What you will pay to ICANN:
US$3,500 non-refundable application fee, to be submitted with application.
US$4,000 yearly accreditation fee due upon approval and each year thereafter.
Variable fee (quarterly) billed once you begin registering domain names or, the first full quarter following your accreditation approval, whichever occurs first. This fee represents a portion of ICANN's operating costs and, because it is divided among all registrars, the amount varies from quarter to quarter.
Transaction-based gTLD fee (quarterly). This fee is a flat fee charged for each new registration, renewal or transfer. This fee can be billed by the registrar separately on its invoice to the registrant, but is paid by the registrar to ICANN.
Please refer to
http://www.icann.org/general/financial.html for the most recent ICANN budget to find additional details about the quarterly variable and transaction-based fees, including possible options for relief.
Other financial considerations:
Working Capital:
An applicant must demonstrate that it has adequate working capital available for the operation of the registrar business, given the registration volume reasonably projected by applicant. For applicants seeking initial accreditation, demonstration of the ability to procure liquid capital immediately available in the applicant's name at the commencement of the accreditation period in an amount of US$70,000 or more will be deemed adequate, although a lesser amount will be accepted upon a showing that in the circumstances the applicant has adequate liquid working capital. Evidence of independent verification of the capital (such as by guaranteed bank loan or by a guaranteed credit line or letter of credit from a recognized financial institution) need not accompany the application, but must be presented as a condition of accreditation becoming effective.
In cases where an applicant cannot demonstrate that it has access to at least $70,000 in liquid working capital, the applicant must demonstrate that it has sufficient resources available to meet its business needs in addition to adequate cash reserves, and that its business model does not require US$70,000 in liquid working capital for day-to-day operations.
