Registrar Accreditation: Becoming an ICANN-Accredited Registrar
The process of becoming an ICANN-accredited registrar includes several steps. The following summary of these steps is intended to guide you through this process.
- Review the Qualification Criteria described in the Statement of Registrar Accreditation Policy.
- Review the Financial Considerations that apply to become an ICANN-accredited registrar.
- Review the Governing Agreements and Policies that apply to every ICANN-accredited registrar.
- Apply for Registrar Accreditation. To apply, you must complete an ICANN Registrar Accreditation Application and send it to ICANN along with a non-refundable US $2,500 application fee. To assist us in processing your application as quickly as possible, please submit very specific, thorough answers and all necessary supporting documents. The main reasons for delays in the processing of an application include missing supporting documents and incomplete or vague answers to application questions. Questions you may have concerning your application should be addressed to accredit@icann.org.
- After completing its review of your application and conducting any necessary follow-up inquiries and research, ICANN will inform you by e-mail of its decision on your accreditation application.
If your accreditation application is approved, the following additional steps will apply:
- Sign a Registrar Accreditation Agreement with ICANN and pay the accreditation fee. The current version of the agreement is a standard document that all registrars sign with ICANN. Executing a Registrar Accreditation Agreement with ICANN is the last step in the ICANN registrar accreditation process. (ICANN will generate and send your Agreement, along with an invoice for the annual fixed portion of the accreditation fee).
- Once you return the signed RAA and pay your accreditation fee, ICANN will notify the applicable registries of your accreditation and add you to the list of registrars at http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html and http://www.internic.net/regist.html. You should work out the contract, financial, and technical details with the registry operators.
- Complete the preparation of your registration agreement for Registered Name Holders. The ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement requires that certain specific provisions be included in this registration agreement. In addition, ICANN adopted a Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, which all accredited registrars are required to follow. You may also wish to implement a Privacy Policy to comply with the requirements of your accreditation agreement.
- Inaugurate your service. After the above steps have been completed, you should be in a position to begin offering services to the public as soon as you pass the testing process and become operational with the respective registries for which you have been accredited.