Guide for resellers
White label domain reseller: four ways to sell domains under your brand
A white label domain reseller sells domain names under its own brand while an ICANN accredited registrar does the registration behind the scenes. There are four ways to do it: join a registrar's reseller program, build on a registrar's API, become an accredited registrar yourself, or use a platform that sells the domain and connects it to your product. They differ in cost, control and what you answer for.
Short answer. You do not need ICANN accreditation to resell domains. You sign up with an accredited registrar that offers a reseller program or an API, set your own prices and present the service under your brand.
The registrar stays responsible to ICANN for the names it sponsors, and your customers must be able to find out who it is. That is the limit of "white label" in this market.
What a white label domain reseller does
A white label domain reseller sells domain registrations under its own name. Customers search, pay and manage their domains in the reseller's storefront or dashboard, and the reseller sets prices, sends the invoices and answers the first support question. Behind that storefront, an ICANN accredited registrar registers the name.
ICANN describes an accredited registrar as a company that offers registrations in generic top-level domains with direct access to their registries. A reseller does not have that access. It works through a registrar that does.
White label does not mean invisible. Section 3.12 of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement puts these duties on the registrar:
- It stays responsible for the registrar services on every name it sponsors, whether it or a reseller provides them.
- It needs a written agreement with each reseller that lets it meet its own obligations under the agreement.
- It must make sure a reseller's registration agreement carries the required provisions and notices, and either names the sponsoring registrar or gives a way to find it. Resellers must also identify the sponsoring registrar when a customer asks.
- It must make sure resellers do not display the ICANN or accredited registrar logo, or describe themselves as accredited by ICANN, without ICANN's written permission.
So your brand fronts the customer relationship while the registrar's name stays findable. Read the version of the agreement that ICANN currently publishes before you build a business on it.
Four ways to sell domains under your own brand
The routes differ in who is the registrar, how much you build and what you answer for.
| Route | What you do | Registrar of record | What it costs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reseller program | Sign up with an accredited registrar and sell through its storefront or control panel, branded as yours. | That registrar | The program's wholesale price for each domain. ICANN's fees are paid by the registrar. | Agencies and hosts adding domains as a side line |
| Registrar API | Build the registrar's API into your own checkout and dashboard. | That registrar | Wholesale prices, plus your engineering time. | Software companies that want domains inside their product |
| Become a registrar | Apply for ICANN accreditation and run the registrar yourself. | You | ICANN's fees and working capital requirement (next section), registry costs and the technical and operational requirements. | Companies with enough volume to justify the compliance work |
| A platform that sells and connects domains | Let a platform handle search, checkout and registration, and connect the domain to your product. | An upstream registrar that the platform chooses | The platform's plan, plus the price of each domain. | Software products where a purchased domain must work with the product right away |
What ICANN accreditation costs
If you want to be the registrar, ICANN publishes the entry costs. They are the floor, not the whole bill: ICANN calls its own list non-exhaustive, and each registry operator sets its own terms for registrars.
| Cost | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | US$3,500 | Non-refundable, whether the application is approved, denied or withdrawn. |
| Annual accreditation fee | US$4,000 a year | Paid in one payment or in quarterly payments of US$1,000. |
| Variable fee | Changes each quarter | Divided among all active registrars and billed quarterly. |
| Transaction fee | US$0.20 per transaction | Charged on each annual increment of an add, renewal or transfer, for registrars on the 2009 or 2013 agreement. A registrar may bill it to the registrant. |
| Working capital | US$70,000 or more is deemed adequate | ICANN accepts less when the applicant shows its working capital is enough. Evidence goes in with the application. |
| Registry costs | Set by each registry operator | Registrars deal with each generic top-level domain registry separately. |
Figures are from ICANN's financial considerations page and registrar fees page, checked on October 7, 2026. Confirm them there before you plan around them.
How to choose, and what to ask before you sign
- You want a storefront quickly. Use a reseller program. Your work is pricing, billing and support.
- You want domains inside your own product. Use a registrar API or a platform. You build the checkout, or the platform provides one.
- You want to be the registrar. Apply for accreditation, but only after you have counted the compliance, registry and working capital costs.
- You also need the domain to work with your software. Every route leaves that to you or to a platform. Buying a name does not point it at your product.
Questions for a reseller program or a registrar
- Who is the registrar of record, and how will customers find out?
- What are the renewal, restore and transfer prices, not just the first year price?
- Can customers transfer a domain away, and what do they need to do it?
- Who handles abuse reports and legal notices about a domain a customer registered through you?
- What happens to your customers' domains if you leave the program, or the registrar ends the agreement?
- Does DNS come with the domain, and can you change records through an API?
Selling the domain is half the job
A customer who buys a domain from a software product expects it to work with that product. After the sale, three things still have to happen: the DNS records must be written, an HTTPS certificate must be issued, and requests for the domain must reach the right account. A reseller program, a registrar API and accreditation all leave that work to you.
The white label custom domain guide covers the connection side in full, and the white label domain guide covers the meanings and DNS records.
