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A domain registration is a legal record. Every TLD requires accurate contact data attached to it, and the registry will refuse the registration (or suspend the domain later) if the data is wrong, unreachable, or fabricated. This page covers what those contact records look like, what the registries do with them, and what happens when something changes. The companion page on verification emails walks through the automated messages those changes trigger.

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The four contact roles

Most TLDs use four logical roles, even when the registry physically stores only one or two:
RoleWhat it representsNotable on
RegistrantThe legal owner of the domain. The party with the right to keep, sell, or transfer it.Every TLD
AdminThe person responsible for administrative decisions about the domain.gTLDs; required separately on .de
TechThe technical contact: nameserver setup, DNS issues, registry-level outages.gTLDs
BillingThe party who receives invoices for renewals and other registry charges.gTLDs (ICANN no longer mandates this field)
In practice, the same person fills all four roles for most domains. The distinction matters when an organisation registers a domain for an external client, or when a company outsources its DNS to a vendor. Some ccTLDs collapse this further. .si, .at, and .de model the registrant and admin roles only. .uk/.co.uk track a single registrant plus an optional billing record. The domain panel shows the fields the active TLD actually uses.

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Required fields per contact

Every contact, regardless of role, needs the following:
  • Full name (first + last) for natural persons, or organisation name for legal entities.
  • Type marker: individual, company, association, or public body. Some registries ask for the legal form explicitly.
  • Email address. Must be reachable. The registry will send verification mail here.
  • Phone number in E.164 international format (e.g. +386.12345678).
  • Postal address: street, city, postcode, country (ISO 3166 two-letter code).
  • Organisation tax ID or company registration number for legal entities, on TLDs that require it.
Some TLDs add their own fields:
  • .de requires a German postal address on the admin contact.
  • .eu and .it require a country of citizenship or residency that’s in the EU/EEA.
  • .hr requires a Croatian residency, business registration, or trademark proof on the registrant.
The per-TLD pages spell out what each registry checks before it accepts a registration.

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What the registry publishes (WHOIS)

WHOIS is the public lookup for domain contact data. What’s visible depends on the TLD and on whether the contact is a natural person or a legal entity.
Data classVisibility on most gTLDs (after GDPR)Visibility on most ccTLDs
Registrant nameRedacted for natural persons. Published for legal entities.Often published. Some ccTLDs (e.g. .si, .at) allow opt-out for individuals.
EmailRedacted. A privacy-mail forwarder is published.Often published. A few support opt-out for natural persons.
Postal addressRedacted. Country and state may be visible.Mixed. .de and .it publish more; .eu redacts for natural persons.
PhoneRedacted.Mixed.
ICANN’s response to GDPR (2018) is the reason gTLDs default to redacted personal data. ccTLD policies vary by country. The free WHOIS privacy Noxity applies to gTLDs hides additional fields where the registry allows it. On ccTLDs that publish data by registry policy, no proxy can override that.

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When contact data changes

Most edits propagate immediately. A few trigger registry-side flows that take longer.
ChangeWhat happens
Phone, postal address, organisation typePushed to the registry on save. No verification email. WHOIS reflects the change once the registry republishes.
Email addressTriggers a registrant email verification to the new address. The registry won’t accept the change until you click the link. On gTLDs, the deadline is 15 days.
Registrant name or organisation (material change on a gTLD)Triggers a change-of-registrant flow. Both the old and new registrant email get a confirmation message, both must approve, and the domain becomes transfer-locked for 60 days unless you explicitly opt out at the time of change.
Registrant change on a restricted ccTLD (.eu, .it, .hr)The registry re-checks eligibility against the new registrant data. May trigger an eligibility audit; domains may go into a hold state during the audit.

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Keeping data accurate

Two reasons it matters beyond legal hygiene:
  1. Reachability is enforced. Registries that send eligibility audits or expiry reminders treat a hard bounce as cause to suspend the domain. The annual WHOIS Data Reminder email exists exactly for this.
  2. Recovery requires the right email. If you lose access to the Members Area and need to prove ownership, the registry checks the email on the registrant record. An old or wrong address there means a slow, manual recovery path.
Edit contact data through the domain panel.

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