Summary

  • Only the registry operator of an existing gTLD, acting as the same legal entity, may apply for its allocatable IDN variants.
  • An application by anyone else for an allocatable variant of that existing gTLD will be rejected.

ICANN’s 2026 Applicant Guidebook places an identity gate on applications for IDN variants of existing gTLDs. The applicant may seek those variants only if it is the same legal entity as the registry operator for the existing gTLD.

The rule is narrower than operational involvement. The cited text does not establish that an affiliate, service provider, brand licensee or other related party independently qualifies. It identifies the existing gTLD’s registry operator as the eligible applicant and says an application by a different applicant will be rejected.

Allocatable variants of the existing gTLD must be submitted in a single application. After successful evaluation, the applied-for allocatable variants will be allocated to the existing gTLD registry operator. This article does not assert that any particular applicant satisfies the identity rule or that any application will succeed.

BTW recommends confirming legal-entity continuity before committing resources to an existing-gTLD variant application. That is editorial operating guidance, not an additional ICANN requirement.

Sources