Extra verification for .be domain names

At the beginning of March 2022, DNSBelgium (.be registry) introduced an extra step in the registration of a .be domain name for private individuals. Every Belgian private individual who registers a domain name under the .be extension for the first time will have to prove his or her identity via Itsme or eID.

Domain names under .be have a good reputation and that is thanks to DNSBelgium, who attach great importance to quality. The registry has always wanted to ensure that the identity of the owner of a domain name is correct. In the past, suspicious .be names were already picked out by the registry and the owner was asked to confirm his identity.

Now the registry goes one step further. If you register a .be domain name as a Belgian private individual for the first time, you will first have to confirm your identity before your domain name is effectively completely yours.

You can register a .be domain name without any problems via bNamed.net, but you have to go through a few extra steps. It works as follows.

1. You request your domain name via bNamed.net
2. We immediately request your domain name at the registry
3. Your domain name will be registered for you, but when you surf to your domain name, you will receive a message that a verification still needs to be done
4. DNSBelgium sends an email to the owner requesting verification
5. The owner confirms his identity via Itsme or eID
6. The owner will receive a confirmation of this verification from DNSBelgium After this correct verification, it can take up to 30 minutes before your domain name is active. After this correct verification, the domain name is also completely yours. 

DNSBelgium has already indicated they also want to request confirmation of identity from companies and Dutch private individuals in the future. However, it is currently unclear when this will be introduced.