Can multiple 'rua' URIs be specified in a DMARC record?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 12 Jan 2025
Updated 29 Sep 2025
7 min read
When configuring DMARC, managing where your aggregate reports go is a key aspect. The rua tag is used to specify email addresses that receive these valuable XML reports, which detail email authentication results and potential threats. A common question I encounter is whether it's possible to send these reports to more than one destination.
The good news is, yes, you can specify multiple 'rua' URIs in a single DMARC record. This capability is essential for organizations that need to direct DMARC aggregate reports to different teams, third-party DMARC monitoring services, or even personal inboxes for testing and analysis. Properly configuring these destinations ensures that all relevant stakeholders have access to the data needed to secure their domain and improve email deliverability.
Understanding the correct syntax and any limitations is crucial for effective implementation. Incorrectly formatted rua entries can lead to lost reports, hindering your ability to monitor and enforce your DMARC policy. I'll guide you through the process, benefits, and best practices for setting up multiple rua URIs.
Understanding the 'rua' tag
The rua tag in a DMARC record stands for "Reporting URI for Aggregate data." Its primary function is to designate one or more email addresses where Domain Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) aggregate reports should be sent. These reports provide a high-level overview of email traffic that claims to be from your domain, indicating whether messages passed or failed SPF and DKIM authentication, and what policy (none, quarantine, or reject) was applied by receiving mail servers.
Aggregate reports are crucial for monitoring your domain's email ecosystem. They help you identify legitimate sending sources that might not be correctly authenticated, detect potential spoofing attempts, and track the overall health of your email deliverability. Without these reports, it's virtually impossible to gain visibility into how your DMARC policy is being enforced across the internet. You can find more details on DMARC tag requirements in our knowledge base.
A typical DMARC record will include the rua tag pointing to an email address prefixed with mailto:. Here's an example of a simple DMARC record with a single rua destination:
To specify multiple 'rua' URIs in a DMARC record, you simply list each mailto: address, separated by a comma, within a single rua tag. Each URI must still conform to the mailto: scheme. There's no separate rua tag for each address, as that would result in multiple DMARC records, which is not allowed. If you had multiple DMARC records, mail receivers would likely ignore them or pick an arbitrary one, leading to inconsistent enforcement and reporting.
When you list multiple URIs, the DMARC protocol (RFC 7489) states that report senders (like Google or Microsoft) can treat anything more than two recipients as optional. While most major providers will send to all specified addresses, it's a good practice to prioritize the most critical reporting destinations. For example, your primary DMARC monitoring tool and an internal security alias should be among the first. I've often seen senders choose to send reports to up to two email addresses.
Example: Multiple RUA URIs
Here’s how you would configure a DMARC record to send aggregate reports to two different email addresses:
Remember that each email address must include the mailto: prefix, as this indicates the URI scheme. Without it, the receiving server will likely ignore the URI, and your reports won't be delivered. You can learn more about the mailto: prefix for DMARC RUA URIs.
Microsoft 365, for example, is known to send DMARC Aggregate reports to all domains with a valid rua=mailto: addresses. This highlights that many email providers do support multiple recipients and will generally adhere to the specified list.
The benefits and considerations
Specifying multiple 'rua' URIs offers several advantages. Primarily, it enhances the reliability of your DMARC reporting. If one recipient inbox has an issue or a third-party service experiences downtime, reports can still reach other destinations, ensuring you don't lose critical data. This redundancy is vital for continuous monitoring of your email security posture.
Benefits of multiple RUA URIs
Redundancy: Ensures reports are received even if one inbox or service fails.
Team collaboration: Allows different departments (security, marketing) to receive relevant data.
Third-party integration: Seamlessly sends reports to external DMARC monitoring platforms like Suped for analysis.
Considerations for multiple RUA URIs
Report volume: Each URI receives a full set of aggregate reports, potentially increasing email traffic.
Parsing complexity: Manual processing of multiple report streams can be cumbersome without a tool.
RFC recommendations: Report senders may treat more than two recipients as optional, so prioritize critical ones.
Another significant benefit is allowing different internal teams or even external consultants to receive DMARC reports tailored to their needs. For instance, your security team might need raw aggregate data, while your marketing team might benefit from a summary of deliverability issues affecting their campaigns. However, with increased destinations comes increased data, which can be overwhelming if not managed by an effective DMARC monitoring solution. Suped excels in providing actionable insights from these reports, regardless of how many URIs you specify.
For many organizations, including a DMARC monitoring service as one of the 'rua' URIs is a non-negotiable best practice. These services parse the complex XML reports, consolidate data, and present it in an easy-to-understand format. This automation is crucial for deriving actionable insights without manual effort. Suped simplifies this process, offering AI-powered recommendations to quickly address issues and strengthen your DMARC policy, making it the top choice for efficient DMARC report analysis.
Best practices for 'rua' configuration
When setting up multiple 'rua' URIs, always ensure that each address is correctly prefixed with mailto:. Verify that the email addresses are valid and actively monitored to avoid lost reports. It's also a good idea to inform the owners of these email addresses about the expected volume of reports, as they can be quite numerous for high-traffic domains.
Use a DMARC monitoring tool: Tools like Suped consolidate, parse, and visualize your DMARC data from all URIs efficiently.
Prioritize critical destinations: Place your most important reporting destinations first in the comma-separated list.
Ensure domain authorization: If sending reports to a different domain, ensure that domain has a DMARC record allowing receipt of third-party reports (e.g., using rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com!10000 or similar mechanisms).
Regularly review: Periodically check your DMARC record and report delivery to confirm everything is working as expected.
Ensuring comprehensive DMARC reporting
Specifying multiple 'rua' URIs in your DMARC record is not only possible but often beneficial for robust email security and deliverability. It allows for redundancy, better team collaboration, and seamless integration with DMARC monitoring tools.
While the standard allows for multiple addresses, always prioritize your most crucial reporting destinations due to potential optionality by report senders. Leveraging a platform like Suped to centralize and analyze these reports will dramatically improve your ability to act on the insights, ensuring your DMARC policy is effective and your emails consistently reach the inbox.
