Following the end of the transition period, on 1st January 2021, the EURid (a non-profit organisation appointed by the European Commission as the domain name registry to operate the .eu top-level domain) no longer allows the registration of any new .eu domain name by a UK registrant.
A UK registrant is considered as any:
- UK organisations established in the UK, but not in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA);
- UK citizens who are not residents of an EEA Member State; or
- UK residents who are not EU citizens.
EU citizens living in the UK remain eligible to hold a .eu domain name after the end of the transition period provided they update their registration information with their EU citizenship.
UK citizens living in an EU Member State continue to be eligible to hold a .eu domain name following the transition period based on their residence. However, UK citizens residing outside of EU Member States, are no longer eligible to hold .eu domain names.
According to Article 4 (2) (b) of Regulation (EC) No 733/2002, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/517, EURid will now only accept registration and holding of a .eu domain name by:
- EU/EEA citizens;
- Non-EU/EEA citizens who live in the EU/EEA; and
- Organisations, businesses or undertakings that are established in the EU/EEA.
On 1st January 2021, EURid notified all UK registrants and their registrars if their domain name was no longer compliant with the .eu regulatory framework. Such registrations were automatically moved to a so-called “suspended” status until 30th June 2021. Domain names that are under a “suspended” status can no longer support any service (such as website and email), but may still be reinstated if registration information is updated to meet the eligibility criteria.
From 1st July 2021, unless the registration data has been updated to meet the eligibility criteria, EURid will notify all UK registrants and their registrars that their domain name no longer complies with the .eu regulatory framework and consequently will be moved to a so-called “withdrawn” status.
As of 1st January 2022, all domain names holding a “withdrawn” status will automatically be revoked and become available for general registration by anyone who meets the eligibility criteria.
How can Nelsons help?
Emma Toes (née Ward) is a Partner in our Dispute Resolution team, specialising in contentious intellectual property matters.
For more information on the subjects discussed in this article, please contact Emma or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.