- Terms & Conditions of Domain Name Registration – The contract a Registrant enters into with Nominet when they register a .UK domain name.
- .UK Registry-Registrar Agreement – The contract between Nominet and our Registrars. Includes the standards and obligations we expect of our Registrars when dealing with .UK domain names.
- Rules of Registration – The rules for the registration and use of domain names within the .UK domain and its sub-domains. These rules form part of our Terms & Conditions of Domain Name Registration and are part of the Registrant’s contract with Nominet.
- Schools Domain Name Rules – Rules for the allocation of .sch.uk domain names to schools.
- Definitions & Interpretations – A glossary of terms used in our various contracts, policies, or Ts & Cs.
- Registrar Systems – Acceptable Use Policy Usage limits for users of our various Registrar facilities.
Nominet Terms
Since 1996 Nominet has operated at the heart of the UK’s internet community as the .UK domain name registry.
They believe in a world that is connected, inclusive and secure and their policies provide the framework of principles which ensure this ambition is reflected in the .UK namespace.
Contracts and rules
Criminal activity
- Criminal Practices Policy – How we address criminal activity in .UK, .cymru and .wales. This policy is also available in Welsh.
WHOIS
As part of our service we maintain a directory called ‘WHOIS’ – an official listing of the full details of all .UK domain names.
- WHOIS Contract Terms – The terms you agree to as a WHOIS user.
- Acceptable Use Policy – Usage limits for our .UK WHOIS tool.
- Searchable WHOIS Terms of Use – The terms you agree to as a user of our searchable WHOIS facility. The searchable WHOIS provides additional search functionality such as the use of wildcard search terms.
Privacy & data quality
- Data Quality Policy – How we ensure our Registrars provide accurate Registrant data.
- Data Release Policy – The policy setting out the circumstances under which we will disclose Registrant data to third parties with a legitimate need for access.
- Privacy Policy – How we collect, process, and store customer and website user data.
Dispute Resolution Service
- DRS Policy Applies on or after 1st October 2016 – The rules and procedures governing our Dispute Resolution Service, through which you can complain about someone else’s .UK domain name registration.
- DRS Policy Applies up to and including 30th September 2016 – The rules governing our Dispute Resolution Service, through which you can complain about someone else’s .UK domain name registration.
- DRS Procedure Applies up to and including 30th September 2016 – The procedures for making complaints and responding to complaints through our Dispute Resolution Service
Other policies
- Zone Files Access Licence – The terms and conditions for accessing the .UK Zone Files.
- Network Peering Policy – Policy to be followed in order to peer with Nominet.
.Cymru and .Wales
- Domain Name Registration Policy for .Cymru and .Wales – This policy document sets out the expectations for registering and using a domain name in .cymru and .wales. This policy is also available in Welsh.
- International domain names policy & tables
- Acceptable Use Policy
- .cymru and .wales Policy Statement
How We Develop .UK Policy
As the environment in which we operate evolves, we actively engage with a wide variety of UK stakeholders to ensure that the policies we maintain reflect emerging threats, changes in stakeholder expectations and new industry practices. This ensures that .UK provides a platform for innovation and remains a competitive and trusted space preferred by businesses and consumers.
If you’re interested in participating in the .UK policy process, please sign up to receive .UK policy updates.
All stakeholders are invited to submit issues of interest for consideration in future .UK policy discussions at any time using the contact details below.
Contact us
You can contact us regarding specific .UK policy issues by emailing us at policy@nominet.uk or calling us on +44 (0) 1865 332211
Policy Discussions & Consultations
2020 .UK Expiring Domains Consultation
Our consultation period has now closed, thank you to everyone who submitted a response and participated in our virtual roundtable events. We announced an initial response to the Expiring Domains Consultation on 27th August 2020. Following our member webinar in October, we are now finalising our next steps. Our full summary of responses and next steps will follow in 2021.
Following our 2019 .UK Policy Consultation, we have decided to implement a more transparent process for informing registrars and the wider public when an expired domain name will be made available for re-registration. We are also considering different methods for releasing highly desired expired domains which are contested (i.e. there are multiple parties seeking to register the domain name).
This consultation comprises two areas for input:
- Whether domains should be made available for re-registration throughout the day at a specific point in time, based on the time stamp we have for the original registration, or be released at specified single point in time, say 2pm every day; and
- Since a very small minority of domains are intensely contested with multiple parties interested in re-registration, whether to alter the way in which we release these domains. The options for alteration are (1) auction model – two variations, and (2) economically controlled access to expiring domains.
Read the consultation briefing document.
If you have any questions, please contact policy@nominet.uk
2019 .UK Policy Consultation
Thank you to everyone participated in our 2019 .UK Policy Consultation.
The consultation focused on three issues:
(i) Reducing the use of .UK domain names for phishing attacks
(ii) Implementing law enforcement landing pages following suspensions for criminal activity
(iii) Implementing a .UK drop list to provide a transparent and orderly process for the re-registration of expired domains
We have reviewed your input and published our response:
- Press release
- Nominet Response and Summary of Feedback
- Redline version of updates to our Terms and Conditions of Domain Name Registration
Further activity
- We have now published our Criminal Practices Policy. This document clarifies Nominet’s existing approach to addressing criminal activity in .UK which has been in place since 2014. If you have any questions, email policy@nominet.uk.
Consultation Documents
- 2019 .UK Policy Consultation briefing document
- Roundtable slides – 4th December 2019, London
Ensuring .UK policies reflect current expectations of the UK internet community is an ongoing process of continuous improvement.
When doing so it may be useful to review the forward-looking roadmap we included in our 2019 .UK Policy Consultation briefing document.
2018
Proxy Services Framework
Nominet invited feedback from stakeholders on a proposal for a new Proxy Services framework.
GDPR
Nominet invited feedback on a proposal to adapt our WHOIS database in light of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Previous consultations include
- Second level domain registrations
- Changes to the rules of registration for ltd.uk and plc.uk
- Domain expiry policy
- Review of the .UK Registrar Agreement
- Data quality policy
- Review of domain registration policy and the terms and conditions governing registration
- Registrant terms and conditions
- Contact data disclosure in the .UK WHOIS
- Consolidation and changes to the dispute resolution service policy and procedure
If you require details of any of our previous consultations please contact us at policy@nominet.uk