Important Update: Trustname ICANN Accreditation, Domain Transfers, and What Happens Next
Last updated: September 2, 2026
Trustname’s current ICANN registrar accreditation will terminate effective September 11, 2026.
This affects Trustname’s ability to continue providing ICANN-accredited registrar services for gTLDs such as .com, .net, .org and other ICANN-governed extensions through the current registrar entity.
Trustname is not closing.
We will continue operating and supporting customers throughout the transition. Our team is also working on a new registrar structure, and we expect to relaunch registrar operations under a new/rebranded setup after the necessary accreditation, registry, technical and corporate arrangements are completed.
This article explains what happens to your domains, what actions you can take now, how the ICANN transition works, and what happens to other Trustname services.
Key Takeaways
Trustname's ICANN accreditation ends September 11, 2026 — but Trustname is not closing
Your domains will not disappear; ICANN will transition affected registrations to another accredited registrar
You can transfer domains yourself now (suggested for valuables), or wait for ICANN's fee-free bulk transfer
Use any remaining account balance before September 11, since it will not automatically carry over to the future registrar
What happened?
On August 27, 2026, ICANN issued a Notice of Termination of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement of Fewmoretaps OÜ d/b/a Trustname.com.
The termination becomes effective on:
September 11, 2026
ICANN cited deficiencies relating primarily to the handling, investigation and mitigation of DNS Abuse reports under Sections 3.18.1 and 3.18.2 of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement.
You can review ICANN’s notice here:
Trustname experienced significant growth during 2026, and our abuse-handling processes did not scale sufficiently quickly alongside that growth.
We are already using what we learned from this process to design a substantially stronger DNS Abuse investigation, escalation and mitigation framework for our future registrar operation.
Will my domains stop working on September 11?
No.
The termination of Trustname’s ICANN accreditation does not mean your domains disappear, become unregistered or automatically stop resolving on September 11.
ICANN maintains a formal process for handling registrations sponsored by a registrar whose accreditation has been terminated.
Affected gTLD registrations will ultimately be transitioned to another qualified ICANN-accredited registrar.
What should I do with my domains?
You have two main options.
Option 1 — Transfer your domains to a registrar of your choice
If you have valuable, business-critical or otherwise important domains, you may prefer to select the receiving registrar yourself.
The dealine to initiate a transfer out is September 10, 2025.
To transfer an eligible domain from Trustname:
Log in to your Trustname account.
Select the domain.
Disable the transfer lock if applicable.
Obtain the AuthInfo / EPP authorization code.
Open an account with your chosen receiving registrar.
Initiate the incoming transfer there.
Pay the applicable transfer fee to the receiving registrar.
For many gTLDs, a normal paid inter-registrar transfer also extends the registration term by one additional year, subject to the applicable registry rules and maximum registration period.
Normal transfer restrictions may still apply.
Examples can include:
the first 60 days after initial registration;
the first 60 days following a previous registrar transfer;
certain Change of Registrant locks;
registry or dispute-related transfer restrictions.
ICANN Transfer Policy:
Option 2 — Wait for the ICANN bulk transfer
You are not required to transfer your domains manually.
If you do nothing, ICANN will follow its De-Accredited Registrar Transition Procedure and arrange for affected gTLD registrations to be transitioned to a qualified ICANN-accredited gaining registrar.
In an ICANN-directed bulk transition:
you do not pay a normal registrar transfer fee merely because the domain is moved;
the domain remains registered;
the existing registration expiration date generally remains unchanged;
the bulk transfer itself normally does not add an additional registration year.
ICANN information regarding registrar transitions and bulk transfers:
Can I suggest which registrar should receive Trustname domains?
Yes.
If you have a preferred ICANN-accredited registrar that you believe would be a good destination for Trustname customers, you can send us your suggestion.
Trustname will collect customer feedback and may propose a preferred gaining registrar to ICANN as part of the transition process.
ICANN’s transition procedure allows a de-accredited registrar to propose a gaining registrar, subject to ICANN’s review and approval.
However, please understand that: Trustname cannot guarantee that a specific registrar will be selected.
The final approval and selection of the gaining registrar remain with ICANN. The affected gTLD portfolio is expected to be transferred in bulk, meaning all affected Trustname customer domains will be moved together to the same ICANN-approved gaining registrar.
If you would like to suggest a registrar, please contact Trustname Support and include the registrar name in your message.
What happens if I simply do nothing?
For affected gTLDs, you generally do not need to take emergency action merely to preserve the registration.
ICANN will arrange the bulk transition process.
Once a gaining registrar has been selected and the transfer completed, information will be provided regarding where affected domains have been transferred and how they can be managed.
If you prefer full control over where your domain goes, however, we recommend transferring important domains yourself before the transition where possible.
Will Trustname close after September 11?
No.
Trustname will continue operating and supporting customers during the transition.
