ICANN Opens Application Window for New Generic Top-Level Domains
The New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round offers organizations the opportunity to fortify security, enhance brand identity, build community, and gain a competitive edge in an evolving digital landscape.
News Summary:
- ICANN is now accepting applications for its New gTLD Program: 2026 Round through 12 August, providing businesses, communities, governments, and other organizations the opportunity to operate their own global presence online as part of their digital strategy.
- Operating a gTLD creates an opportunity to have control and flexibility over your own digital presence, increased security against cyber threats, and a competitive edge. In a recent study, 92 percent of marketers recognized the opportunities for differentiation, enhanced trust, and improved search engine optimization.
- The 2026 Round creates an opportunity to expand the number of languages available for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) by accepting top-level domain (TLD) applications in 27 different scripts, representing hundreds of languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, and Thai.
LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that coordinates the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), today announced that its New gTLD Program: 2026 Round application window is now open. Generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, are the part of a web address after the last dot. For the first time in over a decade businesses, communities, governments, and other organizations have the opportunity to operate unique digital assets, such as .brand, .city, or .industry, for the use of their business, customers, or constituents.
A Strategic Tool for the Digital Era
A gTLD is a global digital identifier that can anchor businesses in the digital arena, providing control over the left and right of the dot. The previous application round in 2012 resulted in the introduction of more than 1,200 new gTLDs, including those for brands like .microsoft and .sky, geographic locations such as .africa and .berlin, and general terms like .bank and .eco. New gTLDs have demonstrated their benefits in building brand trust, creating vibrant local digital ecosystems, and providing more intuitive navigation for users.
Key Benefits of Operating a gTLD
A gTLD is a unique digital home that provides:
- Control and Flexibility: Define your own digital ecosystem by determining who can register under your domain name.
- Security: Strengthen online transactions and build robust defenses against cyber threats, protecting both your brand and your customers.
- Competitive Edge: Marketers overwhelmingly agree, with 92 percent recognizing gTLD benefits like differentiation, enhanced trust, and improved SEO.
"gTLDs are unique digital tools that can be used in meaningful and innovative ways to help achieve long-term goals," said Kurtis Lindqvist, President and CEO, ICANN. "Whether building a brand for a company, spotlighting a geographic region or city, strengthening a community, or launching a business to offer domain names under a new registry, a new gTLD can be an innovative tool for commerce, security, and communication."
The 2026 Round will expand the number of languages available for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) by accepting gTLD applications in 27 different scripts, representing hundreds of languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari, and Thai. This expansion will make the Internet more accessible and user-friendly for billions of people who use non-Latin-based scripts.
How To Apply
The application submission window will close on 12 August 2026. Applicants must submit their applications through the online TLD Application Management System (TAMS) here.
Applicant Resources
The Applicant Guidebook is the authoritative roadmap for any entity interested in applying for a gTLD. It includes the application questions, requirements, and processes to lead applicants through the submission and evaluation processes.
Applicants are strongly advised to carefully review the TAMS resources prior to submitting an application. These resources include a system User Guide, demonstration videos, and other helpful tools, all available here. Additional resources, including Frequently Asked Questions, topic overviews, webinar recordings, and more are available on the 2026 Round Resources webpage.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.
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