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Amazon SES Easy DKIM verification stuck in Pending although all DNS records resolve correctly (ap-south-1)

1

Region: ap-south-1 (Mumbai)

Domain: gcwealthguru.com

I'm verifying my SES domain identity using Easy DKIM.

The identity has remained in "Pending" even though all DNS records appear to be correctly configured and publicly resolvable.

What I've verified:

• Domain is registered and delegated correctly. • Authoritative nameservers: ns1.dns-parking.com ns2.dns-parking.com

• SOA resolves correctly.

• The three Easy DKIM CNAME records exactly match those shown in the SES console.

• All three DKIM CNAMEs resolve correctly from:

  • Hostinger authoritative nameserver
  • Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8)

• MAIL FROM verification is already successful.

• DMARC TXT record exists.

• Region is ap-south-1 (Mumbai).

PowerShell verification:

Resolve-DnsName gcwealthguru.com -Type SOA -Server ns1.dns-parking.com

Resolve-DnsName <DKIM record> -Server ns1.dns-parking.com

Both return the expected answers.

Despite this, SES still reports:

"The DNS server could not find the specified domain name."

Has anyone seen SES remain stuck in Pending despite correct DNS?

Is there a way to force SES to re-check the identity or determine exactly which DNS lookup is failing?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

  • If my answer was helpful, I would appreciate it if you could mark it as the accepted answer.

2 Answers
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When Easy DKIM verification remains in a Pending state despite DNS records appearing correct, there are a few common causes and steps you can take:

Wait for DNS Propagation In rare cases, it can take up to 72 hours for DNS records to become fully visible to Amazon SES, even if they resolve correctly from your perspective. The service may be checking from different locations or caching layers that haven't yet updated.

Verify CNAME Record Names One of the most common issues is that some DNS providers automatically append the domain name to records you create. For example, if you create a CNAME record with a name like "example._domainkey.gcwealthguru.com", your DNS provider might append the domain again, resulting in "example._domainkey.gcwealthguru.com.gcwealthguru.com". Check your DNS provider's interface carefully to ensure the record names are exactly as specified by SES, without any unintended duplication. Review your DNS provider's documentation for how they handle record naming.

Check All Three CNAME Records Easy DKIM requires three unique CNAME records. Ensure all three are present and correctly configured, not just one or two.

DNS Provider Compatibility While less common, some DNS providers may have issues responding to the specific queries SES makes during verification. If the issue persists beyond 72 hours and you've confirmed the record names are correct, you might consider testing with a different DNS provider to rule out provider-specific issues.

No Manual Re-verification Trigger Unfortunately, there isn't a manual button to force SES to immediately re-check your DNS records. The service performs these checks automatically on its own schedule.

Since your MAIL FROM verification succeeded, this confirms SES can reach your DNS infrastructure. The issue is likely either timing-related or involves the specific formatting of the CNAME record names in your DNS provider's system.
Sources
Troubleshooting DKIM problems in Amazon SES - Amazon Simple Email Service
Troubleshooting DKIM problems in Amazon SES - Amazon Simple Email Service

answered 10 days ago

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To me the re:Post Agent’s response ignores the fact that you already confirmed the records resolve correctly via Resolve-DnsName and Google DNS, which completely rules out the common "appended domain name" syntax issue.

While the agent is technically correct that there is no "Re-verify" button while in a Pending state, you do not need to wait 72 hours. You can force SES to perform an immediate DNS check by simply deleting the domain identity and recreating it.

Because Easy DKIM tokens are mathematically tied to your domain and AWS account, SES will generate the exact same three CNAME records when you recreate the identity, so no DNS changes are needed on your end. The creation event simply forces AWS to bypass its current negative DNS cache and query the authoritative nameservers immediately.

If SES still reports "The DNS server could not find the specified domain name" after doing this, Hostinger's nameservers (dns-parking.com) may be temporarily rate-limiting or blocking queries originating from AWS's internal Route 53 resolvers.

See also:

EXPERT

answered 10 days ago

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