Quick answer
Who controls a .uk domain, and what does it cost?
.uk domain at PanamaRegistrar, as of October 2026: $38.49 a year, the same price to renew. .uk is managed by Nominet UK in Oxford, United Kingdom, under English law and Nominet's own policies; Nominet suspends domains reported by UK law enforcement for criminal use.
.uk registry facts
| Registry manager (IANA) | Nominet UK |
|---|---|
| Registry location | Oxford — United Kingdom |
| Back-end operator | Nominet UK, Oxford (United Kingdom) |
| Legal framework | National ccTLD policy (United Kingdom) |
| Dispute policy | Nominet DRS (UDRP variation, WIPO list) |
| Who can register | Anyone; both .uk and .co.uk are available |
| WHOIS / RDAP | no WHOIS host listed · RDAP rdap.nominet.uk/uk/ |
| DNSSEC | Yes (DS record in the root zone) |
| Registration term | 1 to 10 years |
| Price at PanamaRegistrar | $38.49/year; renewal $38.49/year; transfer $38.49 |
| IANA record last updated | 4 August 2026 |
Who runs the .uk registry, and from which country?
IANA lists Nominet UK, Minerva House, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, as manager and technical operator of .uk. IANA lists no WHOIS host but an RDAP service at rdap.nominet.uk/uk/. The record was updated on 4 August 2026. Nominet runs .uk under its own registration terms and UK law; there is no ICANN registry agreement for a country code. Both direct .uk names and .co.uk names are available, per the dataset.
Can a court in the United Kingdom take down or seize a .uk domain?
UK courts have direct authority over Nominet, and Nominet also acts without a court in criminal cases. Under its Criminal Practices Policy, it can suspend a .uk domain when the police or another law enforcement agency alert it that the domain is used for criminal activity. Nominet checks each domain and works with the registrar to suspend it. A suspension can be lifted if the agency says the activity stopped, or if it does not answer within 10 working days. Nominet says it does not judge whether content is criminal.
What does PanamaRegistrar do with a complaint about a .uk domain?
Nothing happens to a .uk domain on a complaint alone. Copyright, defamation, political or competitor complaints need a decision from a Panamanian court; a foreign judgment must first be recognised in Panama by exequatur. Phishing, malware, botnets and fraud that takes money from victims are suspended within 24 hours of a well-documented report, child sexual abuse material immediately, and the URLs are reported to NCMEC. You are told before any action on your domain, unless the law or the court order forbids it; with Domain protection, every complaint is also read by a person before any action on the domain. This rule covers what PanamaRegistrar does, not the registry or our registrar partner. Steps and time limits: takedown procedure and how we handle complaints.
Who uses .uk domains, and why?
Sites aimed at the UK market use .uk and .co.uk, according to the dataset. British shops, charities and media use them as their first extension. Registration is open: according to research cited in our notes, a UK address has not been required since 2018. Terms run from 1 to 10 years.
Which registry rules are specific to .uk?
Nominet redacts all registrant contact data in public lookups, per the dataset. The .uk wholesale cost was about 5.26 US dollars a year in our dataset. Because .uk is sold with Domain protection only at PanamaRegistrar, Nominet's holder of record is our company. .uk supports DNSSEC; IANA lists RDAP but no WHOIS host for it. A .uk domain moves between registrars by a change of IPS tag at the current registrar, not with an EPP code, and whether a year is added on such a move depends on Nominet's rules.
What does the WHOIS show for a .uk domain?
Nominet redacts all registrant contact data, so public lookups do not show a holder's details. With Domain protection, the holder Nominet knows is our company; your email never reaches the registry. Lookups go to RDAP at rdap.nominet.uk.
Why is .uk sold with Domain protection only?
.uk is one of the 12 extensions sold with Domain protection only. Its registry needs a holder name and a postal address, and we collect one verified email, so the domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC. The price, $38.49, is $9.49 for the extension plus $29 for Domain protection. You stay the beneficial owner: full control, a free EPP code, and the domain put back in your own name on request, free. A UDRP complaint names the registrant of record, our company; we tell you, and you can answer it.
Which dispute policy applies to .uk?
.uk disputes go to Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service (DRS): free mediation, then a binding decision by an independent expert if the complainant pays. Nominet states that case administration moved to WIPO from 7 July 2026, with the DRS Policy unchanged. WIPO lists .uk as a UDRP variation. Our steps for trademark cases: UDRP and URS.
How much does a .uk domain cost, and how is it renewed?
At PanamaRegistrar, as of October 2026, .uk costs $38.49/year; renewal is $38.49/year, and a transfer $38.49. Whether a transfer adds a year depends on the registry of the extension, and the checkout shows it before you pay. Term: 1 to 10 years. Payment is in crypto (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC) from a prepaid balance, minimum top-up $25. Every extension: price list.
Search a .uk domain
Popular extensions
- .uk $38.49
.uk questions
Can UK police get a .uk domain suspended without a court?
Yes. Under Nominet's Criminal Practices Policy, Nominet can suspend a .uk domain when a law enforcement agency alerts it to criminal use. Nominet checks the domain and works with the registrar. PanamaRegistrar cannot stop a registry-level suspension; we tell you when we learn of one.
Which dispute policy applies to .uk?
Nominet's Dispute Resolution Service: free mediation first, then a binding decision by an independent expert. Nominet states that case administration moved to WIPO from 7 July 2026, with the policy unchanged. The UDRP itself does not apply to .uk.
Does a .uk domain need a UK address?
No. According to our notes, the UK address requirement ended in 2018. At PanamaRegistrar, .uk is sold with Domain protection only, so our company is the holder of record and the registry receives its details, never yours.
Can PanamaRegistrar stop the .uk registry from acting on a court order?
No. The .uk registry, Nominet UK, keeps its own copy of the registration and applies the law of its own country. PanamaRegistrar decides only what its own service does: we act on Panamanian court orders, not on unverified complaints. Our registrar partner also keeps its own legal duties. We tell you when we learn of a registry-level action, unless the law or the order forbids it. See the registry jurisdiction index.
How do I pay for a .uk domain?
In crypto only: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC. Top up your balance (minimum $25), then register the .uk domain from it at $38.49/year. Send the exact amount on the exact network; the top-up is credited after the network confirmations. No ID and no KYC: one verified email per domain, never published.
Sources (8)
- IANA Root Zone Database: .uk delegation record — IANA (checked 2026-10-19)
- Domain disputes: the .UK Dispute Resolution Service — Nominet (checked 2026-10-19)
- Nominet formalises approach to tackling criminal activity on .UK domains — Nominet (checked 2026-10-19)
- ccTLD database: country code domains that use WIPO dispute resolution — WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (checked 2026-10-19)
- Amazon Route 53 developer guide: .uk registration rules — Amazon Web Services (checked 2026-10-08)
- .uk (encyclopedia entry) — Wikipedia (checked 2026-10-08)
- How all 33 European ccTLDs are handling GDPR — Domain Incite (2018)
- Running a domain costs about a dollar a year: what eight registries charge — WebHosting.Today (6 August 2026)