Domain administrator identification through Gosuslugi
A practical guide to mandatory domain administrator identification through Gosuslugi / ESIA: who the new rules affect, what UNVERIFIED means, and how to prepare a domain in advance so you keep control over the website, email, and DNS.
- what changes on September 1
- how to check the administrator
- when an owner change is needed
Domain administrator
Identification
Mandatory domain administrator identification through Gosuslugi / ESIA is being introduced for .RU, .РФ, and .SU.
The person or organization listed as the domain administrator with the registrar must complete the check, not just the website or hosting owner.
The date itself should not take a website offline, but without identification some domain operations may be restricted.
UNVERIFIED is a reason to check the administrator details, renewal date, and access to Gosuslugi.
Who is affected
Mandatory administrator identification for .RU, .РФ, and .SU domains
The new requirements matter for everyone who owns domains in the Russian .RU, .РФ, and .SU zones: individuals, sole proprietors, Russian companies, and some foreign domain holders.
If a website uses .com, .net, .org, or another international zone, this specific requirement does not directly apply to that domain. But if a company has even one .ru, .рф, or .su domain, it should be checked separately.
The main Russian domain zone for websites, companies, and personal projects.
The Cyrillic national domain zone, where administrator identification will also be required.
.SU is included in the new requirements and should be checked separately.
Key term
Who the domain administrator is and why it matters
The domain administrator is not necessarily the person who pays for hosting, receives email from Siteko, or has website access. It is the person or organization the domain name is registered to with the registrar and in the registry.
The administrator must complete the confirmation
After mandatory identification is introduced, the domain can be confirmed through Gosuslugi by the domain administrator listed with the registrar, not by an informal website owner.
Risk: the domain is not registered to you
A company may own the website and pay for hosting, while the domain in the registry is registered to a former employee, developer, or contractor. It is better to fix this before the deadline.
Change domain administratorFrom September 1, 2026
What changes for domain owners
Domain identification through Gosuslugi will become required for operations with .RU, .РФ, and .SU domains. The main practical risk for a website owner is not the date itself, but being unable to perform an important domain action when it is needed.
If a domain cannot be renewed, the website and email may stop working after the registration term ends. After the recovery period, the domain may be deleted and become available for registration again.
Without identification, these operations may become unavailable
- new domain registration;
- renewal of an existing domain;
- domain administrator change;
- registrar change;
- some other operations that require domain owner confirmation.
Current status
What is happening now at Siteko and Webnames
Siteko is a Webnames partner, so for domains registered through our interface we follow the registrar procedure. While the mechanism is being implemented, the main task is to prepare the details and remove risky situations before mandatory identification starts.
Webnames has published a separate article about registering and maintaining .RU, .РФ, and .SU domains with identification through Gosuslugi. For official updates, rely on the registrar and the Coordination Center.
What to remember
- the Siteko panel may not yet have a “Complete identification through Gosuslugi” button;
- the Webnames registrar is preparing the official ESIA identification mechanism;
- Siteko cannot complete identification instead of the client;
- Gosuslugi login and password must not be shared with anyone, including support;
- suspicious domain confirmation links should be checked with support first.
WHOIS and Gosuslugi
What UNVERIFIED means and whether Gosuslugi identification replaces it
For many .RU, .РФ, and .SU domains, WHOIS may show a status like REGISTERED, DELEGATED, UNVERIFIED. This does not mean the domain is broken, but it is a reason to check the administrator details.
UNVERIFIED / VERIFIED
The current document verification status with the registrar. UNVERIFIED means the owner details have not yet passed document verification.
Identification through Gosuslugi
A new ESIA-based procedure. The old VERIFIED status should not be treated as a substitute for future identification through Gosuslugi.
The old VERIFIED status should not be treated as a replacement for future domain administrator identification through ESIA. Even if the details were previously confirmed with documents, the new procedure may still require a separate confirmation through Gosuslugi.
Documents now or later
Do all UNVERIFIED domains need urgent old-style verification?
Not always. The right decision depends on whether the correct administrator is listed with the registrar and whether there are risky changes around the domain.
If everything is in order
- the administrator is listed correctly;
- the details are up to date;
- there is access to a confirmed Gosuslugi account;
- no urgent owner or registrar change is planned for the domain;
- the renewal date is not critically close.
If there is risk
- there is an error in the administrator details;
- an individual has changed passport or surname;
- old contact details are listed;
- a company changed its name, director, or went through reorganization;
- the domain needs to be transferred to another administrator;
- the registrar has already requested documents;
- the domain is registered to an employee, contractor, or former website owner.
