gTLD: definition

A gTLD is a domain ending that is not tied to a country, such as .com, .org or .shop. What makes it a gTLD is contract, not technology: most gTLDs run under an agreement with ICANN, sell through ICANN-accredited registrars and follow rules the ICANN community writes.

What a gTLD is

In March 1994, RFC 1591 The 1994 document that still underpins how country code domains are assigned. Full definition of RFC 1591 split top-level domains into two groups: the generic TLDs (.edu, .com, .net, .org, .gov, .mil and .int), each for a general category of organizations, and the two-letter country codes.

ICANN counts as gTLDs the general-purpose domains such as .com and .org and the names added through its New gTLD Program ICANN's program for applying to create and run new generic TLDs. Full definition of New gTLD Program, including names in other alphabets. A gTLD under ICANN has three features:

its registry operator The organization that holds the contract or mandate for a TLD and sets its rules. Full definition of registry operator signs a Registry Agreement The contract between ICANN and a gTLD registry operator. Full definition of Registry Agreement with ICANN;
names are sold through accredited registrars, all with equal access;
the operator follows ICANN’s consensus policies, including later ones on the topics the agreement lists.

The IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority The functions that coordinate the root zone, IP addresses and protocol numbers. Full definition of IANA Root Zone Database label One dot-separated part of a domain name, up to 63 characters long. Full definition of label gTLDs only as “generic”, “sponsored” or “generic-restricted” (.biz, .name, .pro). New, geographic, community and brand gTLDs appear as “generic”.

Legacy gTLDs versus new gTLDs

legacy TLD A gTLD that existed before the 2012 New gTLD Program, such as .com. Full definition of legacy TLD is the industry’s informal name for gTLDs created before 2012: the original seven and those added in 2000 and 2003, such as .info, .biz and .asia. new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition of new gTLD come from the New gTLD Program, which opened in January 2012 and received 1,930 applications; as of October 2026, more than 1,200 have been delegated.

The practical difference is the contract. New gTLDs sign the standard base agreement; as of October 2026, its current version is the one the ICANN Board ICANN's board of directors, which adopts policies and approves key decisions. Full definition of ICANN Board approved on 12 March 2026. Legacy gTLDs have their own agreements. Some have moved to base terms, as .org and .info did on 30 June 2019. Others have not: as of October 2026, the .com agreement of 1 December 2024 sets a starting maximum price of US $10.26, which may rise by up to 7% in each of the last four pricing years of every six-year period. It runs to 30 November 2030.

The base agreement has no price cap A contract limit on registry wholesale price increases. Full definition of price cap. As of October 2026, it requires 30 days’ notice of a price increase for new registrations Domains newly created in a period, also called adds or creates. Full definition of new registrations, 180 days’ notice for renewal Paying to extend a domain registration for more time. Full definition of renewal, and uniform renewal pricing The rule that a gTLD registry must charge one renewal price for all names, with some exceptions. Full definition of uniform renewal pricing. It also builds in rights protection mechanisms: the TMCH Trademark Clearinghouse A database of verified trademarks used for sunrise and claims in new gTLDs. Full definition of TMCH for sunrise An early phase when trademark owners can register matching names first. Full definition of sunrise and claims, the URS Uniform Rapid Suspension System A fast procedure that suspends clearly infringing domains, mainly in new gTLDs. Full definition of URS, the PDDRP Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure A procedure for trademark complaints against a new gTLD registry operator itself. Full definition of PDDRP and the RRDRP Registration Restrictions Dispute Resolution Procedure A procedure for complaints that a community gTLD registry ignores its own registration limits. Full definition of RRDRP.

Sponsored, community and geographic gTLDs

An sTLD Sponsored Top-Level Domain A gTLD run with a sponsor for a specific community. Full definition of sTLD serves a specific community whose sponsor sets the TLD’s own rules. ICANN says sponsored TLDs may be required to follow consensus policies only in some instances. As of October 2026, ICANN lists .aero, .coop, .post, .jobs and .asia as sponsored. IANA still calls .museum sponsored, while ICANN’s agreement of 11 March 2025 lists it as community, non-sponsored.

