Register a business domain under the right accountable owner

Identify the actual person or organisation entitled to be the registered holder under the chosen extension's rules. Use accurate details for that holder. Keep a written record of who approved the purchase and who may request changes on its behalf.

1. Choose the correct business customer account before placing the order.
2. Review the registrant contact fields separately from the invoice recipient and website administrator.
3. Use a monitored organisation-controlled contact where appropriate, with a recovery arrangement that does not depend entirely on the domain's own email.
4. Give staff the minimum supported access needed for their tasks. Use separate authorised users where the service provides them.
5. Record the renewal owner, payment arrangement and backup decision-maker.

Start with the existing provider's verified handover or ownership-change process. Establish who is recorded as the holder and obtain the necessary authorisation before moving control. A company paying for website development does not let support skip identity checks or infer a registration transfer from an informal message.

If the parties disagree, preserve the contract, invoices and correspondence and use the applicable dispute or recovery process. Do not attempt to gain access by resetting another person's mailbox or impersonating the existing account holder.

Confirm that an authorised business representative can access the domain account, view the registration, receive notices and start the approved recovery process. Store credentials and recovery codes in the organisation's approved secrets system, with access limited to the responsible team.

Keep the website, DNS and registration ownership records together but distinguish their purposes. A developer can manage content while the business retains registration control. Review the arrangement after a company rename, sale or administrator change, and plan any registrant update around the applicable registrar-transfer restrictions.

• Transfer operational control of a company domain when an employee leaves
• Build a domain portfolio inventory with accountable owners and recovery contacts
• Plan a registrant contact change when a registrar transfer is also due
• Move a domain to another your client account

• ICANN: The domain name registration process
• ICANN SSAC: Protecting domain registration accounts
• ICANN: Registration contact information questions