How to Complete Registrant Phone Verification for .MT Domains (NIC Malta NIS2 Requirement)

.MT is the country code TLD for Malta and is regulated by NIC(Malta). As part of NIC(Malta)'s NIS 2 requirements, every contact Handle must have a verified phone number. Verification is completed directly on the NIC(Malta) registry portal and cannot be completed on the Holder's behalf using a different party's phone number.

Phone verification must be completed before a domain registration can proceed.

Background

NIC(Malta) now requires every contact Handle to have a verified phone number. Verification happens directly on the registry's own portal — Ascio cannot complete this step on the Registrant's behalf using Ascio's own phone number; the Registrant must complete it themselves.

Phone verification must be completed before the domain registration can proceed for new registrations. For existing domains, phone verification is also required:

• If Ascio manages the Registrant email address (mail-c.at), Ascio will contact the Partner with the login details so the Partner can pass them to the Registrant to complete verification.
• If Ascio does not manage the Registrant email address, the Partner should advise the Registrant to complete verification themselves, following the steps below.

Verification requirements

Each contact Handle requires one verified phone number, either a mobile number or a landline. Mobile numbers are verified by SMS; landlines are verified by an automated call. Any active, valid number can be used - it is not required to match a number submitted elsewhere on the Handle application.

If a different number was submitted with the original Handle application than the one ultimately verified, only the verified number will ever be shown in whois, and only if whois visibility was selected during verification.

Credential handoff process

For each Handle requiring verification where Ascio manages the Registrant email address (mail-c.at), Ascio provides the Partner with the Handle, Login, and Password. The Partner passes these credentials to the Registrant. The Registrant must not change the password or the email address on the Handle, since Ascio requires this address to continue managing the Handle and any associated domains.

For registrant email addresses not managed by Ascio:

• Ascio doesn't have access to this mailbox, so it can't supply the Login or Password. The Partner or Registrant must retrieve them directly on the https://www.nic.org.mt/dotmt/ using "forgot Login?" and "forgot Password?" (if the Handle itself isn't known either, use "request to have Handle's details sent to the registered e-mail address" instead).
• The Registrant completes phone verification themselves using these credentials.
• We recommend the Partner then pass the login credentials to Ascio, so Ascio can fully manage the Handle and domain going forward.

Verification procedure

1. Go to https://www.nic.org.mt/dotmt/ and log in with the Handle, Login, and Password provided or gained as described above.
2. Review the registrant details shown after login, then proceed to the contact number prompt.
3. Enter a contact number, including the country code (for example, +356.23408000).
4. Retrieve the verification code sent by SMS (mobile) or automated call (landline), and enter it on the site to confirm the number.
5. Select "I verify that the above details are correct and warrant to submit updated details to maintain correct."
6. Select "I want the Contact Number to show in the whois" only if whois visibility for the number is required.
7. Select Proceed. Proceeding constitutes acceptance of NIC(Malta)'s privacy policy for processing the Registrant's data.

Next steps

Once verification is complete, the Partner notifies Ascio so the domain registration can continue. Orders are held pending phone verification and cannot be processed before this step is complete.

Additional resources

• NIC(Malta) portal: https://www.nic.org.mt/dotmt/
• NIC(Malta) about Handles, whois, and personal data: https://www.nic.org.mt/go/about-handles
• .MT Domain Name Registration Policy: https://www.nic.org.mt/dotmt/policy/