ICANN vs Non-ICANN Registrars

## ICANN vs Non-ICANN Registrars Not every company that sells domain names is an ICANN-accredited Domain Registrar. Many popular domain sellers are actually resellers — companies that use an accredited registrar's infrastructure behind the scenes. Understanding this distinction matters for consumer protections, dispute resolution, and what happens if something goes wrong with your domain. ## What Is ICANN Accreditation? ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) oversees the global domain name system. For generic TLDs (.com, .net, .org, and the thousands of newer gTLDs), ICANN establishes policies that require any company selling domain registrations to be accredited or to partner with an accredited registrar. An ICANN-accredited registrar has: - Signed the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with ICANN - Met technical, financial, and operational requirements - Agreed to ICANN policies including the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, WHOIS accuracy requirements, and consumer protection provisions - Been listed on ICANN's official registrar list (find.icann.org/registrars) - Submitted to ICANN oversight and complaint mechanisms As of 2024, there are approximately 3,000+ ICANN-accredited registrars worldwide. Not all are active; the working list of registrars with significant customer bases is considerably shorter. ## What Is a Domain Registrar Reseller? A reseller is a company (or individual) that purchases domain registrations wholesale from an accredited registrar and sells them retail under their own brand. From a customer perspective, the experience may be identical — you visit a website, search for a domain, pay, and get a registration. But the underlying registrar is different from the company you paid. Examples of reseller relationships: - Many web hosting companies (Bluehost, SiteGround, DreamHost) resell domains through their parent companies or accredited registrar partners - Some website builders offer domain registration as an add-on, backed by a registrar partner - White-label domain services for small businesses are often reseller products - Some marketplaces and e-commerce platforms include domain registration through reseller relationships The accredited registrar behind the reseller is the "sponsoring registrar" in ICANN's terminology — the entity actually responsible for your domain in ICANN's databases. ## Why the Distinction Matters ### Consumer Protections Under ICANN Policy ICANN's Registrar Accreditation Agreement mandates specific consumer protections that apply to accredited registrars: **Transfer protection**: Accredited registrars must follow the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, which establishes procedures for domain transfers, including the EPP code requirement and transfer approval processes. **Expiration notice requirements**: Registrars must send renewal reminder notices before expiration. **Complaint resolution**: Registrar conduct can be reported to ICANN through its complaint system. ICANN can investigate, sanction, or revoke accreditation from non-compliant registrars. **Data access**: Registrar data is maintained in ICANN's databases and accessible through RDAP, providing transparency about sponsoring registrars. When you register through a reseller, these protections still apply — through the accredited registrar in the background. But your direct relationship is with the reseller, and the reseller's own policies and practices add another layer. If the reseller has poor practices (inadequate transfer authorization, slow support, non-compliant domain handling), you may need to escalate beyond the reseller to the accredited registrar or to ICANN. ### Transfer Complexity Transferring a domain registered through a reseller can be more complicated than transferring from an accredited registrar directly. The domain's sponsoring registrar (the accredited one) may be different from the company you actually deal with, and the EPP code may be issued by the sponsoring registrar rather than the reseller interface. In some cases, resellers lock down transfer capabilities as part of their business model — particularly hosting companies that want to keep domains on their platform. Understanding whether you're dealing with an accredited registrar or a reseller helps you anticipate and navigate these situations. ### What Happens if a Reseller Closes? If an accredited registrar closes down, ICANN has established procedures to protect registrant domain data — including domain escrow requirements that ensure customer data can be transferred to another registrar. If a reseller closes down, the domains typically revert to the accredited registrar behind them, where they should remain accessible to registrants. However, the transition can be disruptive, and resellers don't have the same ICANN-mandated data escrow requirements that accredited registrars do. In practice, many reseller closures result in domain management headaches for customers until they can claim their domains at the backing registrar. ## How to Identify Your Actual Registrar The WHOIS record for your domain contains a "Registrar" field that names the accredited registrar responsible for the domain — not necessarily the reseller you purchased through. For example, if you registered a domain through a web hosting company's control panel, the WHOIS record might show an accredited registrar that isn't your hosting company at all. That's the entity