Registrar Data Escrow Agent Transition Resources

Background

On 20 March 2023 ICANN org opened a Request for Proposal to identify one or more ICANN-designated registrar data escrow agent(s) (DEA) qualified to provide escrow services to ICANN-accredited registrars. ICANN org announced in July 2023 that DENIC Services GmbH & Co. KG (DENIC) was selected as the sole ICANN-designated registrar data escrow agent. DENIC is headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany and has been an ICANN-designated registrar DEA since 2018. DENIC has expanded its technical operations to North America and is well-positioned to scale and service ICANN's registrar base globally, giving registrars the option to choose to have their data stored in Europe or North America.

Since DENIC was selected as the sole ICANN-designated registrar DEA, NCC Group Software Resilience (NA) LLC (NCC Group) is no longer accepting new registrar customers as of 17 July 2023 and will no longer provide registrar data escrow services as of 1 November 2024, after its existing registrar customers are transitioned to another DEA. Therefore, all registrars who currently deposit with NCC Group must prepare to transition to another DEA in the coming months.

Registrars that would like to deposit with an ICANN-designated DEA, whose services are provided at no charge to registrars, will need to prepare to switch to DENIC. Alternatively, registrars may opt to use an ICANN-approved DEA at their own expense. It is expected that most registrars will need to take action to avoid potential compliance issues. Please review the options below:

1. Registrars Currently Depositing with NCC Group
2. Registrars Currently Depositing with DENIC
3. Registrars Currently Depositing with Another ICANN-approved DEA

For additional information, please review our FAQs – Registrar Data Escrow Agent Change.

1. Registrars Currently Depositing with NCC Group

   1. Transition to DENIC

      Registrars that are currently depositing with NCC Group and who would like to continue to have their DEA fees paid for by ICANN org should plan to transition to DENIC. Registrars will be notified by ICANN of their transition options and next steps approximately 120 days before their NCC Group registrar data escrow agreement renewal date. Once the notification is received, registrars will need to submit a registrar DEA change request to ICANN org no later than 75 days before their NCC Group data escrow agreement renewal date. Please review the FAQs – Registrar Data Escrow Agent Change and reach out to ICANN org with any questions related to the transition timing.

      Registrars transitioning to DENIC will have onboarding support from DENIC throughout the process, including webinars and other resources. DENIC has put a dedicated support team in place to assist registrars with the transition. This support includes streamlining onboarding via its onboarding support and an API for bulk onboarding of registrar groups and registrars using the same back-end provider.

      DENIC's registrar data escrow platform is fully integrated with ICANN's Registration Reporting Interfaces (RRI) system. As a result, some registrars may be required to make adjustments to their data escrow deposits to ensure conformance with the Registrar Data Escrow Specifications as per the Registrar Data Escrow Deposit verification process. In addition, registrars transitioning to DENIC must execute a new registrar data escrow agreement that includes an optional data processing agreement.

      Below is a brief summary of the expected transition process:

      • Registrars receive notice from ICANN org approximately 120 days before their data escrow agreement renewal date with NCC Group.
      • Registrars submit a completed DEA change request form to ICANN org no later than 75 days before their data escrow agreement renewal date. Additional details about the DEA change request process are available here.
      • Registrars execute a new registrar data escrow agreement with DENIC and ICANN org.
      • Registrars submit their first successful deposit with DENIC.
      • ICANN org sends a transition notice to registrar, DENIC, and NCC Group stating the NCC Group registrar data escrow agreement is deemed terminated.

   2. Transition to an ICANN-approved DEA

      In addition to transitioning to the ICANN-designated DEA (above), registrars that are currently depositing with NCC Group also have the option of transitioning to an ICANN-approved DEA. Please note, ICANN org does not cover the fees charged by ICANN-approved DEAs. The list of ICANN-approved DEAs can be found here.

      Registrars will be notified by ICANN org of their transition options and next steps approximately 120 days before their NCC Group data escrow agreement renewal date. Once notification is received, registrars will need to submit a DEA change request no later than 75 days before their NCC Group data escrow agreement renewal date.

      Below is a brief summary of the expected transition process:

      • Registrars receive notice from ICANN org approximately 120 days before their data escrow agreement renewal date with NCC Group.
      • Registrars submit a completed DEA change request form to ICANN org no later than 75 days before their data escrow agreement renewal date. Additional details about the DEA change request process are available here.
      • Registrars execute a data escrow agreement with an ICANN-approved DEA and ICANN org.
      • Registrars submit their first successful deposit with the selected ICANN-approved DEA.
      • ICANN org sends a transition notice to registrar, ICANN-approved DEA, and NCC Group stating the NCC Group registrar data escrow agreement is deemed terminated.

2. Registrars Currently Depositing with DENIC

   No action is required for registrars that are already depositing with DENIC and would like to continue doing so. If registrars would like to sign an optional data processing agreement, they may reach out to the DENIC support team (escrow@denic-services.de) for more details.

3. Registrars Currently Depositing with Another ICANN-approved DEA

   Registrars that are currently depositing with any other current ICANN-approved DEA do not need to act at this time. If any registrar wishes to switch to DENIC, and therefore have their fees covered by ICANN, they may submit a DEA change request to ICANN org.

Relevant Resources

• Registrar Data Escrow Program
• Registrar Data Escrow Agent Change Request Service
• FAQs – Registrar Data Escrow Agent Change
• Information for new DENIC customers