Prepare and check the domain name

Check the real-name verification information of the domain name

You cannot apply for an ICP filing for domain names that have not passed real-name verification. Make sure that you have completed real-name verification for your domain name, and the real-name verification information is consistent with the ICP filing information. The ICP filing application fails if inconsistent information exists.

• If your domain name is not registered with Alibaba Cloud, you must contact your domain name registrar to obtain the real-name verification information.
• If your domain name is registered with Alibaba Cloud, perform the following steps to view the real-name verification information of your domain name:
  Note The Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com) provides registration services only for internationalized domain names. Such domain names must meet the following requirements:

  • From January 1, 2018, if your domain names are registered at international domain name registrars such as the Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com), you must transfer the domain names to registrars in the Chinese mainland and complete the real-name verification before you apply for an ICP filing. For more information about how to transfer a domain name to the Domains service on the Alibaba Cloud China site (aliyun.com), see Transfer a domain name to Alibaba CloudTransfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.
  • Specific domain names that were registered before January 1, 2018 at international domain name registrars, such as the Alibaba Cloud International site (alibabacloud.com), may have obtained an ICP filing. In this case, you do not need to transfer these domain names.

1. View the real-name verification information.
   1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Domains console.
   2. On the Domain Names page, find the domain name whose real-name verification information you want to view and click Manage in the Actions column.
      Note

      If you cannot find the domain name that you want to view, the domain name may belong to another Alibaba Cloud account. You must obtain the account to which the domain name belongs.

   3. On the Basic Information page, view the real-name verification information of the domain name.
2. Optional. Transfer the domain name.
   The information of the registrant must be consistent with that of the ICP filing entity. The information includes the name, certificate type, and certificate number. If the registrant is not the ICP filing entity, you must transfer the domain name to the entity to ensure information consistency. For more information, see Modify registrant information or transfer domain name ownership.

   If the entity is an organization or an enterprise, and the registrant information such as the name, certificate type, or certificate number is inconsistent with the information of the entity, you can upload supporting documents to complete the ICP filing application. However, this is available only in specific provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. For more information about the regulations of communications administrations in different provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, see ICP filing regulations of the MIIT for different regions. For more information about the required supporting documents, see the Domain name registrant certificates topic in the ICP filing documentation on the Alibaba Cloud China site (aliyun.com).

3. Optional. Perform real-name verification.
   Before you apply for an ICP filing, make sure that you have completed real-name verification for the domain name. For more information, see the Real-name verification for a domain name topic in the Domains documentation on the Alibaba Cloud China site (aliyun.com).

   Note After you complete real-name verification, the real-name verification information will be synchronized to the database of the local communications administration in about two to three days. We recommend that you submit the ICP filing application around two to three days after the real-name verification of the domain name is complete. Otherwise, the ICP filing application may fail due to the lack of real-name verification information in the database of the local communications administration.
4. Optional. Renew the domain name.
   • ICP filings in Shanghai: Renew the domain name at least 180 days before it expires.
   • ICP filings outside Shanghai in China: Renew the domain name at least 90 days before it expires.

   If your domain name does not meet the preceding requirements, we recommend that you renew the domain name before you apply for an ICP filing. For more information, see Renew a domain name.

Check whether your domain name is qualified for an ICP filing application

You cannot apply for an ICP filing for a domain name whose top-level domain name is not approved by the MIIT. An ICP filing is not required for country-code domain names or domain names that are hosted outside the Chinese mainland. Before you apply for an ICP filing, perform the following steps to check whether your domain name is qualified for an ICP filing application:

1. Check whether the domain name is approved by the MIIT.
   1. Visit the MIIT website.
   2. In the left-side navigation pane, click China's Internet Domain Name System.
      
   3. View the top-level domain names approved by the MIIT on the China's Internet Domain Name System page.
      You cannot apply for an ICP filing if the top-level domain name of your domain name is not included on the China's Internet Domain Name System page.
2. Check whether the domain name is a second-level domain name.
   If your website is hosted on an instance in the Chinese mainland, you must apply to the MIIT for an ICP filing for the domain name of your website. After the ICP filing for the top-level domain name is obtained, the second-level domain names and subdomains become accessible, and no more ICP filing is required.

   • If the ICP filing for your top-level domain name is not obtained by using the Alibaba Cloud Filing system, you must add Alibaba Cloud to the ICP filing information as a service provider. You can add multiple service providers to the ICP filing information for a top-level domain name.
   • Your website cannot provide services until the top-level domain name of your domain name obtains an ICP filing. After the top-level domain name of your domain name obtains an ICP filing, the second-level domain names and subdomains become accessible.

Check whether your domain name registrar is approved by the MIIT

If your domain name registrar is not approved by the MIIT, you must transfer the domain name to an approved registrar before you apply for an ICP filing. To view your registrar and transfer your domain name to Alibaba Cloud, perform the following steps:

1. View the information of the domain name registrar.
   Visit the WHOIS page, enter the keywords in the search box, and then click Search. On the page that appears, you can view the information of the domain name registrar.
2. Check whether the registrar is approved by the MIIT.
   1. Visit the MIIT website.
   2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Approved Domain Name Registrars.
   3. In the Company Name column, view the approved domain name registrars, and check whether your domain name registrar is included.
      If your domain name registrar is not included, you must transfer your domain name to a registrar that is approved by the MIIT. To transfer your domain name to Alibaba Cloud, go to the next step.
3. Optional. Transfer the domain name to a registrar that is approved by the MIIT.
   For more information about how to transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud, see Transfer a domain name to Alibaba CloudTransfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.