Renewing an Existing Accreditation

An ICANN registrar accreditation is granted for a term of five years. In order for a registrar to maintain its accreditation, it must renew its Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) every five years.

Registrars accredited under the 2009 RAA must sign onto the 2013 version of the RAA during the renewal process.

ICANN will attempt to contact every registrar by email approximately 90 days before the expiration date of its accreditation to inform the registrar of the upcoming expiration of its accreditation. This communication will identify any outstanding compliance issues involving the registrar and ask the registrar to confirm the accuracy of the registrar's contact information in ICANN's records.

Any registrar that wishes to renew its accreditation must ensure that:

• it has no overdue invoice(s);
• it is compliant with its Registrar Data Escrow requirements;
• it has no other outstanding compliance issue(s).

Once it is determined that the registrar is in good standing, the RAA can be renewed.

It is important to note that registrars accredited under the 2009 RAA must affirmatively respond to ICANN's reminder notices if they wish to renew. If a registrar does not respond, the RAA will expire and the accreditation will lapse.

Registrars accredited under the 2013 RAA should respond to ICANN's renewal reminders, but a registrar's failure to respond will not result in the expiration of the agreement if the registrar is eligible for renewal. Registrars on the 2013 RAA are generally deemed eligible for renewal unless:

1. the registrar no longer meets accreditation requirements;
2. the registrar is not in compliance with its obligations under the agreement;
3. ICANN has notified the registrar of three material breaches of the agreement in the two years preceding the agreement's expiration date; or
4. the agreement was terminated prior to the expiration date.

Questions about the RAA renewal process should be directed to [email protected]. Renewal reminder notices are sent from [email protected] or [email protected].