What Is Registrant?
The registrant is the person, company, or organization that has registered a domain name and holds the rights to it. In legal terms, the registrant is the domain's owner — they control its DNS settings, can transfer it, and are responsible for keeping the registration active.
Registrant information is recorded in the WHOIS database, though GDPR and privacy services may obscure this information from public view. The registrant is legally responsible for how the domain is used, including any content hosted on it.
Registrant status is important in domain transactions: the registrant must authorize any transfer, and changes to registrant information may trigger a 60-day transfer lock under ICANN rules.
Why This Matters for Startups
Make sure your domain is registered to the correct entity — your company, not an individual co-founder, web developer, or agency. Domains registered to individuals or contractors can become contentious if relationships change. Register domains under your company's legal name using a company email address. If someone else set up your domain, verify the registrant information and update it if necessary.
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