How to become a ccTLD registrar (and what changes from TLD to TLD)

Becoming a ccTLD registrar is less like “getting ICANN accreditation” and more like onboarding to a different registry business model every single time. Each country-code TLD has its own contract, its own technical rules, and its own idea of what “qualified registrar” means. Even when the protocol looks the same (usually EPP), the operational reality can be wildly different.

What follows is a practical, registry-facing way to think about it, with specific notes for .co, .us, .me, .io, .ai, and .uk, and then the “local presence” style markets like .au, .ru, and .ca.

First, decide what you mean by “becoming a registrar”

In ccTLD land there are usually two lanes:

Direct (accredited) registrar You sign the registry’s Registrar Agreement, get credentials, fund an account or open credit terms, pass whatever testing they require, and you integrate your systems to their production platform (often via EPP).

Reseller / channel partner You don’t contract with the registry directly. Instead, you buy the ccTLD through an upstream registrar/wholesaler that already has accreditation. Many registries explicitly position this as the “faster and easier” path.

If your business goal is “offer these ccTLDs in my storefront quickly,” reseller is usually the fastest route. If your goal is “control margins, lifecycle, and support directly,” you look at direct accreditation. Also some there are over 190 countries and 300 + ccTLDs including the second level ccTLD like .co.uk or .co.in however some ccTLD registry have application fee, accreditation fee, annual fee and some miscellaneous fees + local presence requirements so unless you have stable demand for the particular ccTLD upfront investments in such ccTLD accreditations may be a poor choice. Even top registrars like Dynadot, Namecheap and few other resellers certain ccTLDs through a local registrar. 

The universal checklist (applies to almost every ccTLD)

Even though every ccTLD is different, the same themes repeat:

Commercial readiness : You’ll be asked to meet contractual requirements, fund an account / set credit terms, and prove you can support registrants at scale.

Technical readiness: You’ll almost always need a working EPP integration (or a registry-provided web tool), TLS/SSL connectivity, and a plan for DNS, nameserver glue, and lifecycle operations like renewals and restores. Nominet, for example, supports EPP and requires your EPP client to connect using SSL. 

Operational readiness: Abuse handling, customer support, and data accuracy processes matter more in ccTLDs than many people expect, because ccTLD policies can be stricter (or simply different) than gTLD norms.

Testing / OT&E: Some registries require a formal OT&E (Operational Test & Evaluation) pass before going live. Even when the process is light, it still exists as a gate in many places. For .ME, the registry notes that registrars must sign the Registry-Registrar Agreement and references OT&E testing (with a specific shortcut if you’ve completed a .INFO OT&E). 

.uk (United Kingdom): Nominet “tag + credit account + EPP” world

Who runs it: IANA lists Nominet UK as the ccTLD manager for .uk. IANA

What “becoming a registrar” looks like: Nominet is unusually transparent about mechanics:

You complete and submit an application form and agree to their Registrar Agreement. They allocate you a registrar account identifier called a tag, and you’re also applying to open a credit account. Registrar Resources

You then operate via EPP (most registrars) or their Web Domain Manager, with EPP over SSL/TLS. Registrar Resources

If you’re serious about .uk, read Nominet’s “becoming a registrar” + “application process” pages end to end before you build anything. They’ve essentially documented the whole onboarding journey. Registrar Resources+1

.co (Colombia marketed globally as “.CO”): limited accreditation, formal application

What the registry says about onboarding .CO’s registry makes two things clear:

Accreditation requires meeting contractual and technical requirements and involves submitting a formal application (RFP). support.registry.co Accreditation is limited, and they explicitly point to reseller partnerships as the faster path if you just want to sell .CO. support.registry.co

Practical takeaway If your plan is to add .co to a registrar platform fast, budget for the reseller route first, then pursue direct accreditation once you can justify the effort and have a clear business case.

.us (United States): ccTLD rules, Nexus policy realities, and a defined “.US-accredited registrar” channel

Who runs it Registry Services, LLC is the .US administrator under the U.S. Department of Commerce, per About.US. about.us IANA lists Registry Services, LLC as the ccTLD manager for .us.

