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ICANN Enacts Relief for Registrants in Ukraine and Surrounding Region

7 March 2022
By

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We are hearing from community members that registrants affected by the troubling and tragic events in Ukraine and the surrounding region may be unable to renew their domain names in a timely manner. As a result, registrants risk losing their domain names due to circumstances beyond their control.

To help these registrants, the events in Ukraine and the surrounding region are now considered an extenuating circumstance under Section 3.7.5.1 of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). ICANN previously invoked this in response to disruptions caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

This means that registrars now have the flexibility to extend the domain name registration renewal period for domain name holders in affected areas. We encourage registrars and registries to support this action and take these circumstances into consideration when reviewing impacted registrants' renewal delinquencies in affected regions.

Events such as these continue to highlight the need for a broader policy to protect registrants when they are unable to renew their domains as a result of extraordinary circumstances. We strongly encourage the ICANN community to consider this topic during policy development discussions.

For more about how ICANN is responding to the situation, please read this announcement from 6 March 2022. ICANN will continue to monitor the situation and evaluate additional methods of supporting those affected.

If you have questions, I encourage you to reach out through standard channels, including via the Naming Services portal for contracted parties, or by email to globalsupport@icann.org.

Authors

Russ Weinstein

Russ Weinstein

VP GDD Accounts and Services