Wikipedia:Standard offer

This essay contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia users. Essays may represent common ideas, or ideas that many users would not support. They are not rules. Think carefully about what they say before following them.

When an editor receives a siteban or an indefinite block, one of the things he or she usually wonders is where things go from there. Is there any way to return to good standing or are they are left outside of editing Wikipedia forever?

The standard offer is not binding; it is just a set of requirements some Wikipedians believe in. However, it may help to achieve consensus and move the process of returning to Wikipedia forward.

It's simple:

1. Wait at least six months without evading the block through an unblocked IP address while the user account is blocked and sockpuppeting to edit.
2. Edit on other Wikimedia projects without encountering problems through warnings and sanctions during the six months or more waiting period.
3. Promise to avoid the behavior that led to the block/ban, and when appealing for an unblock after the required waiting period, state the activities and updates made on other projects and solutions to problems mentioned by the community on an appeal as an evidence to a positive changed contributing behavior.
4. Don't create any extraordinary reasons to object to a return.

• Contact a willing administrator or experienced editor (via email or IRC).
• If they agree a review is appropriate, they'll open a thread on the administrators' noticeboard.
• Discussion usually takes a few days.

Apologies aren't necessary, just basic courtesy and a willingness to move forward productively.

The standard offer applies to community-based indefinite blocks and bans in situations where things just didn't work out: normal people, short fuses, etc. It doesn't extend to extremes. Generally speaking, if law enforcement could have become involved then this offer doesn't apply.

The six month threshold can be adjustable under special circumstances. If an editor shows a very good post-block or ban record of behaviour, such as positive contributions to another Wikimedia Foundation wiki, then a return to editing might be considered sooner. However, if the six month waiting is already followed and appeal is still declined even with positive changed behavior, this means one must wait for the community decision to let an administrator unblock the user.

On the other hand, if the indefinitely blocked or banned user continues to be especially disruptive then some may become unwilling to allow the user's return for a much longer time or, quite possibly, ever.