Briefly, we can say that 'WHOIS' is a TCP/IP protocol (it uses port 43) used to obtain information about contacts and DNS records associated with a given entity. For this purpose, an 'entity' means a domain name, an IP address or an ASN (Autonomous System Number).


For each of these types of entity, the following contacts are associated:


  • Owner / Organisation
  • Administrative contact
  • Technic contact
  • Billing contact


In the process of registering a domain with WebHS, the customer provides the information to be associated with these contacts, to WebHS as a registrar, which is subsequently communicated to the registry entity for each domain extension (eg for .PT domains, the registry entity is the 'DNS PT'). In order to maintain a database with valid information, since 2013 and on an annual basis, registrants are invited to review and keep updated the WHOIS information of their respective domains.


The whois information is public, however with the release of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the information regarding the previously indicated contacts became confidential for the vast majority of domain extensions. Applicable to exceptions and in cases where you want to hide the information, the whois privacy service is also available, usually with an associated additional cost.

And what information is in the WHOIS records?


In the WHOIS records associated with a domain, the following data may be obtained:


  • Domain registration date
  • Update date
  • Expire date
  • Domain status
  • Nameservers
  • Name
  • Address
  • Telephone
  • Email


How is the WHOIS information validated/confirmed?


The control and reliability of the information available in the WHOIS meets the standards of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), being necessary and mandatory the validation of the data entered. This validation is carried out via email, to the holder (registrant) of the domain whenever it fits into one of the following actions (exceptions applied through the TLD):


- Registration of a new domain whose data has not yet been validated


- Transferring a domain between entities


- Changing WHOIS contacts for domains already registered


The email sent to the holder contains a link for validating contacts, and this validation must be carried out within a maximum period of 15 days. After this period, if you have not completed the validation process, all domains associated with a given contact will be suspended until validation takes place.