Russian .ru domains: who can register one and the 2026 rules

A .ru domain is the country code domain of Russia. It is run by the Coordination Center for TLD RU, which also runs .рф, the Russian country domain in Cyrillic letters. Since 1 September 2026, new Russian rules apply: anyone who registers or holds a .ru domain must verify their identity through Gosuslugi, Russia's public services website, when they apply and again every year.

This article covers which country .ru belongs to, what changed in September 2026, who can hold a .ru domain, the naming rules, how registering, connecting and transferring work, and how the yearly identity check keeps your domain in your name.

Which country is .ru?

.ru belongs to Russia, the Russian Federation, in the same way .uk belongs to the United Kingdom. Russia received .ru on 7 April 1994. The Coordination Center for TLD RU keeps the registry of all .ru names and also runs .рф; the Technical Center of Internet handles the technical side. The old Soviet Union extension .su is still active as well:

The manager of each extension is listed in the IANA root zone database. The new Russian registration rules apply to all three.

What changed on 1 September 2026?

On 29 December 2025 Russia passed Federal Law 569-FZ, and on 31 August 2026 the Russian government adopted the matching domain registration rules (Resolution 1119). They apply from 1 September 2026 until 1 September 2032. The main changes:

• Identity verification through Gosuslugi. Anyone applying for a .ru domain verifies their identity through ESIA, the identification system behind Gosuslugi. Without that verification the registrar refuses the application.
• Every year. A .ru domain no longer has a fixed term. It stays in your name for as long as you verify your identity again every year.
• Also for changes. You also verify your identity when you change the name servers, update your details, transfer the domain to a new holder or a new registrar, or cancel it.
• Registrars. Under the new rules a registrar is a Russian company on a list kept by the Russian government. Registrars accredited before 1 September 2026 keep their old accreditation until they are added to that list, until 18 January 2027 at the latest.

The full texts are in the Coordination Center's official documents (in Russian). The Coordination Center itself says the transition still brings challenges, such as verifying the identity of people who do not live in Russia, in its news item of 11 November 2026.

Who can register a .ru domain?

The Russian rules do not exclude foreigners. A company outside Russia can hold a .ru domain and provides the tax number from its own country. But every holder, including an organisation, must verify its identity through ESIA, and that requires a Gosuslugi account. If you do not live in Russia, ask the registrar beforehand whether and how you can complete the verification.

When you apply, you give your registrar:

• As an individual: your full name, date of birth, home address, email address and phone number, the details of your identity document and your ESIA account.
• As an organisation: the full name and address of your organisation, its tax number (for a foreign organisation, the number from its country of registration), an email address, a phone number and your organisation's ESIA account.

Your details must be accurate, and you tell your registrar when anything changes. The registrar also refuses applications from anyone on a Russian list of organisations and individuals linked to extremism or terrorism, and from foreign organisations Russia has declared undesirable.

The public data of a .ru domain only shows that a domain held by an individual belongs to a private person. For an organisation it shows the name in Latin letters and the tax number. How to read that kind of data is explained in who manages your domain.

Naming rules for .ru domains

• Length. The part before .ru is 2 to 63 characters long.
• Characters. Use the letters a to z, the digits 0 to 9 and the hyphen. Upper and lower case count as the same name. Names in Cyrillic letters are registered under .рф.
• Start and end. A name starts and ends with a letter or digit, and cannot have hyphens in both the third and fourth position.
• Content. A name cannot be intended for unlawful activity or contain words contrary to the public interest, humanity or morality. Names of international organisations, Russian government bodies and similar names need proof that you may use them. A name that pointed to a website blocked in Russia, and names on the Coordination Center's stop list, are not available.
• Term. A .ru domain stays in your name for as long as you verify your identity every year. The price is set by your registrar.

Is a .ru domain right for you?

According to Google's guidelines for multi-regional websites, a country code domain is a strong signal that a site is meant for that country. A quick guide:

How to register a .ru domain

1. Check in the Coordination Center's WHOIS whether the name is still available.
2. Choose a registrar from the list of accredited registrars. The Coordination Center does not register names for end users itself. Ask the registrar beforehand how the Gosuslugi verification works with them.
3. Apply for the name in your account on the registrar's website and sign the registration agreement. Enter your details exactly as they appear on your document.
4. Verify your identity through Gosuslugi. The registrar decides on your application within three working days and lets you know. If several people apply for the same name, it goes to the first valid application.
5. Enter the name servers your domain should point to. If you host with LJPc, those are our name servers, as explained below.

Connect your .ru domain to your website and email at LJPc

Your .ru domain stays with your registrar and we take care of your website and email. To connect it:

1. Open the order wizard in the customer portal, choose I already have one at another registrar and enter your domain, for example yourdomain.ru. No account yet? Create one first.
2. Choose Keep domain elsewhere, connect hosting here.
3. Choose your hosting or forwarding package and complete the order. LJPc then creates a DNS zone for your domain.
4. Log in at your registrar and set the name servers of your .ru domain to ns1.ljpc.network, ns2.ljpc.network and ns3.ljpc.network. For .ru this is a request that also needs identity verification; your registrar processes it within three working days. How changing name servers works is explained in change your name servers.

Prefer to keep DNS at your registrar? Then add individual records there that point to your hosting with us, as described in point a domain to LJPc hosting. If DNSSEC is active at your registrar, have the DS record removed before you switch name servers. After the switch, the new information spreads across the internet, as explained in what is DNS propagation. What else to look out for, such as email hosted elsewhere, is covered in register and link a domain to your hosting.

Transfer a .ru domain to another registrar

You move a .ru domain to another .ru registrar with an AuthInfo code, the transfer code. Your current registrar issues the code within three working days of your request, and the code is valid for 20 days at most. You then request the transfer at your new registrar and verify your identity. Your current registrar does not charge for the transfer. The procedure is set out in the Coordination Center's transfer rules (in Russian); how transfer codes work in general is explained in get an EPP code and transfer your domain.

A transfer is not possible:

• when your yearly verification has lapsed and you have not verified your identity again yet;
• within 30 days of the domain being put in your name;
• within 30 days of a previous transfer to another registrar;
• if you do not verify your identity;
• if a restriction applies to the domain under the rules, for example during a court case about the domain.

Transfer a .ru domain to a new holder

To put the domain in someone else's name, you apply at your registrar. You verify your identity, and so does the new holder. The new holder signs an agreement with the same registrar and consents to the transfer. The registrar makes the change within three working days. It is not possible when your yearly verification has lapsed, within 30 days of the domain being put in your name, or if either of you does not verify their identity. More about changing a domain's holder is in change the owner of a domain.

Yearly verification: how to keep your .ru domain

The year counts from the registration or from your previous verification. This is how it works:

1. Between 60 and 50 days before the end of that year, your registrar emails you that you need to verify your identity again. The email goes to the address in the registry, so keep it up to date at your registrar.
2. From 60 days before the end of the year, you request the verification at your registrar and complete it through Gosuslugi.
3. Missed it? You can still verify your identity up to 30 days after the end of the year. Your registrar sends you two more reminders during that period.
4. If you still do not verify your identity, the registrar cancels the registration. You get an email about this ten days in advance. After that, anyone else can register the name.

If you already held a .ru domain before 1 September 2026, ask your registrar when your first verification is due. How expired domains work for other extensions is explained in expired or quarantined domains.

Want to connect your .ru domain to your hosting at LJPc and need a hand? Create a support ticket and we will help you out.