September 11 represents the termination of the current entity’s ICANN-accredited gTLD registrar status.
It does not mean that Trustname itself disappears.
We intend to continue providing services that do not depend on the current ICANN registrar accreditation, subject to the applicable provider and registry arrangements.
Trustname Support will also remain available to assist customers with the transition.
Is Trustname launching another registrar?
We are actively working on a new registrar structure and expect to relaunch registrar operations under a new/rebranded setup.
The future registrar operation is being designed around the lessons learned from the current accreditation period.
Planned improvements include:
significantly strengthened DNS Abuse investigation and mitigation procedures;
faster escalation of verified phishing, malware, botnets and other DNS Abuse;
continued manual review and protection against unsupported complaints;
strong registrant privacy;
an upgraded Reseller API;
additional cryptocurrency payment options;
improved bulk-domain and portfolio-management tools;
stronger abuse monitoring and automation;
additional registry and ccTLD integrations;
stronger infrastructure redundancy;
a new international corporate and operational structure.
Any future ICANN-accredited registrar operation remains subject to the applicable ICANN accreditation process, registry onboarding and other required approvals.
We will publish further information as the new structure becomes available.
Can I transfer my domains back to Trustname later?
Our intention is to make that possible.
Once the new/rebranded registrar operation is properly accredited and enabled for the applicable TLDs, eligible customers will be able to transfer domains back under the normal ICANN Transfer Policy.
Normal transfer restrictions may apply at that time.
For example, a domain that has recently completed an inter-registrar transfer may be subject to an applicable 60-day transfer restriction.
We will provide instructions when the new registrar operation is ready to accept transfers.
What happens to ccTLD domains?
ICANN accreditation primarily governs registrar activity for generic top-level domains.
Country-code TLDs such as two-letter extensions operate under their respective registry policies and commercial arrangements.
Trustname therefore expects to continue supporting ccTLD services where our direct or upstream registry relationships allow us to do so.
This includes supported extensions such as:
.to
.io
.ai
.ac
.ag
.bz, .cv, .fm, .gl, .lc, .me, .mn, .mu, .my, .pr, .pw, .sc, .sh, .tm, .vc
Availability and continued support depend on the rules and arrangements of each individual registry.
What happens to my Trustname account balance?
If you currently maintain funds in your Trustname account, we recommend using the balance for eligible services while those services remain available.
Refunds remain subject to the . All sales and wallet top-ups are final and non-refundable, and account balances cannot be withdrawn or redeemed for cash. This applies in particular to balances funded using cryptocurrency, which cannot be reversed or withdrawn once credited to the account.
Available balance may be used toward eligible domain registrations, renewals and other services while supported.
After September 11, remaining eligible balance may continue to be usable toward available non-gTLD Trustname services, including hosting and other products.
Please note that account balance cannot automatically be transferred to the future rebranded registrar operation, because the future operation may use a different corporate and accounting structure.
If you decide to permanently close your Trustname account, you may also expressly request that an eligible remaining balance be donated to WHOIS Privacy Protection Service LLC, Trustname’s privacy-infrastructure provider.
No balance will be donated without the customer’s explicit confirmation.
Why have prices for some domains increased x3?
Prices for .com, .net, .org and several other gTLDs have temporarily increased during the transition period leading to September 11.
For some extensions, the increase may be approximately three times the previous price.
Additional revenue generated during this period will be used toward transition expenses and development of the future Trustname operation.
If the temporary pricing does not make economic sense for you, you are free to transfer eligible domains to another registrar of your choice.
What services will remain available after September 11?
Trustname intends to continue operating services that do not require the current ICANN registrar accreditation, subject to applicable technical, registry and provider arrangements.
These may include:
supported ccTLD registrations and management;
hosting services;
account access and transition assistance.
Specific availability may change as the transition progresses.
What do you recommend I do now?
For highly valuable or mission-critical gTLD domains, we recommend considering a transfer to a registrar of your choice while you can control the destination directly.
If you are comfortable allowing ICANN to manage the transition, you may wait for the bulk-transfer process.
If you have a preferred gaining registrar for the Trustname portfolio, send us your suggestion and we will consider it when communicating with ICANN.
If you maintain an account balance, consider using it for eligible services while they remain available.
Most importantly, continue monitoring your Trustname account and email for transition notices.
Is this the end of Trustname?
No.
The current ICANN accreditation is ending.
Trustname is not.
We built Trustname around strong privacy, cryptocurrency-friendly payments, manual review, customer ownership of domains and an alternative to the automated approach used by much of the domain industry.
We intend to keep those principles.
At the same time, we are rebuilding our DNS Abuse processes, infrastructure and registrar structure based on everything we learned during our first period of rapid growth.
Trustname will continue supporting customers throughout the transition.
And we are already working on what comes next.
This is not goodbye.
We’ll see you again soon. ⭐
Related ICANN resources
Trustname Notice of Termination