Action plan
How to prepare for domain identification through Gosuslugi
Use this checklist before the identification button appears. It helps identify risky domains in advance.
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1
Make a list of domains
Collect all domains used for the website, email, CRM, advertising, personal projects, and corporate services.
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2
Mark .RU, .РФ, and .SU
These are the domain zones that should be prepared for mandatory administrator identification through Gosuslugi.
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3
Check WHOIS and UNVERIFIED
If WHOIS shows UNVERIFIED, carefully check the administrator details and group domains by risk level.
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4
Check the administrator
If the domain was registered through Siteko, open the domains section in your account and check who the registrar lists as the owner.
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5
Update contacts if available
If the administrator is correct but the email or phone is outdated, update owner/admin contacts through the Siteko account when that form is available.
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6
Prepare Gosuslugi access
Individuals and sole proprietors need a confirmed account. Companies need a correct organization account and an employee with the right authority.
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7
Check the renewal date
Pay special attention to domains that expire in September, October, or shortly after the new rules start.
How to check
Where to view the domain administrator and confirmation status
If the domain was registered through Siteko, use the step-by-step guide: open the domains section in your account, check the domain card, and open the registrar contacts tab. It shows who is listed as the administrator and which details should be checked before identification.
Domain priority
How to determine the risk level
Not every domain requires the same urgency. Sort domains by risk level and start with those that could be lost because the administrator is wrong or the details cannot be confirmed.
Low risk
The domain is registered to the correct administrator, details are current, Gosuslugi access is available, and no urgent operations are planned.
Medium risk
The domain is UNVERIFIED, but the administrator is correct. There are doubts about current details: old passport, address, contacts, or a typo.
High risk
The domain is registered to an employee, developer, contractor, former website owner, or old organization.
Critical risk
The administrator details are fake, belong to someone else, or materially do not match the real website owner.
What to do if the domain details are fake
If fake, third-party, or random administrator details were used during registration, the situation is extremely difficult. Those details cannot be confirmed by document scans or by the new Gosuslugi identification procedure.
The real website owner passport will not confirm a fake name, someone else passport details, or a non-existent administrator. Gosuslugi will not fix that profile either: ESIA confirms real person or organization details, it does not replace one domain administrator with another.
Do not confuse this with a normal error
A typo in a name, an old passport, a changed surname, an inaccurate address, or a connection to a real person or organization is not the same as fully fake data. In that case, it is worth investigating, preparing documents, and contacting the registrar.
But if the details were invented and have no connection to the real website owner, they cannot be confirmed. Treat that domain as a critical risk area in advance, not as a support issue that can be resolved quickly.
What Siteko can do now
While Gosuslugi identification has not launched in the registrar interface, Siteko cannot complete it for the client. But we can help prepare and find risky points.
- show where to view domains in the account;
- help understand who is currently the domain administrator;
- explain UNVERIFIED status and how it differs from ESIA identification;
- advise when a domain administrator change is needed;
- suggest which DNS records should be preserved before a domain transfer;
- help prioritize domains before September 1, 2026.
In the Siteko account, on the domain information page, the Registrar contacts tab may allow changing the email address and phone number for owner/admin contacts at the registrar. This is useful if the domain administrator is correct, but contact details are outdated and notifications should go to the current email address or phone number.
This does not change the domain administrator, confirm the owner identity, or correct registration details such as full name, passport, INN, or OGRN. If those details or the administrator itself need to change, a separate registrar procedure is required.
What Siteko cannot do for the client
Identification through Gosuslugi is a personal confirmation by the domain administrator. It cannot be completed for another person or organization.
- log in to Gosuslugi instead of the client;
- confirm administrator identity without their participation;
- correct data in Gosuslugi;
- legally change the domain administrator without the registrar procedure;
- replace fake or third-party administrator details with real ones without verification;
- guarantee successful identification when the details do not match.
Common situations
Important cases before domain identification
These situations are the most common and affect the risk before September 1, 2026 in different ways.
The domain is UNVERIFIED, but the details are correct
This is not the most dangerous situation. If the administrator is correct, the details are current, and a confirmed Gosuslugi account is available, you can wait for the official procedure.
The domain is registered to an individual, while the website belongs to a company
For a business, this may be risky. It is worth discussing a transfer to a legal entity or to a responsible person with clear authority.
The domain is registered to a former employee
That person will need to participate in identification and rights transfer. The closer September 1 gets, the harder it is to resolve quickly.
