Ethereum Name Service proposes activating ENSv2 upgrade, pausing new .eth registrations on current system

Ethereum Name Service founder Nick Johnson has submitted a draft proposal to the ENS DAO to activate ENSv2 on the Ethereum mainnet. If approved, new .eth registrations on the original system will freeze and pause for several hours before reopening on ENSv2, while existing domain holders can retain their names indefinitely without mandatory migration. The upgrade introduces a redesigned registry structure, stablecoin payments, and a fee increase for longer names. Approval requires 1 million ENS votes and a majority in a seven-day vote, followed by a two-day timelock.

Proposal details and DAO voting rules

• ▪Ethereum Name Service founder Nick Johnson submitted a draft proposal on October 11, 2026, asking the ENS DAO to approve the activation of ENSv2 on the Ethereum mainnet.
• ▪The ENSv2 activation proposal bundles 15 smart contract calls from the DAO timelock into a single atomic transaction to halt new .eth registrations on the original v1 registrar.
• ▪ENS DAO executable proposals require at least 1% participation, equivalent to 1 million ENS votes, and a simple majority vote over a seven-day period to pass.
• ▪If approved by the ENS DAO, the proposal must undergo a mandatory waiting period of at least two days under a timelock before implementation.

ENSv2 architecture and feature changes

• ▪ENSv2 reduces the post-expiry grace period from 90 days to 28 days, while extending migrated domain expiration dates by 62 days to preserve overall timelines.
• ▪ENSv2 introduces stablecoin payments including USDC and DAI for registrations and renewals, while raising annual fees for names with five or more characters from $5 to $8.
• ▪ENSv2 replaces the original flat registry with a hierarchical, connected architecture that permits individual domains to maintain custom sub-registries and granular permission roles.

Transition impact on domain holders

• ▪Existing .eth domain holders will remain able to renew their names during and after the transition to ENSv2.
• ▪Existing .eth domain holders are not required to migrate to ENSv2 and can retain their names on the original system indefinitely without a fixed deadline.
• ▪New .eth domain registrations on both the original registrar and ENSv2 will be paused for several hours during the synchronization transition.
• ▪Domain holders who choose to migrate to ENSv2 undergo a permanent transfer where original v1 tokens move to an un-extractable Graveyard contract and cannot return to the old system.

ENS Labs administrative handover

• ▪ENS Labs expects to publish transaction records and a verification script after its administrative handover so community members can verify it no longer holds privileged permissions over ENSv2 contracts.
• ▪Upon full activation of ENSv2, ENS Labs plans to transfer its remaining administrative control and privileged roles over the upgraded contracts to the ENS DAO.

Debatable claims

• ▪Pausing new registrations for several hours is an acceptable tradeoff for synchronizing records
• ▪The ENS DAO should approve the ENSv2 activation proposal
• ▪Shortening the post-expiry grace period to 28 days unfairly penalizes domain owners
• ▪Making ENSv2 domain migration permanent and irreversible creates unnecessary user risk