# How private domain registration works

> How private domain registration works at Sealname: 4 steps, who sees your data, what public RDAP shows. No ID, no KYC, one verified email, paid in crypto.

- URL: https://sealname.com/how-it-works/
- Last updated: 2026-10-08
- Publisher: Sealname (https://sealname.com)

Who sees what, what the public WHOIS/RDAP record shows, and the four steps from search to a verified private domain.

**Quick answer — How does private domain registration work?**

**Sealname**, a private domain name registration service paid in crypto, works in four steps: search a name, top up a balance in crypto (minimum $25), register the domain in your name with WHOIS privacy on, and verify one email within 15 days. No ID and no KYC. Public WHOIS/RDAP then shows our privacy contact, or the registry's own redaction, instead of your name, address and phone.

## Private registration at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Model | Privacy service: you are the registrant of record by default (or our company, with the paid [Registered in our name](https://sealname.com/registered-in-our-name/) option) |
| Public WHOIS/RDAP | Our privacy service contact, or our company as holder for extensions sold in our name only (.de, .uk, .ch, .nl…) |
| What you give | One verified email per domain, never published |
| What we never ask | ID document, selfie, ID or tax number, date of birth, phone number, postal address, card or bank details |
| Payment | Crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC; minimum top-up $25 |
| Email verification | Within 15 days of a registration, transfer or change (ICANN rule for gTLDs) |
| Messages to the public contact | Messages are forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail |
| Extensions sold | 130, only those that can be registered privately |
| .com price | $12.99/year, the same price to renew and to transfer |

## Who can see your details when you register a private domain?

The public sees almost nothing about you. Sealname holds what ICANN requires, and others get data only in the cases of a published policy. Operated by DomaineGoat LLC, an ICANN-accredited registrar incorporated in Panama, Sealname applies the same rules to every domain.

### Who sees what

| Who | What they see | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The public (anyone running a WHOIS/RDAP lookup) | The domain name, the registrar, the dates, the nameservers and the status. For contact data: our privacy service's details, or the registry's redaction. Never your name, address or phone. | At any time: the record is public |
| The registry | Our privacy contact; for extensions sold in our name only (.de, .uk, .ch, .nl…), our company's details. Never yours. | For every registration |
| Sealname (DomaineGoat LLC) | One verified email per domain, your random 16-digit account number, your domains and their settings, your balance. No logs, no IP address, no TXID. | While the domain is registered, and for the period ICANN requires afterwards |
| A Panamanian court | The data we hold, and only what the order covers. | Only with a valid Panamanian court order, or an urgent request under ICANN rules; foreign authorities go through Panamanian legal process; you are notified before any disclosure, unless the Panamanian court order forbids it |
| A UDRP or URS dispute provider | Confirmation of who the registrant is. The domain is locked within 2 business days of a UDRP complaint. | Only when a complaint is filed against the domain |

The other cases are ICANN duties of every registrar, listed in the [disclosure policy](https://sealname.com/disclosure-policy/): data escrow and compliance checks. A foreign lawyer, a private company or a foreign government gets nothing without Panamanian legal process.

## What is the difference between a privacy service and a proxy?

With a privacy service, you are the registrant of record and only the public contact details are replaced. With a proxy, the provider registers the domain in its own name and licenses it to you. Sealname uses the privacy model by default, so the domain is yours; registering in our name is a separate paid option, [Registered in our name](https://sealname.com/registered-in-our-name/). Under ICANN's contract (RAA §3.7.7.3), a proxy holder must disclose its customer's contact data within 7 days on reasonable evidence of actionable harm, or accept liability itself. The full comparison is on [WHOIS privacy vs proxy registration](https://sealname.com/whois-privacy-vs-proxy-registration/).

## How do you register a private domain with Sealname?

Four steps, from the search box to a verified domain. There is no sign-up form and no identity check.

