Ethereum Name Service has proposed activating ENSv2 without requiring existing .eth domain holders to migrate to the new system. The October 11 proposal would let users keep their current names indefinitely by continuing to renew them, while offering a permanent migration option for those seeking access to upgraded features.
The proposal remains subject to approval by the ENS decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), whose October 12 governance bulletin listed the vote as pending. ENS has not announced a launch date.
Migration and Technical Changes
Once activated, ENSv2 would handle all new .eth registrations, replacing the existing registration infrastructure introduced in 2017. The upgrade introduces a hierarchical structure that allows individual domains to maintain separate registries for their subdomains, giving owners more flexibility in assigning permissions.
Holders who migrate would permanently transfer management of their domains to the new system. During migration, an owner's existing ENSv1 token would move into a smart contract known as the Graveyard, which cannot return or transfer the tokens it receives. No mechanism exists for returning to the original system after migration.
Users choosing to remain on ENSv1 would keep access to their domains and continue renewing them through a dedicated contract that also preserves their ENSv2 reservations.
Fee Structure Changes
The transition would introduce changes to registration costs. Annual fees for names containing five or more characters would rise 60 percent to $8 from $5, while prices for three- and four-character names would remain unchanged.
ENSv2 would introduce discounts for longer registrations, reducing annual costs by approximately 44 percent for users purchasing six or more years of registration.
Registration and renewal payments would use stablecoins, including USDC and DAI, replacing ETH-denominated payments and keeping fees fixed in dollar terms.
Domain Expiration and Transition Timeline
Domain expiration rules would also change under the new system. The existing 90-day grace period would shrink to 28 days for migrated names. To compensate, ENS would extend registration expiry dates by 62 days, preserving the original deadline when names become available to others.
Names remaining on ENSv1 would retain their 90-day grace period, while domains already expired beyond that window would not receive reservations in the new registry.
ENS expects to temporarily suspend new registrations while developers synchronize existing records and activate the new infrastructure, a process expected to take several hours. The proposal includes conflicting provisions on renewals during that interval, leaving uncertainty about whether existing holders can renew names before ENSv2 becomes operational.
Following DAO approval, ENS Labs would complete the final synchronization, activate ENSv2 registration and resolution, and transfer its remaining administrative permissions to the DAO. Wallets and applications integrating ENS must also update their resolution infrastructure to support the new system.
