Domain name preparation and checks
Per the Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Regulating the Use of Domains for Internet Information Services, the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing Management System verifies domain registration information. If your domain fails verification, Alibaba Cloud will suspend your access service as required by the communications administration. This topic describes the scope and requirements for domain verification.
Scope of domain verification
The scope of domain verification depends on the ICP filing type, such as an initial filing or a change filing. All domains within this scope must be verified.
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ICP filing type |
Verification scope |
Remarks |
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initial filing |
All domains are verified. |
None |
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add internet information services |
All newly added domains are verified. |
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change filing |
Domains successfully filed under the corresponding entity after January 1, 2018. |
Some provincial communications administrations verify whether your domain suffix was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) after January 1, 2018. You cannot apply for a change filing for a domain with an unapproved suffix. |
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unregister entity |
No domain verification is performed. |
After a filing is unregistered, the domain must pass verification if it is resubmitted for a new ICP filing. |
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unregister internet information services |
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remove service provider |
No domain verification is performed. |
After you remove the service provider, domain verification is not currently required to add the same provider again. |
Domain name verification requirements
To complete an ICP filing, your domain name must meet the following requirements. If a domain name resolves only to a server outside the Chinese mainland, an ICP filing is not required.
Before checking each requirement individually, you can use the quick check tool on the ICP filing homepage to batch-check domain names. Go to the Alibaba Cloud ICP Filing homepage, enter your domain names in the Check whether a domain name is eligible for ICP filing tool, and click Check. The system automatically checks whether the domain suffix is approved by the MIIT and whether the domain registrar is an approved institution, and then returns the results.
Requirement 1: MIIT-approved domain suffix
Visit the MIIT website to view the list of MIIT-approved domain suffixes (top-level domains) on the China Internet Domain System page. You cannot apply for an ICP filing for a domain with a suffix that is not on the list of approved domain suffixes.
Some generic top-level domains, such as .org, are not approved by the MIIT. You cannot apply for an ICP filing for these domains through Alibaba Cloud. If you own such a domain, you can deploy your website on a server outside the Chinese mainland or switch to a domain with an MIIT-approved suffix.
Requirement 2: MIIT-approved domain registrar
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Use WHOIS to find your domain's registrar.
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Go to the Domain Name Registration Service Agencies Approved page on the MIIT website to check if the registrar is approved.
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If the domain registrar is not approved, you must transfer the domain name to an approved one. For more information, see Transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.
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If the domain registrar is approved, you can proceed with the ICP filing.
For example, you can use WHOIS to look up the registrar for
taobao.com, which is Alibaba Cloud Computing (Beijing) Co., Ltd.. Then, on the Domain Name Registration Service Agencies Approved page, you can confirm that this registrar is approved.NoteBefore applying for an ICP filing, you must transfer any domains registered with Alibaba Cloud's international service (alibabacloud.com) to a registrar in the Chinese mainland and complete real-name verification for them.
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Requirement 3: Matching domain and entity information
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After updating real-name verification information or transferring domain ownership, wait 2 to 3 days for data to sync with the MIIT before you apply for an ICP filing:
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For domains registered with Alibaba Cloud: You can submit your application for the Alibaba Cloud preliminary review. After your application passes the preliminary review, the ICP filing system automatically delays the submission to the MIIT to allow for data synchronization. For more information about the domain name verification process, see Real-name verification for domain names.
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For domains not registered with Alibaba Cloud: You must wait 2 to 3 days before you submit your application for the Alibaba Cloud preliminary review.
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The domain must have a sufficient validity period:
Use WHOIS to check the expiration date of your domain name. The required validity period varies by province, but you must ensure your domain has more than 45 days remaining before it expires. If not, you must first renew the domain name.
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The domain's real-name verification information must match the filing entity's information:
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To view a domain's real-name verification information, go to the Domain Names page in the Domain Names console, find the domain, and click Manage in the Actions column.
Note-
For an individual filing, the real-name verification information of the domain name (registrant name, certificate type, and certificate number) must match the filing entity's information.
