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Work Efforts

The GAC regularly considers a broad range of public policy issues impacting the DNS and other matters regarding the functions of ICANN. This work can result in consensus advice for the ICANN Board or public comment guidance to the ICANN community. This part of the website shares information related to those ongoing topics and activities.

New gTLD Program Next Round

Last Updated: 30 Sep 2026
Status: Active

ICANN's previous application round for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) opened in 2012 and resulted in more than 1,200 new gTLDs being delegated into the Domain Name System (DNS), including Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) gTLDs in a range of languages and scripts. The GAC participated throughout the development and implementation of the 2012 Round, including through public policy principles, GAC Advice and GAC Early Warnings.

Experience from the 2012 Round informed subsequent community review and policy development work. In December 2015, the GNSO initiated the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (SubPro PDP) to determine whether changes or additions to the existing policy recommendations were needed for subsequent application rounds. The SubPro PDP concluded in 2021, and its recommendations provided the principal policy basis for development of the next round.

On 16 March 2023, the ICANN Board directed ICANN org to begin implementation of the approved SubPro PDP outputs and preparation for the next application round. Implementation proceeded with the support of the Subsequent Procedures Implementation Review Team (IRT), including development of the Applicant Guidebook and the operational processes required for the Round.

On 30 October 2025, the ICANN Board adopted the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook. The authoritative Applicant Guidebook was published on 16 December 2025 and updated on 24 April 2026.

The application submission period for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round opened on 30 April 2026 and closed on 12 August 2026. ICANN subsequently announced that more than 1,600 applications had been received. The Program is now moving from application su

Ongoing Work

Following the close of the application submission period, the GAC's immediate focus is on operational readiness for application review and community input.

GAC work is focused on supporting Members in reviewing published applications and identifying potential public policy concerns; understanding the mechanisms available to individual governments and the GAC to provide input; coordinating and sharing information where appropriate; preparing for the possible use of GAC Early Warnings; and preparing for the possible development of GAC Advice concerning individual applications or broader public policy issues.

GAC capacity development and plenary discussions have increasingly focused on these practical aspects of the 2026 Round, including the application and evaluation processes, application comments and objections, GAC Early Warnings, GAC Advice, and approaches to organizing application review and coordination at the national and GAC levels.

This work is supported by practical GAC resources available in the Documentation section below, including the Projected Timeline – New gTLD Program 2026 Round (GAC Focus) and the GAC Workbook: New gTLD Application Community Input Actions and Timeline.

The GAC also continues to follow implementation of areas on which it has previously provided advice or input, including the Applicant Support Program and public interest safeguards, as the 2026 Round progresses.

On 29 September 2026, ICANN confirmed the next major Program milestones: Reveal Day on 7 October 2026, when applications proceeding through the Program will be published; the Replacement Period from 8–21 October 2026; and String Confirmation Day on 17 November 2026, when the final list of applied-for strings will be published and the Community Input and Objections Period will begin.

Meeting and Records
Jun
17
2025
Next Round Base Registry Agreement Webinar - 17 June 2025
14:00 - 15:00 UTC
|
Materials:
Recording
 
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Outcomes

Main chronological milestones of New gTLD: Next Round work

The GNSO's New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP was initiated on 17 December 2015 to consider whether changes or additions to the policy recommendations developed for the 2012 Round were needed for subsequent application rounds.

Key milestones have included:

Upcoming confirmed milestones include Reveal Day on 7 October 2026, the Replacement Period from 8–21 October 2026, and String Confirmation Day on 17 November 2026, which will mark the start of the Community Input and Objections Period. The Prioritization Draw is expected to take place in the first half of 2027.

For more information, please visit the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round website.



Documentation
Filter Documents
Title Date Type
 
2026 Round: Key Milestones for GAC Planning (October 2026)
Date: 30 Sep 2026
Type: Image
30 Sep 2026 Image 1790787300000
 
GAC Member Early Warning Template Form
Date: 30 Sep 2026
Type: Activity Input
30 Sep 2026 Activity Input 1790779860000
 
Projected Timeline - New gTLD Program 2026 Round (GAC Focus)
Date: 07 Mar 2026
Type: Activity Additional Resources
07 Mar 2026 Activity Additional Resources 1772876640000
 
GAC Workbook: New gTLD Application Community Input Actions and Timeline
Date: 02 Mar 2026
Type: Newcomer Material
02 Mar 2026 Newcomer Material 1772464800000
 
SubPro IRT Work Plan 23 May 2023
Date: 23 May 2023
Type: Work Plans
23 May 2023 Work Plans 1684848960000
 
Board Scorecard: Subsequent Procedures (SubPro PDP)
Date: 16 Mar 2023
Type: Publication
16 Mar 2023 Publication 1678970400000
 
New gTLD SubPro Operational Design Assessment - Community Webinar
Date: 14 Dec 2022
Type: Presentation
14 Dec 2022 Presentation 1671009180000
 
Summary of ICANN Board & Org Actions in Response to GAC Advice on the New gTLD Program
Date: 20 Sep 2022
Type: Publication
20 Sep 2022 Publication 1663662420000
 
ODP Policy Questions and GNSO Council Answers
Date: 13 Sep 2022
Type: Report
13 Sep 2022 Report 1663072560000
 
GAC Comment on Subsequent Rounds for New gTLDs Final Report Public Comment Proceeding
Date: 01 Jun 2021
Type: Work Products
01 Jun 2021 Work Products 1622543700000
 
GAC Scorecard: Status of Substantive Areas of Interest to the GAC for Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs
Date: 20 Jan 2021
Type: Work Products
20 Jan 2021 Work Products 1611138720000
 
Final Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP WG (GNSO)
Date: 20 Jan 2021
Type: Report
20 Jan 2021 Report 1611138600000