a registrant profile, and then associating the verified profile with a domain name.
Create and verify a registrant profile: Create and submit a registrant profile that contains the registrant's identity information for review.
Associate the profile with a domain name: Associate the verified registrant profile with one or more domain names.
Checklist of required materials
Before you begin, prepare the required documents based on your identity and domain name type. This preparation can significantly speed up the verification process.
1. Basic materials checklist
Enterprise/Organization
Region |
Accepted documents |
Description |
The Chinese mainland |
|
Must contain a valid 18-digit Unified Social Credit Code. |
Outside the Chinese mainland |
Official registration documents for organizations outside the Chinese mainland, such as:
|
The image must be of a certificate issued by an authoritative body. Website screenshots are not valid. |
Personal
Identity |
Preferred document |
Alternative documents |
Resident of the Chinese mainland |
ID card (side with photo)
Note
Provide both the front and back sides only if the system explicitly requests it or if the review fails. |
|
Resident of Hong Kong (China) or Macao (China) |
Residence Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents |
Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents |
Resident of Taiwan (China) |
Residence Permit for Taiwan Residents |
Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents |
Foreign nationals |
Passport |
Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card |
General requirements for uploaded materials
Requirement |
Description |
Image format |
JPG, JPEG, PNG, BMP, HEIC, and WebP are supported. |
Image size |
Less than 5 MB. |
Clarity |
Must be a color scan or digital photo of the original document. All text, seals, and photos must be clear and legible, without reflections or blurs. |
Completeness |
All four corners of the document must be fully visible in the image, without any parts missing or obstructed (for example, by fingers or watermarks). |
Authenticity |
Do not use tools such as Photoshop to modify the document in any way. If the image format is incorrect, use an image editing tool to save it in a supported format. Do not just change the file extension. |
2. Checklist of additional qualifications for special domain names
If your domain name has one of the suffixes listed in the following sections, you must prepare additional qualification documents in addition to the basic materials.
".gov.cn" domain names
Domain Name Registration Application Form stamped with the official seal of the applicant organization: The application form is generated for you to download during the identity verification process in the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console. You must download, print, fill out, and stamp the application form for ".gov.cn" domain names. The following table provides a sample and instructions.
Instructions:
The applicant organization must ensure that the information provided is true, accurate, and complete.
Items marked with an asterisk (*) are required. Apply a clear official seal and ensure that the "Registrant" name on the application form is consistent with the name on the official seal and the registrant name in the registration system.
A single government agency can register and hold no more than two ".gov.cn" domain names: one for its portal website and one for its Internet email system.
After receiving your application, CNNIC will call you to verify the registration details. The registration contact or the person responsible for registration matters should be available for this follow-up call and cooperate to complete the verification.
ImportantThe domain name, registrant contact, registrant, registrant phone number, registrar, and registrant ID fields in the "Domain Name Registration Application Form" are automatically generated based on the information you provide during domain name registration. Fill in the domain name registration information according to the requirements in the application form.
The applicant organization is solely responsible for any legal liabilities arising from information in the application form that is untrue, inaccurate, or incomplete.
Documents proving the applicant is a government agency: A copy of a valid Organization Code Certificate, where the organization type is 'government agency legal person'.
A copy of the registration contact's ID card
".trademark" domain names
".restaurant" domain names
Step 1: Create an information template
A registrant profile is an identity record used to manage registrant information. It is designed to be created once and reused multiple times. You can associate all domain names under your account with this profile for unified management.
Prerequisite: Before you register a domain name, make sure that you have completed the identity verification for your Alibaba Cloud account. The identity verification for an Alibaba Cloud account is separate from the identity verification for a domain name. For more information, see Account identity verification.
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console. On the Registrant Profiles page, click Create Registrant Profile.
Follow the prompts on the page to enter the registrant information. Refer to the following tables for guidance on specific parameters:
Enterprise/Organization
Specify parameters
Metric description
Unified Social Credit Code
The certificate number must be exactly the same as on the Business License.
If the certificate has a number, enter that number in the Unified Social Credit Code field, as shown in the figure below.
If the certificate does not have a number, enter the digit "0" in the Unified Social Credit Code field.
Registrant Organization Name
Must be exactly the same as the name on the uploaded certificate, including punctuation. If the name contains "·" or "《》", keep these symbols in the Chinese name but remove them from the English name.
Domain Name Contact
We recommend that a technical staff member of the company serves in this role. The domain name contact does not need to undergo identity verification.
Region
Must be consistent with the registered address on the certificate.