What to know before you sell it .us has a Nexus requirement (registrants must be a U.S. citizen/organization or have a bona fide U.S. presence/interest). about.us Proxy/privacy services are not permitted under current .US policy (and enforcement is explicitly discussed). about.us Retail pricing is set by .US-accredited registrars and their resale channels. about.us

How this affects “becoming a registrar” Even if you’re technically capable, you need to be ready for stricter compliance expectations (especially around registrant data and Nexus) because those become customer-support and enforcement workload, not just “policy text.”

.me (Montenegro): open registration, straightforward registrar onboarding signals

Who runs it:  IANA lists the Government of Montenegro as the ccTLD manager for .me. 

What the registry exposes publicly:  The .ME registry publishes an “online service and fee schedule” stating the space is open and that registrations are via authorized registrars, with an accreditation note pointing to signing the Registry-Registrar Agreement and OT&E considerations. 

In practice, .ME is usually one of the easier ccTLDs to add via a wholesaler, and it’s also one where direct onboarding tends to be operationally manageable if you already run EPP at scale.

.io (British Indian Ocean Territory): know the manager, expect a “channel-heavy” reality

Who runs it IANA lists Internet Computer Bureau Limited as the ccTLD manager for .io.

What the public-facing registry site implies NIC.IO positions itself as the official .IO registry/NIC and notes that its registrar services are powered by Name.com. nic.io Its terms also recognize that registrations may be entered into via an agent such as an ISP or registrar, and clarifies that listed registrars/resellers are not .IO Registrar. They use Identity Digital registry as the operating system and so in order to connect with .IO registry a registrar applicant needs to contact Identity Digital registry. 

Practical takeaway If your goal is to “sell .io,” the most common path is to source it through an upstream provider that already has the operational channel mapped out. If your goal is direct registry access, start by engaging the ccTLD manager listed by IANA and be prepared for less standardized “public onboarding” than you see with Nominet-style programs.

.ai (Anguilla): government manager, Identity Digital support path, clear contact for registrar onboarding

Who runs it IANA lists the Government of Anguilla as the ccTLD manager for .ai and points to nic.ai for registration services; it also lists an RDAP server under Identity Digital’s RDAP service. IANA

How to become a registrar (as stated by the registry site) NIC.AI says that if you’re interested in becoming an .ai registrar, you should contact their technical support team at Identity Digital. They use Identity Digital registry as the operating system and so in order to connect with .IO registry a registrar applicant needs to contact Identity Digital registry.  They also outline a simple onboarding sequence (complete onboarding docs → receive access → set up contacts → fund your account). 

This is one of the clearest “go here, do this” ccTLD registrar onboarding flows right now.

The “local presence / local company” markets: .au, .ru, .ca

This is where many global registrars get surprised. The policy isn’t “just do EPP and pay invoices.” It’s “be the right kind of legal entity in the right jurisdiction.”

.au (Australia): not strictly local-only, but local registration + security expectations are real auDA’s accreditation criteria explicitly say foreign companies are not precluded, but they must be registered as a foreign company and have an ARBN. The same criteria also require ISO/IEC 27001 certification and at least six months of domain industry experience (as a registrar or reseller). 

.ru (Russia): local legal entity requirement The Coordination Center’s documentation states that only legal entities incorporated under Russian law and based in the Russian Federation can be accredited as registrars. 

.ca (Canada): Canadian Presence Requirements apply to registrars CIRA’s registrar requirements include that a registrar must satisfy CIRA’s Canadian Presence Requirements for Registrars.

Practical takeaway for these markets If you’re outside the country, the usual options are: set up a local subsidiary that meets the registry’s legal presence rules, or sell via an already-accredited local partner/reseller channel (which often ends up being the commercially sensible first step).

Closing Reality check

If you’re trying to cover .co, .us, .me, .io, .ai, and .uk in one go, the same path is usually:

Start with reseller supply for breadth, to validate demand and support load.

Go direct only where the volume, margin, or strategic control actually justifies the legal + technical + operational overhead (Nominet-style programs make this easier to evaluate because the process is well-documented). Treat .au/.ru/.ca as “jurisdiction projects,” not mere TLD add-ons. 

If you want, I can also convert this into a tighter “implementation playbook” style post (still bloggy, but more operational), with a one-paragraph “what you’ll need to show the registry” checklist for each TLD.