A community TLD A gTLD run for a defined community, with registration limits. Full definition of community TLD is applied for on behalf of a defined community. Its contract adds Specification 12: registration Obtaining the right to use a domain name for a set period. Full definition of registration rules that match the application, and community participation in the TLD’s policies. .berlin, .cat and .coop have it. When several applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant want the same string, a community applicant can ask for CPE Community Priority Evaluation A scored review that lets a true community application win a contested string without an auction. Full definition of CPE. Under the 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook, it needs at least 12 of 16 points to win priority.

A geoTLD A generic top-level domain named after a city or region. Full definition of geoTLD is named after a place, such as .berlin, .madrid or .tokyo. Under the same guidebook, as of October 2026, country and territory names are refused. Capital cities, subdivisions such as the provinces listed in the international standard ISO 3166-2 of country subdivision codes, and certain world regions need documented support or non-objection from the governments concerned; other city names need it only if the TLD will be used for city purposes. A geoTLD is still a gTLD, not a ccTLD country code top-level domain A top-level domain for a country or territory, usually two letters long. Full definition of ccTLD.

A .brand A top-level domain that a company runs for its own trademark. Full definition of .brand TLD uses Specification 13 The Registry Agreement section that gives brand TLDs their special status and terms. Full definition of Specification 13, which lifts the duty to run sunrise and claims. A dictionary-word TLD, by contrast, may not keep registrations for a single company and its affiliates.

Rules every gTLD must follow under ICANN

Consensus policies include the UDRP Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy ICANN's out-of-court process for trademark disputes over domain names. Full definition of UDRP, the Domain Name Transfer Policies, the Expired Domain Deletion Policy, the ERRP Expired Registration Recovery Policy ICANN rules on expiry reminders and recovering expired gTLD domains. Full definition of ERRP and the Registration Data Policy ICANN's policy on collecting, publishing and disclosing gTLD registration data. Full definition of Registration Data Policy, in effect since 21 August 2025. The .com agreement binds its operator to them too. The base agreement adds:

no preference for any registrar;
registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition of registrant contracts that ban malware Harmful software, often spread or controlled using domain names. Full definition of malware, phishing Impersonating a trusted party to steal data, often with look-alike domains. Full definition of phishing, fraud, infringement and similar abuse, plus periodic registry checks for DNS abuse Harmful use of domains, defined in ICANN contracts as five specific threats. Full definition of DNS abuse;
data escrow Backup copies of registration data held by an independent agent in case a registry or registrar fails. Full definition of data escrow and monthly reports;
fees to ICANN: as of October 2026, the latest published amounts (1 January 2025) are $6,437.50 a quarter, plus $0.2575 per transaction once the TLD exceeds 50,000 transactions in a quarter or in four consecutive quarters;
a ten-year term, renewable for equal periods.

How gTLDs differ from ccTLDs in practice

ccTLDs are managed locally, set their own rules and are not ICANN contracted parties The gTLD registries and registrars that hold contracts with ICANN. Full definition of contracted parties. Disputes show the gap: every gTLD under an ICANN agreement is bound by the UDRP, while each ccTLD chooses its own policy. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization The United Nations agency whose center handles many domain name disputes. Full definition of WIPO) lists .es, .eu and .fr as using a variation of the UDRP, and .co as using the UDRP itself.

In Spain, .es is run by Red.es The Spanish public body that manages the .es domain through its unit Dominios.es. Full definition of Red.es under Spanish rules, while .madrid, .barcelona and the language and culture TLDs .cat, .eus and .gal are gTLDs.

Examples across the main types

Legacy: .com, .net, .org, .info. Sponsored: .aero, .coop, .post. New and open: .shop, .app. Geographic: .berlin, .paris, .tokyo.

A worked example: example.com sits in .com, a legacy gTLD that Verisign The company that operates the .com and .net registries. Full definition of Verisign runs under an agreement with a maximum price; any accredited registrar can sell names in it, and a trademark owner can bring a UDRP complaint about one. A name under .shop follows the base agreement instead: no price cap, but 180 days’ notice of a renewal price The yearly price to keep a domain, often higher than the first-year price. Full definition of renewal price increase. For a specific case, check the current terms with the registrar or registry.

gTLD