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For an enterprise filing, the real-name verification information of the domain name (registrant name, certificate type, and certificate number) must match the information of the entity or the entity representative. The certificate type for real-name verification must also match the certificate type of the entity.
For information about certificate types for common entity types, see Certificate examples for common entity types.
The Alibaba Cloud Management Console masks certificate numbers for security purposes. For example, a certificate number may appear as
911**********0XWrather than the full number. If you need a screenshot that shows all four elements (domain name, entity name, certificate type, and complete certificate number) — for example, for an App ICP filing — you can obtain it from the MIIT Domain Name Filing Management System:-
Go to the MIIT Domain Name Filing Management System.
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Enter your domain name in the search field and submit the query.
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The results page displays the complete domain name, entity name, certificate type, and full certificate number.
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Take a screenshot of the entire results page.
Ensure the screenshot shows all four elements in a single unedited image. Do not crop, splice, or otherwise alter the screenshot. This screenshot is accepted by the communications administration as valid supporting material for ICP filing submissions.
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Ensure the domain's real-name verification information matches that of the filing entity.
The following table lists common inconsistencies. For more information, see Inconsistent domain name and filing entity information.
Problem
Solution
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The domain registrant is an individual and cannot be used directly for an enterprise ICP filing.
NoteIf the individual is the legal representative of the enterprise, the domain can be used for enterprise filing directly, provided the certificate type and number match the filing entity's information exactly.
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The real-name verification information is missing the certificate type or certificate number.
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The certificate type in the real-name verification information does not match the certificate type of the filing entity.
Perform identity verification for your domain name, or transfer domain ownership to the enterprise or its legal representative. Ensure that the registrant name, certificate type, and certificate number in the domain real-name verification information exactly match the filing entity's information.
After modifying the information, wait 2 to 3 business days for the data to sync.
The organization name in the domain real-name verification information uses English half-width parentheses instead of Chinese full-width parentheses. For example, the name contains
(Guizhou)instead of（Guizhou）.The ICP filing system requires that the organization name in domain name real-name authentication exactly matches the business license, including parenthesis format. English half-width parentheses
()and Chinese full-width parentheses（）look similar but are treated as different characters by the system, which causes verification to fail.To fix this issue, go to the Domain Names page in the Domain Names console, find the domain, and click Manage in the Actions column. Update the organization name in the domain registrant information to use Chinese full-width parentheses
（）that match your business license. After modifying the domain registrant information, complete domain name real-name authentication again. Wait 2 to 3 business days for the data to sync, then resubmit the ICP filing application.The domain contact information does not match the filing entity's information, and you are uncertain whether the contact must be the legal representative.
The domain contact is not required to be the legal representative. Only the domain registrant (holder) information must match the filing entity. Go to the Domain Names page in the Domain Names console, find the domain, and click Manage in the Actions column. Verify that the registrant name, certificate type, and certificate number in the domain real-name verification information match those of the filing entity or entity representative.
The Alibaba Cloud account uses individual identity verification, but you are applying for an enterprise ICP filing.
The identity verification type of your Alibaba Cloud account (individual or enterprise) does not affect ICP filing eligibility. What determines whether a domain can be used for an enterprise ICP filing is the domain information template type. Go to the Domain Names page in the Domain Names console, find the domain, and click Manage in the Actions column. In the domain information template, ensure the type is set to Enterprise and the enterprise name, certificate type, and certificate number are correctly filled in.
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When you apply for an ICP filing, you only need to file the primary domain name, such as example.com. After the ICP filing is approved, you can use all its subdomains, such as www.example.com, without an additional filing.
Appendix: Domain suffixes
National top-level domains
Other top-level domains
FAQ
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ICP filing error: Mismatched domain name and entity information
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Can I use a .org domain name purchased from Google for an ICP filing on Alibaba Cloud?
No. The .org domain suffix has not been approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and is not on the list of domain suffixes eligible for ICP filing. Therefore, you cannot obtain an ICP filing for a .org domain through Alibaba Cloud. Please change to a domain suffix that is approved by the MIIT, or deploy your website on a server located outside mainland China.