The domain is registered to a developer or web studio
Access to the website, CMS, or hosting does not mean domain ownership. If the domain is important for the business, it should be transferred to the actual owner.
The domain is registered to a foreign company
The procedure for foreign organizations remains one of the least clear issues. It is better to clarify the options with the registrar in advance.
The administrator details are fake
This is the most difficult case. Such a domain may fail both old-style document verification and future identification through Gosuslugi.
Expected flow
How identification may look after launch
The exact interface may differ, but the logic should be similar to regular authentication through an external service. The registrar should not receive your Gosuslugi password: authentication happens on the Gosuslugi side, and the registrar receives only the data needed to check the administrator.
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1
An identification action appears in the panel or through an official link.
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2
The domain administrator goes to Gosuslugi authentication.
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3
On the Gosuslugi side, they confirm the login and allow the required data set to be sent to the registrar.
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4
The registrar compares the received data with the domain administrator profile.
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5
If the details match, the domain receives a confirmation status.
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6
If there are differences, the details may need to be updated or documents may need to be provided.
Security
How to avoid phishing
The topic is new and sensitive, so phishing emails and fake pages may appear around it. Do not rush to enter data through a link in an email if you are not sure about the source.
- do not enter your Gosuslugi password on suspicious websites;
- do not follow suspicious links from emails or messengers;
- do not send document scans to unknown recipients;
- check that the link leads to the official registrar or Gosuslugi service;
- if in doubt, contact Siteko support first.
Short checklist
What the domain owner should check
If there is doubt on even one item, it is better to resolve it in advance rather than at the moment of domain renewal.
FAQ
FAQ about domain identification through Gosuslugi
How do I complete domain identification through Gosuslugi?
After the official mechanism is launched, the domain administrator will need to follow the registrar link, authenticate through Gosuslugi / ESIA, and allow the required data to be sent to the registrar. Before launch, the main task is to check the administrator, data accuracy, and access to a confirmed account.
Do I need to do anything today?
Yes, but that does not necessarily mean looking for an identification button. Right now, check the domain administrator, UNVERIFIED or VERIFIED status, data accuracy, and readiness of the Gosuslugi account.
If the domain is UNVERIFIED, do I need to urgently confirm it with scans?
Not always. If the details are correct and current, and there are no urgent domain operations, you can wait for the official Gosuslugi identification procedure. But if the details are outdated, contain errors, the domain is registered to another person, or the registrar has requested documents, act now.
Will VERIFIED status replace identification through Gosuslugi?
Most likely, no. VERIFIED means the details were confirmed with documents at the registrar. Identification through Gosuslugi is a separate new ESIA-based procedure.
If I do not complete identification by September 1, will the website shut down immediately?
Usually, the website should not shut down instantly just because the date arrives. But without identification, important domain operations may become unavailable, especially renewal. If the domain cannot be renewed, the website and email may stop after the registration term ends.
My domain is paid for several years ahead. Do I still need identification?
Yes, it is still worth preparing. Even if renewal is not needed immediately, identification may be required for other operations: administrator change, domain transfer, or data updates.
The domain is in the Siteko panel. Does that mean Siteko owns it?
No. A domain may be shown in the Siteko panel, while the administrator in the registry is an individual, sole proprietor, or organization. Always check the domain administrator listed with the registrar.
Can I complete identification through Siteko already?
Until the official mechanism for partner domains is launched, identification cannot be completed through Siteko. Once the procedure becomes available, the guide should be updated and clients should see the official steps.
Can I just move the website to another account?
No. Moving the website, files, email, or hosting does not change the domain administrator. If the legal domain owner needs to change, the registrar administrator change procedure is required.
What should I do if the domain is not registered to me?
First, determine who is listed as the current administrator. If the domain should belong to you or your company, it is worth arranging an administrator change in advance. This may require the current administrator to participate and confirm details with the registrar.
What should I do if the domain has completely wrong details?
Do not wait for Gosuslugi. If the details are fake, belong to someone else, or have no connection to the real website owner, regular verification and future ESIA identification may not help. Contact support as early as possible and clarify possible next steps with the registrar.
Sources
Official pages on this topic
Rules and interfaces may be clarified closer to launch. Before important actions, check the current registrar pages.
The key is not to wait until the last day
Check who your domains are registered to, whether they have UNVERIFIED status, whether the registrar details are current, and whether a confirmed Gosuslugi account is ready. If the domain is registered to another person, contractor, or old organization, start the administrator change in advance.