On 1 October 2026, the new Network and Information System Security Act (NISG 2026) will take effect in Austria. The implementation of the European NIS2 Directive is intended to enhance cybersecurity and strengthen the resilience of critical and important infrastructure in Austria.

One change is particularly relevant for the domain industry: registries such as nic.at, as well as registrars and internet service providers, will be required to ensure the completeness and accuracy of domain holder data.

What exactly will change for .at domain holders?

The full details of a .at domain holder already include their full name (including their legal form, in the case of legal entities), their postal address, and their email address. Under the NISG 2026, a telephone number must now also be provided. For new registrations, this must therefore be provided from 1 October onwards. If a telephone number is missing for an existing domain, it must be added.

Furthermore, domain holders will be required to cooperate in verifying their data when requested to do so. Please note that not all .at domains will automatically be required to submit supporting documents from 1 October. Such a request will only be made if anomalies are detected during verification of the stored data.

New as of October 1, 2026: Obligation for domain holders to cooperate

From 1 October 2026, domain holders will be obliged to cooperate when requested to do so. If a verification request is made, they must comply without fail. The types of supporting evidence that will be accepted will be communicated to the holders when the request is made. For domains managed via a registrar or internet service provider, the registrar or provider is the correct point of contact initially.

For domains managed directly by nic.at, nic.at will contact the holder directly. Failure to provide evidence, or providing it too late, may result in nic.at terminating the domain contract (i.e. deleting the domain) in order to fulfil its legal obligations.

Our tip: If you are a domain holder, please make sure that the domain holder data you have on file with your registrar or internet service provider are up to date. If you registered your domain with us directly, you can find your domain holder data in the login area.

Whois database: Publication of legal entities’ holder details

From 1 October 2026, another visible change to the nic.at Whois database will be that domain holder data for legal entities must be published. Therefore, it is advisable to provide general contact details, such as a central email address and telephone number, rather than the personal contact details of individual employees. In accordance with the GDPR, nic.at will continue not to publish the details of domain holders who are natural persons.

New requirements for registrars

However, the new legal obligations apply not only to domain holders and nic.at as the registry, but also to registrars. From now on, registrars and internet service providers must also ensure that domain holder data is complete and accurate. These requirements are set out in the updated contracts between registrars and nic.at.

Ultimately, the legislative changes also necessitated an amendment to nic.at’s General Terms and Conditions and registration guidelines. The new General Terms and Conditions and guidelines will come into force on 1 October 2026, alongside the NISG 2026.

Preparing for NISG 2026 together

In addition to the legal framework, NISG 2026 requires changes to technical processes. To prepare for 1 October, nic.at has set up its own NIS2 test system. In this additional test registry, registrars can test the upcoming policy changes and new NIS2-related processes in advance.

At the same time, nic.at is keeping registrars continuously informed about the upcoming changes. NIS2 has also been a key topic at events for years. Most recently, there was an in-depth discussion about the upcoming changes and necessary preparations at Registrar Day in April 2026 and the Round Table.

Full details of NIS2 and NISG 2026, including deadlines and acceptable forms of evidence, can be found in our comprehensive FAQs at nic.at/en/nis2.