Domain names need to be renewed each year. You can choose to renew them for a longer period and for .co.uk domain names we can register them for a maximum of 10 years.


When you register a domain name, you enter into two separate contracts: one with body such as Nominet UK and the other with the registrar.


Nominet Terms & Conditions


Our Terms and Conditions & Rules of Registration are binding – so make sure you read them through carefully and understand them before registering. Registration entitles you to be a domain name holder, i.e. to use a domain name for an agreed time period. You would not, however, become the owner of the domain name. Which means, if you don’t renew your registration when the agreed time period comes to an end, the name becomes available for other applicants to use.


YOUR CONTRACT WITH THE REGISTRAR

Nominet do not have any part in contracts you make with your registrar. So it’s really important to make sure you understand your rights and obligations under this contract – particularly what would happen if commercial dealings between you and the registrar break down. Find information and advice about choosing a registrar. Make sure your contract says that the domain name is registered in your name, unless agreed otherwise.


Protecting the integrity of your .UK 


 We strive to make .UK a safe place to be. A key part of this is ensuring all the information we hold for the registrant of a domain name is true and up to date. And we’re not alone. Registries around the world are increasingly focusing on their ability to provide accurate registrant data so they can stop people using domain names fraudulently. Having the right registration data is so important to us that, if you want to register a .UK domain, it’s a requirement of your contract to supply us with complete and accurate data. 


WHAT YOU NEED TO DO


If you are listed as the registrant, we’ll consider you legally responsible for the domain name. This means it’s essential that we have the correct contact details for you, so we can get in touch with you if there’s ever a problem with your domain name. This includes making sure we have an up to date email address for you, as this is the main way we contact registrants. 


HOW WE CHECK YOUR DATA


To make sure the information we hold is true and up to date, we will attempt to match all registrant name and address details with third party data sources when you register, or when you change your data. We do this by checking the information you supply us with in your application against a number of different databases, including: The Electoral Register: we use this to check UK name information for individual applicants. Companies House data and UK business records: we use these files to check that applications made under trade names correspond with registered companies. Royal Mail Postcode Address file: we use this to validate all UK addresses. Because addresses in this database are often in a different format to how they appear on our register, we carry out a matching exercise to establish how close an address is to the ‘perfect address’. This is based on a confidence level. It’s also important to note that the registrant’s name and address don’t need to be linked. For instance, we understand that registrants may give different addresses as points of contact to their home address, such as a solicitor or accountant. It’s essential to make sure the registrant can be contacted through this address. In each case, we look for a valid individual, business and address we can identify as matching the information we hold. Information for applicants from overseas is checked against equivalent public data sources, where they exist.