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A top-level domain (TLD) is the final label in a domain name—the part after the last dot. A new gTLD is a generic TLD introduced through ICANN’s New gTLD Program. It is not simply a newly registered website address: creating a new gTLD involves applying to operate a registry and completing ICANN’s evaluation and technical steps before the label can be delegated into the DNS root zone.
What “top-level domain” means
DNS names are arranged in levels. In icann.org, org is the TLD; icann is a name beneath it. The TLD is the label immediately below the DNS root, and it appears after the final dot in the familiar written form of a domain name. ICANN’s glossary defines TLDs as the names at the top of the DNS naming hierarchy and gives NET in www.example.net as an example. ICANN glossary
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The root zone records delegation details for TLDs. Root-zone administrators control which TLDs the DNS recognizes, while the administrator of a TLD controls which second-level names are recognized within it. ICANN glossary
What “new gTLD” means
ICANN uses new gTLD for a generic top-level domain introduced through its New Generic Top-Level Domains Program. “TLD” is the broad category; “gTLD” identifies a generic type of TLD, as distinct from a country-code TLD. The program’s “new” refers to adding a generic label at the top of the DNS hierarchy, not registering another name beneath an existing extension. ICANN’s definition of new gTLD ICANN glossary
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A new extension is not a new domain registration
Registering a name such as example.org creates a domain name under the already existing .org TLD. It does not create or change the TLD. A new gTLD, by contrast, is the top-level label itself. That distinction is why an ICANN gTLD application is an operator-level undertaking: the applicant seeks to operate an Internet registry business, rather than merely acquire a website address. ICANN: What is a gTLD?
How a new gTLD becomes recognized in DNS
Submitting an application does not make its proposed label an active, recognized TLD. ICANN describes a sequence involving application criteria, evaluation and selection—including objection processes and final approval—followed by a registry agreement and technical testing. Only after the required steps, including technical pre-delegation tests, can a successful new gTLD be delegated to the root zone. ICANN applicant FAQs
- Apply to operate a registry. The applicant seeks to run the registry for the proposed generic TLD, subject to the program’s criteria.
- Complete evaluation and selection. The application goes through the applicable evaluation and selection processes, including objections and final approval.
- Execute a registry agreement. A successful applicant must enter into the agreement with ICANN.
- Pass technical pre-delegation tests. The applicant must satisfy the technical testing requirements before delegation.
- Reach root-zone delegation. Delegation is the step that allows the TLD to be recognized in the DNS root zone.
Where the 2026 application round stands
ICANN lists the 2026 application window as 30 April through 12 August 2026; the window is closed. The program page provides the dates, and ICANN announced the opening on 30 April 2026. ICANN New gTLD Program ICANN announcement, 30 April 2026
In its 30 April 2026 announcement, ICANN reported that the 2012 application round resulted in more than 1,200 new gTLDs, including brand, geographic and general-term names. That is a historical total for the 2012 round as reported by ICANN in 2026, not a count of applications or outcomes from the 2026 round. ICANN announcement, 30 April 2026
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