The aim of these articles is to keep our Clients and Associates updated about developments in the sector of Intellectual Property in general and our firm in particular. In this way, we wish to provide a broader view of the tools that the field of trade marks, domain names, patents, designs and related rights offers to entrepreneurs to enhance and protect their efforts in researching and developing new solutions and ideas.
Important Changes to .RU, .РФ, and .SU Domain Regulations
Beginning 1 September 2026, mandatory verification through the Unified System of Identification and Authentication (USIA) will take effect for all .RU, .РФ (.xn--p1ai), and .SU domain names. Domain holders must link their domains to an officially verified organization in Russia via an employee holding a verified personal USIA account.
Impact on Foreign Organizations
Because USIA verification requires local Russian identity credentials, foreign companies without an established branch or representative office in Russia will be unable to set up an account under current rules.
Key Aspects of the New Regulations
- Unverified domains will remain operational until their current term expires, but failure to link them to a verified Russian entity prior to 1 September 2026 will prevent all future management, renewals, and ownership transfers.
- To bring a non-compliant domain into compliance after the deadline, it will have to be deleted and re-registered, exposing it to the risk of being snapped up by third parties.
- Second-level domains (e.g., .COM.RU) are exempt from this requirement.
- To avoid risking domain loss and jeopardizing the services associated therewith (such as website and email services), non-resident domain holders should transition their domains to a local trustee prior to 1 September 2026.
- To initiate the trustee service, standard company registration documents (Certificate of Incorporation, Commercial Register extract, or Articles of Association), in English, Russian, or accompanied by a certified Russian translation, are required.
Our firm can help the holders of Russian domains .RU, .РФ, and .SU in finding a Russian trustee and assist them in all domain-related matters.