How CustomDomain™ buys and connects domains
CustomDomain™ includes a buying flow, so a name bought in the console arrives already connected. In the console it lives under Sell, then Buy a domain, with the steps documented in Buying a domain:
- Search. A name returns availability with a live retail price, and the renewal price is shown up front. Results are grouped into the exact name, other endings and similar names.
- Authorize. Checkout collects the card and authorizes the amount. Nothing is charged yet.
- Register. The platform registers the domain on the server. A retry or reload cannot register or charge twice.
- Capture. The card is charged only after the registration succeeds. If it fails, the authorization is released and nothing is charged.
A purchased domain then behaves like one you brought yourself. It appears in the Domains console, it is connected automatically with the first records already written, and the same connections API, webhooks and offboarding apply. The platform chooses the upstream registrar for each ending, and the buying flow does not show that choice. The search, quote, checkout, purchase and order status endpoints are in the Registrar API reference, and AI agents can place orders through the MCP server, behind the integrator's own purchase authorization callback.
Domain resale is listed under the Enterprise plan, which is by contract. Book a call to scope it, or see pricing for the self-serve plans.
Can you create your own top-level domain?
A new generic top-level domain is created through ICANN's New gTLD Program, not by registering a name. In the 2026 round the evaluation fee is USD 227,000 per application, before the cost of running a registry, and the application window closed at 23:59 UTC on 12 August 2026. IANA's root zone database sorts top-level domains into generic, country-code, sponsored, generic-restricted and infrastructure types, plus a test type.
If the goal is a branded address, you do not need a top-level domain. A domain you own, or a subdomain of it, does the job. See the subdomain and root domain section of the white label domain guide.
Is reselling domains legal?
Yes. Buying domains and selling them, whether as a reseller or as an investor, is legal. Trouble starts when a name is registered in bad faith to profit from someone else's trademark. That is cybersquatting, and it can lose a case under ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy and, in the US, create liability under the anticybersquatting law. This is general information, not legal advice. See also Is a white label domain legal?
Sources and further reading
- ICANN, 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (section 3.12, resellers)
- ICANN, registrar accreditation financial considerations
- ICANN, registrar fees
- ICANN, gTLD evaluation fee FAQs, 2026 round
- IANA, root zone database and TLD types
- ICANN, Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy
- CustomDomain™ docs, buying a domain
Frequently asked questions
What is a white label domain reseller?
A white label domain reseller sells domain registrations under its own brand while an ICANN accredited registrar does the registration. Customers deal with the reseller for search, payment and support. The registrar remains responsible to ICANN for the names it sponsors.
How do I become a white label domain reseller?
Choose a route from the table above. For most businesses that means a reseller program or a registrar API: read the agreement, check wholesale, renewal and transfer prices, set your own prices, and build or configure the storefront and billing. You do not need ICANN accreditation, because the registrar holds it.
Do I need to be ICANN accredited to resell domains?
No. A reseller sells through an accredited registrar. Under section 3.12 of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement, the registrar needs a written agreement with each reseller and stays responsible for the registrar services on the names it sponsors.
Can customers see which registrar holds their domain?
Yes, by design. ICANN's agreement requires a reseller's registration agreement to name the sponsoring registrar or give a way to identify it, and requires resellers to identify the sponsoring registrar when a customer asks.
What is a white label domain registrar?
It is usually a registrar that lets partners sell under their own brand. In ICANN's terms the accredited company is the sponsoring registrar and the partner is a reseller. The partner's brand fronts the sale, and the registrar's name remains findable.
How much does it cost to become a domain registrar?
ICANN charges a US$3,500 non-refundable application fee and US$4,000 a year, plus a quarterly variable fee and, for registrars on the 2009 or 2013 agreement, US$0.20 per transaction. ICANN also looks for adequate working capital and deems US$70,000 or more adequate. Registry operators set their own costs. Check ICANN's pages for current figures.
Can I create my own TLD?
A new generic top-level domain goes through ICANN's New gTLD Program. In the 2026 round the evaluation fee is USD 227,000 per application, and the application window closed at 23:59 UTC on 12 August 2026. For a branded address you can use a domain or subdomain you already own.
Is domain flipping illegal?
No. Buying domains and selling them at a profit is legal. Registering a name in bad faith to profit from someone else's trademark is cybersquatting, which can lose a UDRP case and, in the US, create liability under the anticybersquatting law. This is not legal advice.
Does CustomDomain™ sell domains?
Yes. The console has a buying flow that searches, authorizes the card, registers the domain and charges only after the registration succeeds. The new domain is connected automatically. An upstream registrar fulfills each ending, and domain resale is listed under the Enterprise plan, which is by contract.
What is the difference between a white label domain and a white label domain reseller?
A white label domain is a domain that carries your brand instead of a vendor's, such as app.youragency.com in front of someone else's software. A white label domain reseller is a business that sells domain registrations under its own brand. The two ideas overlap when a software product sells customers a domain and connects it.