Keeping your .uk domain name

A .uk domain name is held up to an expiry date. Renewing it moves that date on by between one and ten years. The renewal goes through the company that looks after the name, which is called the registrar.

Renewing on time

Nominet runs the .uk registry. Your registrar renews the name for you, and it can do so at any time.

If the expiry date passes

If no renewal has arrived, Nominet emails the owner. The first email goes out one day after expiry and names the registrar, with its web address. More follow at 23, 30 and 83 days. Some registrars can switch off all but the last one, so do not count on getting them all.

For the first 30 days after expiry, the name still works as normal and can be renewed.

From day 30 to day 90, the name stops working. It no longer resolves, so a website or email address on it stops too. It can still be renewed, but it appears on Nominet's daily drop list.

From day 90 to day 95, it can no longer be renewed and waits to be deleted. On day 95 it drops, at a time set in the drop list, and any registrar can register it again.

Keeping the account in your hands

Your registrar can update the owner and contact details held on the name. Nominet checks the owner's name and address against outside records when a name is registered and when those details change.

For a company, that means the current name exactly as it is registered with Companies House. For a person, it means the full name, spelt correctly. Details that cannot be checked may lead to the name being suspended.

What changes on 9 February 2027

From 9 February 2027, Nominet will stop accepting direct registrations, so a .uk name is managed through a registrar. Nominet's updated policies and agreements take effect that day.

Nominet says it will still be a point of escalation for owners if a registrar does not follow the registry's policies.

A renewal message you were not expecting

Nominet's own reminder emails give the domain name, its expiry date and the registrar, with the registrar's web address. A message that does not match your registrar is worth checking before you act on it.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) describes phishing as criminals using "scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims". Reporting one to the NCSC is free and takes a minute.

When someone else claims the name

Disputes over .uk names go through Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) handles disputes filed on or after 7 July 2026. The rules cover names that are the same as, or similar to, a name or mark in which the person complaining has rights. legaldomain.co.uk explains the process from the side of the person bringing the complaint.

Useful links