Nominet UK and .UK Domain Orders
Nominet UK operates the central registry for the .UK namespace. UKNAME.UK receives the client's order and coordinates the requested domain service. .UK registrations, renewals, transfers and other registry actions are processed under the applicable Nominet rules and registrar procedures.
1. Registrant agreement
By instructing a registrar to register a .UK domain, the registrant accepts the current Nominet Registrant Terms and Conditions together with the applicable Registry Policies and Dispute Resolution Service policy. These registry terms operate alongside the UKNAME.UK order and the registrar service terms.
2. Availability and registration
A search result or preliminary availability indication is not a reservation. The domain is secured only when the registration transaction is accepted by the registry. The registrant must have the right to request the registration and is responsible for considering third-party name and trademark rights.
3. Registration data and validation
Nominet requires registrars to submit complete and accurate data that can be validated. Registration data can include the registrant's name or organisation, postal address, email, telephone details and domain configuration information. Nominet may validate registrant data against appropriate data sources. If information cannot be validated, the registrant or registrar may be asked to correct it or provide evidence. A domain can be suspended if required data remains invalid under the applicable data-quality process.
4. WHOIS / RDDS privacy
Nominet's current data-quality guidance states that the public .UK WHOIS does not display the registrant's name or address unless permission has been given to publish it. The registry can still publish registration status, registrar information and the validation status of registrant data, and can make data available through lawful registration-data services where permitted.
5. Renewal and expiry
The annual price and UKNAME.UK renewal procedure are communicated to the client as part of the service. At registry level, Nominet's current registrar procedure permits renewal up to 90 days after the expiry timestamp and states that a domain that is not renewed drops 95 days after expiry. The client should not rely on the registry grace period as a substitute for paying the registrar renewal request on time because DNS/service status and operational deadlines can change after expiry.
6. Transfers
.UK transfers between registrars use the registrar TAG system. A transfer request must be authorised by the registrant and processed under the applicable registrar and Nominet procedures. UKNAME.UK can coordinate the service steps relevant to the client's order; the actual registry operation is performed through the registrar channel.
7. Domain changes and DNS
Changing nameservers or DNS records can affect website and email availability. DNS changes require propagation across caching resolvers and are not instantaneous. The client is responsible for supplying correct target records where external hosting or email services are used.
8. Dispute Resolution Service
Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) is the specialist process for disputes concerning abusive .UK registrations and domain ownership. UKNAME.UK does not determine trademark or ownership disputes. Where a dispute is filed, the domain can be subject to the restrictions required by Nominet and the parties must use the DRS process.
9. Data processing roles
Information needed for a domain order is collected to prepare and manage the requested service. Nominet processes registry data under its own registry responsibilities and policies. Additional information is set out in the Privacy Policy.