1. **Search the name** — Type the name in the domain search. Availability is checked live through RDAP. Some registries, such as .io, .co, .me and .eu, confirm availability only when you order.
2. **Top up in crypto** — A random 16-digit account number is your login. Top up your balance with BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, minimum $25. Unused balance stays on your account and never expires, and it pays for new domains, renewals and transfers, but it is not refundable.
3. **Register in your name, privacy on** — The domain is registered with you as the registrant of record. Where the registry allows it, the privacy switch is on, and public WHOIS/RDAP shows our privacy contact instead of yours.
4. **Verify the email** — Each domain needs one verified email. Confirm the message we send to that address within 15 days, or ICANN rules require the domain to be suspended. The email is never published.

## What does the public RDAP record show for a private domain?

It shows no personal data about you. Since 28 January 2025, RDAP has replaced WHOIS as the official lookup for gTLDs, so this page says WHOIS/RDAP. What appears depends on the extension:

- **Where our privacy service applies** (.com, .net, .org, .io, .xyz and every other extension we sell): the registrant contact fields show the details of our privacy service. Messages sent to that contact are forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail.
- **Always public, for every domain**: the domain name, the registrar, the creation and expiry dates, the nameservers and the status codes.

ICANN's Registration Data Policy, in effect since 21 August 2025, also requires registrars to redact registrants' personal data from public RDAP by default. One field needs care: if you fill in "Organization", that organisation becomes the registrant. Leave it empty unless a company should own the domain.

You can check any record yourself with ICANN's free tool at [lookup.icann.org](https://lookup.icann.org/en). Our guide [check your RDAP record](https://sealname.com/guides/check-your-rdap-record/) explains each field.

## Which extensions cannot be registered privately?

Some registries make private registration impossible, so Sealname does not sell them. There are three main reasons:

- **The registry bans privacy services**: .us, for example, forbids privacy and proxy registrations.
- **The registry checks your identity with documents**: .cn, .ru, .in and .dk.
- **The registry requires a local presence**: .au, .jp, .sg and .no, among others.

A fourth reason applies to Sealname: **the registry needs residence or citizenship** (.eu, .fr, .ca), which no registrar can give you, so we do not sell them. Where the registry only needs a name and address (.de, .uk, .ch, .nl), we register the domain in our name only, so you still give one email. The [domain privacy index](https://sealname.com/tld-rules/) gives every extension its answer, with the reason and the source. Sealname sells only the 130 extensions where your details can stay out of public WHOIS/RDAP.

## What can you manage after registration?

Everything is in the client area, under My domains. You can edit DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT and CAA), change nameservers, switch the transfer lock and auto-renew on or off, and use the privacy switch. The transfer code (auth code) is free, from your account, at any time, with no exit fee.

Renewals cost the same as the first year: a .com is $12.99/year to register and $12.99/year to renew. All prices are on the [pricing page](https://sealname.com/pricing/).

## When can your details be disclosed?

Only on a **Panamanian court order**, under our [disclosure policy](https://sealname.com/disclosure-policy/). A foreign lawyer, a private company or a foreign government gets nothing without Panamanian legal process. The other cases are duties ICANN imposes on every registrar: urgent requests under ICANN rules (an imminent threat to life, serious bodily injury, critical infrastructure, or child exploitation), trademark disputes under the UDRP or URS, data escrow and compliance checks. Your data is never sold and never used for marketing.

A complaint alone never takes your domain down: copyright, defamation, political or competitor complaints need a decision from a Panamanian court. Phishing, malware, botnets, child sexual abuse material and fraud that takes money from victims lead to suspension, as the [abuse policy](https://sealname.com/abuse/) explains.

Every request is counted in the quarterly [transparency report](https://sealname.com/transparency/). The first report is due in January 2027 and covers launch to 31 December 2026.

