Summary

  • The GAC's October guide gives its chair and leadership, with support-team help if requested, up to five business days to check an Early Warning's procedural completeness.
  • The guide says that review does not assess or endorse the warning's substance; a complete submission is then forwarded to ICANN org for applicant distribution and public posting.

The five-day clock in the Governmental Advisory Committee's new guidance measures a filing check, not a judgment on the concern. Published on 6 October, version 3.1 of the GAC Early Warnings guide sets out who handles intake and where that role ends as the 2026 new gTLD round approaches its community-input period.

A GAC member or observer may submit a warning alone or jointly. The submitter is responsible for the rationale and, where applicable, an explanation of how the applicant could address the concern, alongside contact and application details. The GAC chair and leadership verify minimum formal completeness; the support team may help if requested. The guide allows up to five business days from receipt for that review.

It also states what the check must not do: assess or endorse the warning's substance. That distinction matters because a completed form is not a finding that its concern is persuasive, and the chair's check is not a merits decision on the application. The submitting government retains responsibility for the claim it raises.

After the completeness review, the chair or support team forwards the warning to ICANN org for distribution to the relevant applicant and public posting. The guide says that warnings may be collated under ICANN procedures. The current Applicant Guidebook says ICANN will notify applicants as soon as practicable after receipt. It also treats an Early Warning as notice only, without direct effect on an application, although evaluators may consider it. If the guide and Applicant Guidebook differ, the latter controls; the current authoritative version is dated 7 October.

The guide identifies a submission window from 17 November 2026, String Confirmation Day, through 16 March 2027, a 104-day period. It is operational guidance, not a new binding rule. The public text does not explain how an incomplete filing is returned or corrected, or whether the five-day clock pauses or restarts. That is a limit in the published explanation, not evidence that no internal procedure exists.

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