About .co.uk Domains

About .co.uk Domains

Nominet is the official registry for .co.uk domains, which represent commercial entities in the United Kingdom. As a sponsored top-level domain, only companies registered in the UK with a local address can register .co.uk domains.

Who Can Register .co.uk Domains

To be eligible to register a .co.uk domain name, you must:

  • Be a registered company or formal organization in the UK
  • Provide a valid UK address

Individuals cannot register .co.uk domains in their personal names. The registry checks company details during the registration process.

Registration Requirements and Restrictions

When registering a .co.uk domain, you must follow these rules:

  • Length: Between 2 and 64 characters
  • Characters: Letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens
  • IDNs: Supported for Welsh and other scripts
  • Reserved names: Some names are reserved and unavailable for registration

You cannot use special characters like @ or # in a .co.uk domain name.

Domain Registration and Renewal

  • Registration term: 2 years
  • Renewal term: 2 years

.co.uk domains renew automatically before the expiration date unless set to manual renewal. If automatic renewal fails, there may be a redemption period to recover an expired domain:

  • First renewal attempt: 30 days before expiration
  • Second attempt: 5 days before expiration
  • Redemption grace period: 30 days after expiration

Expired domains deleted after the 30-day redemption period must be re-registered instead of renewed.

Transfers

  • Transfers to Truehost: Supported
  • Transfers away from Truehost: Supported
    • Authorization code required
  • Transfers to another Truehost account: Supported

Other Features

  • Privacy protection: Supported
  • Nameserver requirements: 2 required, up to 13 allowed
  • DNSSEC: Supported
  • Refund policy: Limited refunds available
  • Cancellation procedure: Contact support

In summary, .co.uk domains have specific eligibility requirements for UK companies. With restrictions on registration and renewal terms, businesses should closely track registration details to keep their .co.uk websites active.

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