Summary

  • An applicant may designate one replacement string with its application, but cannot add one after submission.
  • An eligible replacement must be elected during the 14-day Replacement Period; inaction forfeits the option.

The word “replacement” can suggest a late correction. The 2026 Applicant Guidebook defines something narrower: an applicant may designate one replacement string alongside its original choice when applying. Designation is optional, but it cannot be made retroactively after submission.

After Reveal Day, an applicant whose designated string is eligible has 14 days to review the published application information and elect the replacement in the application system. If the applicant does not act, the replacement is not used and the application continues with the original string.

Election is also one-way. Once the original applied-for string is replaced, it cannot be reinstated. BTW therefore recommends confirming operational, financial and naming readiness before the decision; that is editorial guidance, not an ICANN requirement.

Availability is not controlled by the applicant alone. A replacement string identical to another applicant’s original or replacement string cannot be used, regardless of whether the other applicant later switches.

When the Replacement Period ends, ICANN publishes the finalized list of applied-for strings on String Confirmation Day, subject to accepted .Brand String Change Requests. BTW recommends preparing a dated go/no-go record before Reveal Day. That recommendation is editorial guidance, not an ICANN requirement.

Sources