## Search a private domain

Search a domain name: https://sealname.com/app/domains/?q=yourname.com

Popular extensions: .com ($12.99), .net ($13.99), .org ($12.99), .io ($54.99), .me ($22.99), .xyz ($13.99)

## How it works: FAQ

### Do I need to create an account with my name?

No. There is no sign-up form. A random 16-digit account number is your login, and an email is optional to open the account. Each domain needs one verified email, because ICANN requires registrars to verify the registrant's email or phone. That email is never published in WHOIS/RDAP.

### How long do I have to verify the email?

15 days. ICANN's Whois Accuracy Program Specification (RAA 2013) requires registrars to verify the registrant's email or phone within 15 days of a registration, a transfer or a change for gTLDs. If the email is not confirmed in time, the domain is suspended. Sealname verifies the email, so it never needs your phone number.

### Who is the owner of a domain registered through Sealname?

You are. You are the registrant of record, the legal holder of the domain. By default Sealname registers domains in your name; the proxy model is a separate paid option, [Registered in our name](https://sealname.com/registered-in-our-name/). Privacy only replaces the contact shown in public WHOIS/RDAP. The transfer code is free, from your account, at any time, and there is no exit fee. See [who owns my domain](https://sealname.com/who-owns-my-domain/).

### What happens to emails sent to the contact in the RDAP record?

They are forwarded to your verified email; we never forward spam or bulk mail. People who need to reach the domain holder can write to the privacy contact shown in the record. Your own address stays private. Abuse reports go to abuse@sealname.com instead, with no account needed.

### Is WHOIS privacy free on every extension?

It is free on every extension we sell: our privacy service replaces your details. Extensions whose registry needs a name and address, such as .de, .uk or .ch, are sold registered in our name only, so the registry sees our company, never you. Extensions where privacy is impossible, such as .us, are not sold at all.

### Which cryptocurrencies can I pay with?

Bitcoin (BTC), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC). You top up a prepaid balance (minimum $25) and pay registrations, renewals and transfers from it. Card, PayPal and bank transfer are not accepted, and Monero is not accepted either. Details for each coin are on [buy a domain with crypto](https://sealname.com/buy-domain-with-crypto/).

### Why is the availability of some domains confirmed only at order?

Because some registries do not give a reliable live answer. Sealname checks availability live through RDAP, but registries such as .io, .co, .me and .eu answer "confirmed at order". For these extensions, the domain is confirmed as available only when the order is placed.

### Can a court get my details?

Yes, but only on a Panamanian court order, or on an urgent request under ICANN rules (threat to life, serious bodily injury, critical infrastructure, child exploitation). Private registration hides you from the public, not from the law. Foreign authorities go through Panamanian legal process. You are notified before any disclosure, unless the Panamanian court order forbids it. Every request is counted in the quarterly [transparency report](https://sealname.com/transparency/).

## Sources

1. [2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement and specifications (Whois Accuracy, Data Retention, Privacy/Proxy)](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/approved-with-specs-2013-09-17-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-08)
2. [ICANN update: launching RDAP, sunsetting WHOIS](https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-update-launching-rdap-sunsetting-whois-27-01-2025-en) — ICANN (2025-01-27)
3. [ICANN Registration Data Policy now in effect for contracted parties](https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-registration-data-policy-now-in-effect-for-contracted-parties-21-08-2025-en) — ICANN (2025-08-21)
4. [ICANN's Registration Data Policy: key measures and impacts](https://www.dreyfus.fr/en/2025/10/28/icanns-registration-data-policy-key-measures-and-impacts/) — Dreyfus (2025-10-28)
5. [usTLD privacy services policy](https://about.us/policies/us-privacy-services-policy) — about.us (checked 2026-10-08)
6. [ICANN Lookup (RDAP)](https://lookup.icann.org/en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-08)

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Sealname: Sealname registers private domain names paid in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC): privacy-first, we collect one email, nothing else — no ID, no KYC, no logs. WHOIS privacy included; a .com costs $12.99/year.