launch phase: definition

A new top-level domain does not open to everyone on its first day. It opens in stages, called launch phases, and each stage has its own dates, its own rules on who may register and often its own prices.

What a TLD launch phase is

RFC Request for Comments A numbered document in the series recording the internet's technical standards and practices. Full definition of RFC 8334, the IETF Internet Engineering Task Force The open body that writes internet standards such as DNS, EPP and RDAP. Full definition of IETF standard that adds launch phases to EPP Extensible Provisioning Protocol The protocol registrars use to manage domain names at registries. Full definition of EPP, puts it simply: registry The central database and system of a top-level domain, or loosely the organization that runs it. Full definition of registry “operate in special modes as they begin operation”. Those special modes are the launch phases.

For gTLDs, ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN sets a floor. The Registry Agreement The contract between ICANN and a gTLD registry operator. Full definition of Registry Agreement obliges every registry operator The organization that holds the contract or mandate for a TLD and sets its rules. Full definition of registry operator to follow the Trademark Clearinghouse Requirements (Specification 7). As of October 2026, the 2012 round The first round of ICANN's New gTLD Program, which opened for applications in 2012. Full definition of 2012 round and the 2026 Round ICANN's second round of applications for new generic top-level domains. Full definition of 2026 Round each have their own version of these requirements, with the same launch rules. Within that floor, each registry designs its own launch. The usual order is:

Optional early allocations, such as the QLP Qualified Launch Program Lets a new gTLD registry allocate up to 100 promotional names before or during sunrise. Full definition of QLP.
Sunrise, for trademark holders.
Optional limited registration periods, such as a landrush An optional early launch phase, often with higher prices and auctions. Full definition of landrush.
General availability, whose first 90 days at least are the trademark claims Warnings shown when someone registers a name matching a recorded trademark. Full definition of trademark claims period.

There are two exceptions. A .brand A top-level domain that a company runs for its own trademark. Full definition of .brand TLD top-level domain The last part of a domain name, after the final dot. Full definition of TLD under Specification 13 The Registry Agreement section that gives brand TLDs their special status and terms. Full definition of Specification 13 does not have to run sunrise or claims. And ccTLD country code top-level domain A top-level domain for a country or territory, usually two letters long. Full definition of ccTLD are outside ICANN’s rules: each sets its own launch, so none of the minimums below apply to them.

Sunrise: priority for trademark owners

Sunrise gives trademark holders a chance to register names that match their marks before the public can. To take part, a holder records the mark in the TMCH Trademark Clearinghouse A database of verified trademarks used for sunrise and claims in new gTLDs. Full definition of TMCH with proof of use, receives an SMD file Signed Mark Data A signed file from the Trademark Clearinghouse showing that a trademark qualifies for sunrise. Full definition of SMD file, and registers through a registrar A company that registers domain names for customers with the registry. Full definition of registrar.

The minimum length depends on the model the registry chooses:

Start-Date Sunrise: at least 30 days. Names may be allocated first come, first served The rule that the first valid request for an available domain gets it. Full definition of first come, first served.
End-Date Sunrise: at least 60 days. Names may not be allocated by time.

During sunrise, registries often accept several applications for the same name instead of instant registrations.

Once a sunrise has started, the registry may extend it but never shorten it, and it may not change its sunrise policies. Registries may add conditions, such as a local presence rule. Every registry must have an SDRP Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy A registry's policy for challenging domain names registered during its sunrise period. Full definition of SDRP so that sunrise registrations can be challenged.

Each registry sets its own sunrise prices. Under the 2026 base Registry Agreement, as of October 2026, registries pay ICANN a one-time fee of 5,000 USD to use the TMCH, plus a fee per sunrise and claims registration.

Landrush and early access: paying more to be first

After sunrise and before general availability, a registry may open limited registration periods. Some call such a period a landrush: RFC 8334 describes it as a phase for people without trademarks, “with steps taken to address a large volume of initial registrations”.

Some registries also run an early access period; ICANN’s own launch page shows one registry listing a “Landrush EAP Early Access Period A launch phase where names are available early at a falling extra fee. Full definition of EAP”. ICANN’s rules do not define it, and each registry sets its length and prices.

Two rules protect trademark holders here. No name can be allocated in a limited period until all sunrise names are allocated. And trademark claims notices run for the whole period. A claims notice warns someone who tries to register a name matching a recorded mark; it does not block the registration, but it signals a possible dispute.

General availability

In ICANN’s contracts, general availability is called General Registration: the first day after sunrise on which names are open to all registrant The person or organization that holds a domain name registration. Full definition of registrant “qualified to register domain name A readable internet name made of labels separated by dots. Full definition of domain name within the TLD”. So a restricted TLD A TLD that only eligible people or organizations can register domains in. Full definition of restricted TLD keeps its eligibility requirements Conditions a registrant must meet to register a domain in a restricted TLD. Full definition of eligibility requirements after opening.

The claims period covers at least the first 90 days of general availability and never overlaps with sunrise. After that the TLD runs in what RFC 8334 calls “steady state”.

Founders programs and other early allocations

Before or during sunrise, a registry may give up to 100 names to third parties to promote the TLD, under the Qualified Launch Program. ICANN’s own blog, opens another website in a new tab compared these names to “anchor tenants” in a new shopping center. One safeguard applies: a name that matches the TMCH sunrise list may go only to the matching rights holder or to a public authority.

Any scheme the requirements do not otherwise allow needs an Approved Launch Program, which the registry must request from ICANN before sunrise starts. ICANN presumes approval unless the program could contribute to consumer confusion or to infringement of intellectual property rights. Founders or pioneer programs are registries’ own names for early schemes; ICANN’s page lists some, such as a “Pioneer Program”, among a TLD’s launch periods. Their terms vary by registry.

How to follow a launch and register at the right time

After its TLD is delegated, a registry files its TLD Startup Information The launch dates and policies a new gTLD registry files with ICANN, which ICANN publishes. Full definition of TLD Startup Information with ICANN: sunrise dates and model, sunrise policies, claims dates and any limited periods. For a Start-Date Sunrise this must happen at least 30 days before sunrise starts. ICANN publishes it without reviewing the substance. The registry must also sign an agreement with at least one accredited registrar at least 30 days before sunrise ends.

ICANN’s page shows dates, not times, and may not list every extra period; for exact times it refers readers to the registry’s website. As of October 2026, it covers 2012-round TLDs only, and ICANN has not yet shown where 2026 Round launch dates will appear.

Registrars talk to the registry through the launch phase extension The EPP add-on for registering domains during TLD launch phases such as sunrise. Full definition of launch phase extension of EPP, defined in RFC 8334 and mandatory under the 2026 base agreement.

A dated example: as of October 2026, ICANN’s page lists .latino with a Start-Date Sunrise from 12 May to 11 June 2026 and a claims period from 12 June to 10 September 2026. So general availability began on 12 June 2026, the first day of the claims period.

Whether to apply in an early phase depends on each reader’s situation. Check the registry’s launch policy, ask a registrar and, for trademark questions, a lawyer.

launch phase