you'd contact for ICANN-level issues. Use WHOIS Lookup Tool to look up your domain and identify the sponsoring registrar. Then verify that registrar's accreditation at lookup.icann.org. ## ICANN Accreditation for ccTLDs Country-code TLDs operate under different rules. Each ccTLD has its own registry managed by a national authority (for example, Nominet manages .uk, DENIC manages .de, AFNIC manages .fr). These registries establish their own registrar requirements — some require local presence, some require separate accreditation, and some have no analogue to ICANN accreditation at all. For ccTLDs, the question of "ICANN accredited" is less relevant. Instead, look for registrars that are specifically listed as authorized registrars by the relevant national registry. For .uk domains, that means registrars accredited by Nominet. For .de domains, DENIC-accredited registrars. And so on. ## ICANN's Oversight Mechanisms Understanding what ICANN can and cannot do about registrar problems is important for knowing when to escalate. **What ICANN can do**: - Investigate complaints about accredited registrar conduct that violates the RAA - Issue breach notices and compliance notifications - Ultimately revoke accreditation from registrars that repeatedly violate policies - Facilitate domain recovery in cases of registrar failure **What ICANN cannot do**: - Resolve individual domain disputes (that's what the UDRP process is for) - Override legitimate registrar decisions - Act as a customer service intermediary for routine domain management questions - Reverse completed transactions quickly The ICANN complaint mechanism is a regulatory tool, not a customer service channel. For domain management problems, always start with your registrar's support team, then escalate to the accredited registrar if you're dealing with a reseller, and only escalate to ICANN for clear policy violations. ## Choosing Between Accredited and Reseller For most domain registrations, whether you use an accredited registrar directly or a well-established reseller makes little practical difference. The domains work identically, the protections are similar, and the prices are comparable. The case for preferring an accredited registrar: - Simpler chain of accountability — one fewer intermediary - Direct access to ICANN's oversight mechanisms - Typically better self-service transfer and management tools - More transparency about domain lifecycle management The case for using a reseller: - Integration with hosting, website building, or other services you're already using - Sometimes lower prices through bundled offers - Familiar interface if you already use the platform for other purposes If you're building a business on a domain and want the cleanest possible ownership chain, register directly with an ICANN-accredited registrar. If you're registering a domain as part of setting up hosting and the reseller handles everything seamlessly, the reseller route is fine — just verify you can get your EPP code and transfer the domain if you ever want to move. ## ICANN's Registrar Compliance Program ICANN maintains a Registrar Compliance team that handles complaints about accredited registrar conduct. The program is publicly documented and accepts complaints at icann.org/resources/compliance. **When to file a compliance complaint**: - A registrar refuses to provide you with your EPP code without legitimate justification - A registrar is unresponsive within ICANN's required response windows (5 calendar days for transfer-related communications) - A registrar made unauthorized changes to your domain record - A registrar is not following ICANN's expired domain recovery policies **What ICANN compliance cannot do**: - Recover a domain that has been legitimately transferred away - Resolve financial disputes with a registrar - Override a registrar's legitimate business policies - Act faster than their standard investigation timeline (weeks to months for most cases) For urgent domain recovery situations, contact the accredited registrar directly (even if you purchased through a reseller). The accredited registrar has direct registry access and ICANN accountability that a reseller does not. ## Spotting Illegitimate Registrar Operations Not all domain sellers are legitimate. Warning signs: **Prices significantly below market**: If a registrar is offering .com registrations at $1/year permanently (not as a first-year promotion backed by a known company), investigate carefully. Fraudulent registrar operations have historically used below-cost pricing to attract customers before absconding with registrant data and domain control. **Not on ICANN's list**: Verify accreditation at lookup.icann.org before registering. Any registrar offering gTLD registrations not on this list is either a reseller (fine, but understand what you're getting) or operating without accreditation (a red flag). **Unclear domain ownership**: Registrar agreements should clearly state that you own the domain and they are the technical manager. Any agreement that is ambiguous about domain ownership or requires significant steps to transfer away is problematic. **Poor contact information**: Legitimate registrars have clear contact information, documented dispute resolution procedures, and responsive customer support. A registrar with only a web form for contact and no phone or email support is a risk. TLD Finder Choosing a Domain Registrar: What to Look For Domain Name Disputes: UDRP Process Explained Understanding ICANN Fees