Advice for individuals, companies or organisations in the UK who have registered .eu domain names or are considering doing so
If the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without a deal, you’ll no longer be able to register or renew .eu domain names if:
- your organisation, business or undertaking is established in the UK but not in the EU/European Economic Area (EEA); or
- you live outside of the EU/EEA and are not an EU/EEA citizen
Should the UK leave the EU without a deal, UK registrants will receive an email notification from EURid on 24 October and again on 1 November 2019 informing them that their domain name is not compliant with the .eu regulatory framework.
Grace period for UK registrants
There will be a grace period until 1 January 2020, during which the domain names in question will remain active and can continue to be used by the registrant. During this time, you will have to demonstrate your compliance with the .eu regulatory framework by, eg:
- notifying EURid that you have a legally established entity in the EEA
- updating residence to an EU or EEA member state
- demonstrating EU citizenship
During this grace period, you will not be able to extend the term of your current .eu domain licence if it is not compliant.
If you’re no longer eligible
Registrants who have not been able to demonstrate their eligibility by 1 January 2020 will have their .eu domain names withdrawn and they will become inoperable. This means that you will not be able to access your .eu websites or email from 1 January 2020
If you do not meet the eligibility criteria and your domain name expires during this two month period, it will not be automatically renewed. It will be withdrawn at the point of expiry.
EURid will not make these domains available to any other entity for a further ten months, until 1 November 2020. On 1 November 2020, all affected domain names will be revoked and become available for general registration.
From 1 November 2019, if there’s no Brexit deal, EURid will not allow the registration of any new domain name where the registrant cannot fulfil the eligibility criteria.
Read the latest .eu domain names notice from the European Commission.
Eligibility of EU citizens
New European regulations on .eu domain names expand the current eligibility criteria to allow EU citizens to register .eu domain names independently of their place of residence.
From 19 October 2019, EU citizens who are resident in the UK will be able to retain their .eu addresses, although they may need to update their details held by their registrar to prove eligibility.
Find full guidance on .eu domain names – what you need to do if there’s no Brexit deal
