Azure Artifact Signing organization identity validation failed after requested document upload

Question

Our Azure Artifact Signing Public organization identity validation changed to Failed immediately after we uploaded the additional domain-registration evidence Microsoft requested.

Environment:

• Artifact Signing Basic account
• Region: East US
• Identity type: Public organization
• No certificate profile has been created
• No artifacts have been signed or deployed

Timeline:

1. The authorized representative completed the Microsoft Verified ID / face-check step successfully.
2. The validation later moved to Action Required and requested an original paid domain-registration receipt.
3. We uploaded a paid GoDaddy receipt for the organization's production domain under "Domain purchase invoices or registry confirmation records" on July 23, 2026.
4. The validation then changed to Failed, but Azure does not display a rejection reason.

The receipt shows the domain, registrar, account holder/brand, renewal term, and paid amount. Public RDAP also confirms the domain's registrar, original registration date, and expiration date. The Azure legal entity and address differ from the historical GoDaddy account-holder/brand and billing address, which may be relevant.

Please advise:

1. What was the exact rejection reason?
2. Can Microsoft reopen/reset the failed validation, or should we create a corrected new validation request?
3. What exact documents are required to demonstrate the relationship between the legal entity, brand, and domain?
4. Must the Azure legal entity name/address match the domain registrant or invoice details exactly?
5. Have onboarding attempts been exhausted, and what is the supported next step?

We can provide the validation ID, resource details, receipt, and screenshots privately to a Microsoft support engineer. We are intentionally not posting those identifiers or documents publicly.

Answer 1

Hello Akiva,

Based on the behavior you described, the validation likely failed during Microsoft's manual organization verification rather than the Microsoft Verified ID (face check) stage. Unfortunately, the Azure portal doesn't expose the specific rejection reason for Artifact Signing identity validation. One common cause is a mismatch between the legal entity information submitted to Microsoft and the supporting evidence (registrant name, billing entity, organization name, or address). If the domain is registered under a historical brand, individual, or different legal entity, Microsoft may require additional documentation establishing the relationship (e.g., DBA/fictitious business name, merger/acquisition documents, trademark registration, or official corporate records linking the organization to the domain).

Since the validation has already moved to Failed, I recommend opening a Microsoft Support request rather than creating a new validation immediately. Support can review the backend validation logs, identify the exact rejection reason, and advise whether the validation can be reopened or if a new verification request is required.

When contacting support, include:

• Validation ID
• Artifact Signing account/resource ID
• Correlation ID (if available)
• Timeline of the submission
• Domain registration receipt
• RDAP/WHOIS information
• Documentation proving the relationship between the legal entity and the domain (if they differ)

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