How To Create My Own Top-Level Domain

If you’ve ever wondered how to create a top-level domain—your own right-of-the-dot string instead of renting left-of-the-dot real estate—good news: the Internet’s governing body ICANN is finally grinding back into motion. ICANN’s New gTLD Program: Next Round is slated to open its application window in Q2 2026 for roughly 12–15 weeks, with the last big prerequisites (notably the Applicant Guidebook) moving from draft to final this year. That’s the official route to an ICANN custom TLD—think .brand or a well-governed community or generic TLD string—and it’s distinct from the Web3 “mint your own TLD” offerings you may have seen.

First: what a TLD actually is (and who “owns” it)

On the public Internet, a top-level domain is operated—not “owned”—by a registry operator under contract with ICANN. The operator keeps the authoritative database for the TLD and runs the DNS infrastructure that makes names resolve globally. This is why who owns top-level domains is the wrong question; the right one is who is contracted to operate them, under which obligations, and with what safeguards.

The official path: ICANN’s New gTLD Program (Next Round)

The definitive playbook is the ICANN Applicant Guidebook (the “AGB”). A full draft was released for public comment on 30 May 2025, with final publication targeted for late 2025. Read it—really read it—because your entire ICANN TLD application lives by it. If you need the source doc, yes, the Icann applicant guidebook pdf is public.

A few pragmatic milestones:

• When to apply. ICANN currently projects the application submission period will open in April 2026. Plan for a 12–15 week window. New gTLD Program

• How much. The TLD application fee is USD $227,000 per TLD, before any optional/conditional evaluations. Budget at least 30% beyond that for your technical backend, policy design, and launch.

• Where to log in. New gTLD online Application form can be access in the TAMS (TLD Application Management System) which will be made active soon before the application window.

• How long. The application evaluation will probably take 6-18 months depending upon the application circumstances.

  
  

Apply for new gTLD online | Apply for new gTLD ICANN | New gTLD applications | New TLDs 2026 | ICANN Next Round.

Don’t reinvent the wheel: choose an evaluated ICANN RSP

In 2012, many applicants built their own registry stack. In 2026, that’s optional—and usually unwise. ICANN now runs an Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program. Back-end providers pre-qualify once; applicants then pick from that list and focus their energy on string strategy, policies, and business. A first RSP pre-evaluation window ran Nov 2024 → May 2025; a second is anticipated to open April 2026 alongside applications, with a public list of pre-evaluated RSPs expected before the window. Translation: line up your ICANN RSP early.

Cost relief exists: the ICANN Applicant Support Program

Sticker shock is real, especially for public-interest, nonprofit or Global South initiatives. ICANN’s Applicant Support Program (ASP) offers 75–85% fee reductions for eligible applicants, plus a bid credit if you land in a contention set. ICANN budgeted support for up to ~40–45 applicants in this round, with the reduction level flexing based on demand. If you’re serious but cost-constrained, start the ASP eligibility work now.

What happens between now and filing day

This is where the unglamorous work wins:

• String strategy & risk. Vet your label for rights issues, geographic names, and collision risk.

• Policy spine. Draft eligibility, naming, abuse handling, rights-protection mechanisms, and a sane launch plan. Much of this is codified in the AGB and base Registry Agreement; don’t improvise.

• Business model. New gTLDs can be dot-brands, community spaces, or open generics. Your evaluation answers and later compliance posture must match the business you describe. ICANN gTLD operations are contractual, operational, and audited.

• Systems & people. Even if you outsource the DNS/EPP/RDAP guts to an RSP, you’re still on the hook as the operator. Read ICANN’s operations handbook so you know what “day 2” looks like.

About that “create your own Top-Level Domains (TLDs) with Freename” ad you saw

Web3 platforms like Freename let you “create” a custom top level domain name on a blockchain. That can be useful for on-chain identity or decentralized App ecosystems—but it isn’t an ICANN TLD in the global DNS, and it won’t universally resolve in browsers unless users install special resolvers or the name is bridged somehow. ICANN has long warned that alternate roots (anything outside the single public DNS root) don’t enjoy universal resolvability. If your goal is a globally resolvable ICANN TLD, follow the ICANN pathway; if you want a Web3 namespace, Freename’s tools are an option in that different universe.

The practical sequence (zoomed-out)

Read the AGB. Decide your string and governance. Secure an RSP. Prepare your ICANN TLD application and, if relevant, your ICANN Applicant Support Program dossier. When the ICANN new gTLD program login for applications opens, file the application during the 12–15-week application window. Then you navigate evaluation, possible contention with identical/similar strings, contracting, pre-delegation testing, and finally delegation. The Icann gtld machinery is heavy, but it’s predictable—by design.

Why this matters in 2025

If you’ve been following the New TLDs 2025 discussion, the real turning point came when ICANN released the draft Applicant Guidebook for public comment in May 2025. That moment transformed the New gTLD Program from years of theory into a tangible rulebook. From here through early 2026 is your crucial runway—time to refine your business case, shape registry policies, choose your ICANN-approved RSP, and, if you qualify, prepare your Applicant Support Program submission.

A note on “who owns top-level domains” in practice

Even big names don’t “own” a TLD outright. They sign a Registry Agreement and must run it in line with their application and consensus policy. That includes working with ICANN-accredited registrars (unless it’s a spec-13 style single-registrant .brand), maintaining service levels, escrowing data, and enforcing rights protections. This is public-interest infrastructure with brand value on top.

Need help?

This site is run by people who have lived inside the process. Venkatesh Venkatasubramanian, a veteran new gTLD consultant, advises applicants end-to-end—from string strategy and AGB responses to RSP selection, evaluation clarifications, and go-live. If you’re about to apply for new gTLD online and want it done right the first time, he’s your guide.