Yes, the .ru rules still allow people and companies from any country to register a .ru domain. Since 1 September 2026, however, every .ru domain holder has to confirm their identity through Gosuslugi (ESIA), the Russian state services portal. Without this identification a .ru domain can no longer be registered or renewed.
What changed on 1 September 2026
- Resolution No. 1119 of the Government of the Russian Federation requires every holder (administrator) of a .ru, .рф or .su domain to be identified through ESIA (Gosuslugi).
- The identification is done at the registrar with a confirmed Gosuslugi account, and it has to be repeated every year to keep the right to manage the domain.
- A confirmed Gosuslugi account normally requires Russian documents. A separate procedure has been announced for foreigners who do not live in Russia, but at the date of this article it is not available.
What happens to .ru domains that are already registered
A .ru domain registered before 1 September 2026 keeps working until the end of its paid period. Renewing it, or changing the holder's details, requires identification through Gosuslugi.
What you can do if you live outside Russia
- If you have a confirmed Gosuslugi account, you can register and renew the .ru domain as before, after identification.
- If you do not, choose an extension without these requirements: .md for Moldova, .com for an international website, or .eu if you are a citizen of an EU country.
- If you already have a .ru domain you want to keep, contact us before it expires so we can look at the options together.
How IPHOST handles .ru orders
We register a new .ru domain only after the holder confirms they can complete the Gosuslugi identification. If the identification is not possible, the domain is not registered and the amount goes back to your IPHOST account balance.
Source: Coordination Center for TLD .RU – changes in domain name registration rules.