.dk DNS Hosting: Delegate Your Domain to DNScale

DNScale supports DNS hosting for .dk domains. Its four standard nameservers are registered with Punktum dk, the Danish domain registry formerly known as DK Hostmaster. You do not need to register these hostnames yourself.

Moving a Danish domain to DNScale means changing its nameserver delegation. Your website and email can stay with their existing providers, provided you carry their DNS records across correctly. Domain registration and renewal remain with your registrar or existing registration arrangement.

What is different about .dk delegation?

Punktum dk requires at least two authoritative nameservers, registered with it by the person or organization that controls them. For a nameserver change, the domain must not be suspended and the new servers must already be authoritative for it. These are separate conditions in Punktum dk's terms, section 6.

• Nameserver registration: Punktum dk must recognize the nameserver hostnames. DNScale handles this for its standard servers.
• Authoritative DNS service: Your zone must be configured on every nameserver you intend to use before changing delegation.
• Correct records and DNSSEC: Website, mail, and verification records must be present; existing DS records must fit the migration plan.
• Access to change delegation: The change goes through your registrar or Punktum dk self-service, depending on your domain's management model.

The registration step is an operational and administrative policy, not a technical requirement of the DNS protocol. It establishes a responsible operator and technical contact. Punktum dk's nameserver-manager terms also cover availability for technical questions and correction of configuration errors.

DNS readiness still matters: registering a nameserver does not create your zone on it or make an otherwise invalid delegation work.

Nameserver registration and glue are different

Punktum dk's registration identifies the nameserver in its database. Glue records supply addresses needed to resolve certain nameserver hostnames, especially when a domain uses nameservers beneath itself.

For a .dk domain using DNScale's standard .eu or .com nameservers, you supply the assigned hostnames; you do not create .dk glue for them. A registry lookup saying “Glue: Not being spooled” for these external hostnames is not a missing-registration error. Punktum dk explains this distinction in its WHOIS specification.

Which DNScale nameservers should I use?

Use the complete set assigned to your zone in DNScale. All four hostnames below were confirmed registered with Punktum dk's WHOIS service on 23 October 2026.

For EU_GLOBAL, use all four nameservers above.

A .dk domain can use either network. If you want EU-only authoritative DNS hosting, choose the EU region when setting up the zone. The domain's country-code suffix does not select a region automatically. See DNScale's infrastructure and EU operations for the distinction between authoritative serving locations and internet routing paths.

Do not substitute the other region's nameservers to get past an error. Registration of a hostname and deployment of your particular zone to that server are separate checks.

Move your .dk DNS to DNScale

1. Import and review the zone

Create your zone in DNScale with the intended region. Import the records from your existing DNS provider and compare them with its complete record list. DNS discovery alone may miss records, including DKIM selectors and service-specific subdomains.

Check website A/AAAA and CNAME records, mail MX records, SPF/DKIM/DMARC, CAA, and any service-verification TXT or SRV records. Keep the old DNS service running during the migration. If lowering record TTLs, do so in advance and allow the previous TTLs to expire; this does not lower cached parent-zone delegation TTLs.

2. Verify every assigned nameserver

Query DNScale directly before changing delegation. In these examples, replace yourdomain.dk with your domain. The commands show the EU set; use the .com pair for GLOBAL, or test all four for EU_GLOBAL.

dig @ns1.dnscale.eu yourdomain.dk SOA +norecurse
dig @ns2.dnscale.eu yourdomain.dk SOA +norecurse
dig @ns1.dnscale.eu yourdomain.dk NS +norecurse
dig @ns2.dnscale.eu yourdomain.dk NS +norecurse

Both servers should return a SOA answer with status: NOERROR and the aa flag, meaning authoritative answer. Compare SOA serials and check that the NS answers match the complete assigned set. Also query the important records from step 1 on each server.

If an assigned server returns REFUSED, times out, or lacks an authoritative answer, resolve that with DNScale support before proceeding.

3. Review DNSSEC before the change

Check whether the existing delegation has DS records:

dig yourdomain.dk DS +dnssec

If the domain is already signed, coordinate the change of signing keys and parent DS records with your registrar and DNScale. Leaving an old provider's DS record pointing to keys that DNScale does not serve can cause validating resolvers to return SERVFAIL.

Do not import the old provider's generated DNSKEY, RRSIG, or NSEC records as ordinary zone data. Follow the DNScale DNSSEC guide and arrange a migration review through support if you need continuous validation. After delegation changes, verify the actual DS records at the parent before considering DNSSEC complete.

4. Request the delegation change

For a registrar-managed domain: use your registrar's nameserver controls or ask its support team to apply the DNScale set. Punktum dk's registrar procedures allow the managing registrar to change the domain's nameservers. Changing DNS hosting does not itself require transferring the registration, provided your registrar supports external nameservers.

For a registrant-managed domain with self-service access: sign in to Punktum dk, select the domain, and choose Change Name Servers. Its documented flow asks for one of the new nameservers, then shows the proposed configuration for confirmation. Verify that the result contains the complete set assigned by DNScale.

Follow Punktum dk's current self-service instructions or its registrar instructions, as applicable. Updating NS records inside the DNS zone alone does not change the parent .dk delegation.

5. Verify the delegation and your services

# Follow the delegation chain, including the .dk parent
dig +trace yourdomain.dk NS
 
# Compare answers through public recursive resolvers
dig @1.1.1.1 yourdomain.dk SOA
dig @8.8.8.8 yourdomain.dk MX

Confirm the parent delegates to the intended nameservers. Check website access, incoming mail, and DNSSEC validation where enabled. Cached old delegation can persist after the registry accepts a change, so keep both providers serving consistent records until the relevant TTLs have expired. A successful change in a portal is not proof that every resolver has refreshed its cache.

Troubleshoot .dk delegation errors

“Nameserver not present in our database”

This error means Punktum dk does not recognize the submitted nameserver hostname. Check the spelling against the complete set assigned to your zone. DNScale's standard nameservers are registered, so contact DNScale support with the exact hostname and error if one is rejected; you should not need to register it yourself.

Successful registration is separate from zone readiness. Once the hostname is accepted, the nameserver must still answer authoritatively for your domain.

Nameserver validation fails or returns REFUSED

Check the zone's selected region and query SOA and NS records directly on every assigned server. Each must serve your zone authoritatively. Resolve the configuration before changing delegation.

No self-service option to change nameservers

Check whether the domain is registrar managed. If it is, ask the managing registrar to make the change.

Public resolvers return SERVFAIL

Check the parent delegation, server reachability, and DNSSEC/DS consistency. Use the DNSSEC checker and request a migration review. Do not assume it is caching.

Some resolvers show the old provider

Check the current parent delegation and cached TTLs. If the parent is updated, allow caches to expire while keeping the old zone available.

For support, include your domain, the assigned nameservers, the exact error, when it occurred, and direct SOA/NS query output if available. Use the support form for the domain-specific details.

Custom nameservers for .dk

If you use vanity hostnames such as ns1.yourdomain.dk, DNScale's standard nameserver registrations do not cover them. Coordinate registration of those hostnames with the nameserver operator and DNScale support before requesting delegation. In-domain nameservers may also require glue; see the vanity nameserver guide.

Sources and review date

Registry requirements and standard nameserver registration status were reviewed on 23 October 2026. Consult Punktum dk for changes to its processes:

• Domain terms, section 6: nameserver requirements
• Nameserver registration and operator responsibilities
• Changing nameservers through self-service
• Instructions for registrar-managed domains