---
title: Can I use wildcard domains without switching to Vercel Nameservers?
description: Information on how to use wildcard domains without Vercel Nameservers
url: /kb/guide/wildcard-domain-without-vercel-nameservers
canonical_url: "https://vercel.com/kb/guide/wildcard-domain-without-vercel-nameservers"
published: 2025-11-03
last_updated: 2025-11-10
authors: Shohei Maeda
related: []
install_vercel_plugin: npx plugins add vercel/vercel-plugin
---
<!-- docsgraph:related -->
## Related pages

> **For AI agents:** Follow these links to understand how this page connects to the rest of the Vercel ecosystem. For the full cross-link map (inbound, outbound, prerequisites, and semantic neighbors), see the .graph.md link below.

- [Troubleshooting Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/troubleshooting?from=related) — Learn about common reasons for domain misconfigurations and how to troubleshoot your domain on Vercel.
- [Configuring Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/platforms/multi-tenant-platforms/configuring-domains?from=related) — Add, verify, redirect, and remove wildcard and custom domains for a multi-tenant application using the Vercel SDK.
- [Working with Nameservers](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-nameservers?from=related) — Learn about nameservers and the benefits Vercel nameservers provide.
- [Adding a Domain](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-domains/add-a-domain?from=related) — Learn how to add a custom domain to your Vercel project, verify it, and correctly set the DNS or Nameserver values.
- [Working with Domains](https://vercel.com/docs/domains/working-with-domains?from=related) — Learn how domains work and the options Vercel provides for managing them.
- [Can I use Preview Deployment Suffix without switching to Vercel Nameservers?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/preview-deployment-suffix-without-vercel-nameservers?from=related) — Information on how to use Preview Deployment Suffix without Vercel Nameservers
- [Can I use my domain on Vercel with A records?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/a-record-and-caa-with-vercel?from=related) — Point your apex domain to Vercel with an A record \(76.76.21.21 or your domain card's value\), pair it with a www CNAME,
- [Should I use Cloudflare in front of Vercel?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/cloudflare-with-vercel?from=related) — Information on using Cloudflare together with Vercel.
- [Why is my domain not automatically generating an SSL/TLS certificate?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/domain-not-generating-ssl-certificate?from=related) — Information on why a domain may not be automatically generating an SSL/TLS certificate.
- [How do I add a custom domain to my Vercel project?](https://vercel.com/kb/guide/how-do-i-add-a-custom-domain-to-my-vercel-project?from=related) — Learn how to add a custom domain to your Vercel project.

Full cross-link map for this page: [/kb/guide/wildcard-domain-without-vercel-nameservers.graph.md](/kb/guide/wildcard-domain-without-vercel-nameservers.graph.md)
<!-- /docsgraph:related -->


By default, we require wildcard domains to use Vercel nameservers to issue TLS certificates (and renew them automatically). This method allows you to delegate subdomains to Vercel and use the wildcard on that subdomain,

**Please note**: If you're trying to use the apex domain (eg \*.example.com), you should not use this method. See: [Why must we use the Domain Nameservers method for Wildcard Domains on Vercel?](https://vercel.com/guides/why-use-domain-nameservers-method-wildcard-domains) for more details.

## Workaround

### Step 1 - Enable Vercel DNS

Go to the `Domains` page and select the Apex domain. Then, click the `Enable Vercel DNS` button to activate the Vercel DNS.

### Step 2 - Create NS records

If you can't change your apex domain's nameservers (e.g., your DNS provider doesn't allow it), you can create `NS` records on `_acme-challenge` subdomain instead as a secondary option.

For example, if you add `*.acme.com` to your project domains, you can create NS records listed below:

| Record Type | Name              | Value                 |
| ----------- | ----------------- | --------------------- |
| `NS`        | `_acme-challenge` | `ns1.vercel-dns.com.` |
| `NS`        | `_acme-challenge` | `ns2.vercel-dns.com.` |

Similarly, if you add `*.foo.acme.com`, you can add `NS` records for `_acme-challenge.foo` subdomain.

This can be used to delegate the `_acme-challenge` subdomain to Vercel nameservers, and other subdomains continue to use the current DNS provider's name servers as before.

Important: Creating this this record may prevent other hosting providers from issuing certificates for their service and should only be used if you cannot change your name servers.

### Step 3 - Set the wildcard CNAME

Once the \_acme-challenge record has been delegated, you need to point the wildcard traffic to Vercel.

To do this, you need to create a CNAME record for the wildcard (eg \*.app.example.com) with the value `cname.vercel-dns-0.com`.

.