Mailing Address
This must be consistent with your business license.
Postal Code
The postal code of the company's location.
Email
Enter a real and valid email address and complete the Email Verification below the input field.
NoteRecommendation: Avoid using email addresses with new top-level domain (TLD) suffixes (such as test@test.club) to prevent issues with domain name order processing.
The information for the English profile is automatically filled based on the Chinese content. You can also modify it manually.
Individual
Specify parameters
Metric description
Registrant Name
Must be exactly the same as the name on the uploaded identity document. If the domain name requires ICP filing later, this name must also be consistent with the ICP filing entity name.
Region
Select the region in the Chinese mainland where your real and valid mailing address is located.
Mailing Address
Enter a real and valid mailing address in the Chinese mainland.
Postal Code
The postal code of the mailing address.
Mobile Phone Number
Country Code: For the Chinese mainland region, enter 86. For other countries, enter the actual country code.
Mobile Number/Area Code + Landline: Enter the company's landline number or the domain contact's mobile phone number.
Extension (Optional): Enter the extension for the landline number. If there is no extension, leave this field empty. Do not enter any other information.
Email
Enter a real and valid email address and complete the Email Verification below the input field.
NoteRecommendation: Avoid using email addresses with new TLD suffixes (such as test@test.club) to prevent issues with domain name order processing.
The information for the English profile is automatically filled based on the Chinese content. You can also modify it manually.
After you confirm that the information is correct, click Submit.
Review time: The review of a registrant profile usually takes 1 business day but may take 3 to 5 business days in some cases.
Check review status: On the Registrant Profiles page, check whether the Profile Status is Identity Verification Successful. If the status is Identity Verification Failed, modify the information as prompted and resubmit.
Step 2: Associate the registrant profile with a domain name
After the status of the registrant profile changes to Identity Verification Successful, you must associate it with your domain name to complete the verification process.
Scenario 1: For a newly registered domain name
On the order confirmation page for the domain name purchase, select the profile that has passed identity verification. After you complete the payment, the system automatically submits the verification request.
Scenario 2: For an existing domain name
On the Domain Names page, find the domain name whose status is Identity Verification Not Completed.
Click the target domain name. On the page, select the verified profile to associate with the domain name.
Step 3: Check the identity verification status of the domain name
After you submit the association request, the system immediately syncs the information with the registry.
Review time: The identity verification review after you associate the profile with the domain name is usually completed within 1 day but may take 3 to 5 business days in some cases.
Verification method: Go to the Domain Names page and check the Status of the target domain name.
If the Status is Normal, the identity verification for the domain name is successful. You can now proceed with ICP filing and DNS configuration.
Domain status descriptions
Domain status |
Meaning |
Common causes and solutions |
clientHold |
Registrar lock |
Usually set by Alibaba Cloud. This may be because the domain name is involved in a violation or dispute. Solution: Check your internal messages or email notifications from Alibaba Cloud and follow the instructions. |
serverHold |
Registry lock |
The most common cause is failed identity verification. It can also be caused by the domain name pointing to an illegal website or a requirement for enhanced identity verification.
|
For more information about domain statuses, see WHOIS lookup details.
FAQ
Why is my domain status Unverified?
Check the following items:
Has the information template been verified?
Go to the Registrant Profiles page and check whether the Profile Status is 'Identity Verification Successful'. If it failed, you must resubmit it.
Is the domain name associated with this template?
Go to the Domain Names page and click the target domain name. On the page, select the verified profile to associate with the domain name.
How long does the identity verification review take?
The review for a registrant profile is usually completed within 1 business day but may take 3 to 5 business days in some cases. The review for a domain name after it is associated with a profile is usually completed within 1 day but may take 3 to 5 business days in some cases.
What do I do if the identity verification for my registrant profile fails? Where can I find the reason for the failure?
On the Registrant Profiles page, click View to the right of the profile. Review the reason for the failure, correct your materials, and upload them again. After the profile is approved, submit the domain name for verification again.
How do I resolve an identity verification failure caused by incorrect information in the registrant profile?
If identity verification fails because of incorrect registrant identity information, inconsistent contact details, or mismatched uploaded documents, see Identity verification FAQ for solutions.
Why is my website still inaccessible or unresolvable after the domain name has passed identity verification?
The domain name has not completed ICP filing or had its DNS settings configured. First, you must complete the ICP filing and DNS settings for the domain name.
DNS settings are already configured: Check the domain name status and verify that the DNS server settings are correct. For more information, see Quickly troubleshoot DNS resolution failures.