--- id: "registrar" kind: "glossary-term" title: "registrar" language: "en" category: "Industry roles and organizations" updated: "2026-10-10T10:28:55Z" canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/registrar/" translations: es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/registrador/" de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/registrar/" fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/bureau-enregistrement/" it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/registrar/" pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/registrador/" ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/registrator/" zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/zhuce-fuwu-jigou/" --- # registrar A company that sells domain name registrations to the public and manages them in the registry's system for its customers. gTLD registrars must be accredited by ICANN and sign the RAA (Registrar Accreditation Agreement). Each ccTLD registry sets its own accreditation rules. A registrar is the company you deal with when you register a domain name. It signs the contract with you, keeps your contact details and records the name at the registry, the organization that runs the top-level domain. For names such as .com a registrar needs approval from ICANN; for country domains such as .es, each country's registry sets its own rules. ## What a registrar is ICANN's Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) describes the work of a registrar: contracting with registrants, collecting their registration data and submitting the registration to the database of the registry, which runs the TLD. For gTLDs, a registrar must be accredited by ICANN and sign the RAA. As of October 2026, the current text is the one the ICANN Board approved on 21 January 2024; an amendment to existing agreements took effect on 5 April 2024. ICANN does not set registrar prices, and no registrar may claim better access to a registry than other registrars accredited for it. ccTLD registries run their own schemes. For .es, a Spanish ministerial order of 19 May 2005 calls registrars "agentes registradores acreditados", lets Red.es set their requirements, and also allows applicants to go directly to Red.es. Every domain has one registrar of record, the sponsoring registrar that placed the record at the registry. Sponsorship changes when the registrant asks for a transfer, or under ICANN rules when a registrar loses its accreditation. ## Registrars and resellers: who you are really buying from A reseller sells domain names under its own brand, but the registration goes through an accredited registrar. Under the RAA, the registrar remains responsible for the service even when a reseller provides it. Resellers may not present themselves as ICANN-accredited without written permission from ICANN. They must name the sponsoring registrar, or give a way to find it, such as a link to ICANN's registration data lookup tool, and they must tell a customer which registrar it is when asked. You can check this yourself: an RDAP lookup of the name shows the registrar of record and its IANA registrar ID. Because the registrar sponsors the name, the name normally stays with that registrar if the reseller closes. ## Retail, wholesale and corporate registrars These are industry labels, not ICANN categories. All three kinds sign the same RAA for gTLDs. - A **retail registrar** sells directly to the public, usually through its own website, and sets its own prices. - A **wholesale registrar** sells mainly through resellers and gives them the technical connection to many registries. - A **corporate registrar** manages large domain portfolios for companies and brands, often with extra security, legal and monitoring services. A **registrar family** is a group of affiliated accreditations; the RAA calls it an "Applicable Registrar Family". ICANN's list includes numbered series of near-identical names, so the IANA registrar ID helps tell them apart. As of October 2026, the IANA list dated 8 October 2026 shows 3,320 accredited registrars. The figure counts accreditations, not companies. ## How a company becomes an accredited registrar As of October 2026, ICANN's process runs in this order: 1. Apply. ICANN replies within 30 days of receiving a complete application, then invoices a US$3,500 fee that is not refunded, whatever the outcome. 2. If approved, sign the RAA for a five-year term, sign a data escrow agreement and pay the yearly fee. 3. ICANN notifies the registries. The registrar then agrees contract, payment and technical details with each registry operator, passes its tests and can start selling. Ongoing ICANN fees, as of October 2026, are US$4,000 a year (or four payments of US$1,000), a variable fee shared among all active registrars, and US$0.20 per registration, renewal or transfer. For first-time applicants, ICANN treats US$70,000 of liquid working capital as adequate. Step 3 is registry accreditation, a separate approval for each TLD. EURid, which runs .eu, asks for a prepayment of 2,500 euros and at least 500 euros of payable transactions a year (as of October 2026). Accredited registrars must also deposit a copy of registration data with an escrow agent, keep an abuse contact, publish how customers can complain, and follow the UDRP. ## How to choose a registrar: price, security and support Under the RAA, you are entitled to know the identity of your registrar and must not face hidden fees, deceptive notices or false advertising, and registrars must publish their customer service and complaint processes. In return, you must answer your registrar's inquiries within 15 days, keep your account data current and, if your name renews automatically, keep your payment details current. Useful questions before you buy: - What do renewal and transfer cost, not only the first year? - Does the account offer 2FA, and is a registrar lock or registry lock available? - In which languages and through which channels is support offered? The answers depend on each registrar's terms. Read them, and use the registrar's published complaint process if a problem arises. ## What happens if your registrar goes out of business An accreditation can end in three ways: the registrar gives it up with 30 days' notice, it is not renewed, or ICANN terminates it (usually after 15 days' notice, immediately for insolvency). ICANN can first suspend new registrations and inbound transfers for up to 12 months. Data escrow lets ICANN move the names even if the failing registrar does not cooperate. That is the normal outcome, but ICANN's procedure also lists fallbacks, such as letting names expire on their dates. The Transfer Policy then allows a bulk transfer to one gaining registrar accredited for the TLD. For the registrant, as of October 2026: the transfer costs nothing, the expiry date is not extended, the gaining registrar should send instructions, and it may refuse transfers out for the first 60 days. If the name expires soon, contact the gaining registrar. The ICANN Board adopted changes to the Transfer Policy on 7 June 2026; they are not yet in force, and these details may change once ICANN implements them. ## Sources - [Registrar Accreditation Agreement](https://itp.cdn.icann.org/en/files/accredited-registrars/registrar-accreditation-agreement-21jan24-en.htm) - [How to Become an ICANN-Accredited Registrar](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/accredited-registrars/how-to-become-a-registrar) - [Registrar Fees](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/accredited-registrars/how-to-become-a-registrar/registrar-fees-10-08-2018-en) - [Registrar IDs](https://www.iana.org/assignments/registrar-ids) - [Bulk Transfers](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/accredited-registrars/resources/bulk-transfers) - [Become a registrar | EURid](https://eurid.eu/en/become-a-eu-registrar/) ## related terms - [registry](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registry/) - [reseller](https://tldlog.com/glossary/reseller/) - [RAA](https://tldlog.com/glossary/raa/) - [ICANN accreditation](https://tldlog.com/glossary/accreditation/) - [registrant](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registrant/)