The filed .web launch policy makes matching-name Priority Access conditional. Check the qualifying .com, exact label, availability, registrar and UTC window.
Owning a .com domain does not automatically put the matching .web domain in your account. The newly published .web launch policy describes a restricted Priority Access Program for qualifying .com registrants, with an exact-match requirement, a registration window and a same-registrar condition. For a business or portfolio owner, the useful question is not simply when .web launches.
It is whether the exact name, registrant and registrar meet the conditions for the particular phase. This article summarizes the public filing checked on November 11, 2026. It is not a registration offer, an eligibility determination or legal advice. Start with the actual launch document Domain Name Wire's November 11 launch report led us to the registration policy linked from ICANN's .web startup page .
Read that registry-provided policy , especially sections 1.1 and 1.5, before relying on a headline or a registrar's reminder. The policy's UTC timetable lists Priority Access from January 12, 2027 at 04:00:00 UTC through April 5, 2027 at 23:59:59 UTC . It lists general registration from April 6, 2027 at 00:00:00 UTC .
These are filed launch dates, not proof that a registrar already accepts orders or that a particular name will be available. The document allows period dates to be updated, so recheck the current filing and the registrar's instructions before acting. Four checks for the matching-name route Which .com registration qualifies?
Section 1.5.1 describes a current registrant of an ASCII second-level .com domain registered as of the start of the Priority Access period and held for longer than the Add Grace Period. Do not reduce that to anyone who can type a matching .com name or controls a similar brand. Is the .web label an exact match? Section 1.5.2 concerns the matching second-level name.
It does not describe a general right to alternative spellings, related keywords, or any name in the extension. Is that name available under the applicable rules? The stated opportunity is conditional on availability. The filing also keeps Claims Services, registry policies and applicable agreements in force. Qualification is not a promise that every matching name survives earlier phases or reservations.
Is the registrar the same? The .web registration must go through the registrar that is the registrar-of-record for the qualifying .com at the time the matching .web is registered. A convenient account at a different registrar does not by itself satisfy that condition. The practical distinction is between a conditional opportunity to register and a completed registration.
Nothing in this checklist means a matching .web arrives automatically, is free, or has been reserved specifically for you. A registrar transfer is not an instant eligibility shortcut Section 1.5.3 says Verisign's system will reflect an existing .com transfer within 48 hours after the gaining registrar becomes registrar-of-record, as needed for the matching registration.