What to do if you’re a UK company with a .eu domain
Following Brexit, UK persons and organisations without an EU registered address will no longer be able to hold a .eu domain. Find out what you need to do.
The UK left the EU on 31st January 2020, entering a ‘transition period’. This period was agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and will last until at least 31st December 2020.
During this transition period, UK residents and citizens can continue to hold and register a .eu domain name. However, this will all change once the period lapses. UK persons and organisations that have registered .eu domain names will no longer be legally eligible for these registrations.
Whilst details have not yet been finalised, we outline the current plans provided by EURid, the .eu domain authority.
Who can own a .eu domain?
To be eligible to hold a .eu domain name you must be:
- an EU citizen, independent of where you live
- a resident in the EU or EEA
- an organisation or business that is established in the EU or EEA
In summary, .eu domains are only available for people, companies or organisations with an EU address.
Consequently, once the UK leaves the EU and the transition period ends, UK persons and organisations without an EU registered address will no longer be able to hold a .eu domain.
If you have an EU address, you can update your domain information to your EU address and continue to use your domain as normal. A good example is a large UK multinational with multiple offices across the EU.
For solely UK-based businesses and UK-based citizens without an EU address, you will no longer be able to register .eu domains, or renew any existing .eu domains.
What happens to my existing .eu domain?
Up until the end of the transition period, you can continue to use any existing .eu domains.
However, if you do have an EU registered address, we recommend updating your registrant details to avoid losing your domain once the UK’s exit is complete. To change your registrant details, contact your hosting provider.
If you do not have an alternative EU address, at a future date subject to ongoing negotiations, your domain name will be deactivated and removed from your account.
This means you will need to register a different domain name such as .uk or .co.uk. Once you have purchased your new domain name, you can migrate your existing website and associated products to your new address. If you need any help or advice doing this, our IT Services and Networking team can help you to migrate everything quickly and securely.
We strongly recommend planning for this as early as possible as a change in domain may have wider branding implications and may affect your web traffic and SEO. You will also need to communicate the change to your customers and users.
