CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME HOW TO REGISTER AFTER REGISTRATION MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR DOMAIN NAME
Nominet Rules for the .uk domain and its sub-domains
- Domain Name Definitions
1.1 Sample.co.uk is a domain name ("Domain Name"). A Domain Name is made up of several levels of domains. In the Domain Name sample.co.uk the .uk is called the top or first level domain, the .co is the second level domain and sample is the third level domain. In the Domain Name our.sample.co.uk the domain our is called a fourth level domain and .sample is a third level domain, .co is a second level domain and .uk is a top level domain. In these Rules the terms top level domain ("TLD"), second level domain ("SLD") and third level domain ("Third Level Domain") and fourth level domain ("Fourth Level Domain") will be used accordingly (see Fig 1).
Figure 1
1.2 The SLD is a sub-domain of the TLD. The Third Level Domain is a sub-domain of the SLD. The Fourth Level Domain is a sub-domain of the Third Level Domain. (see Fig 1).
1.3 .uk Domain Names can only be registered within a particular SLD. For example the Domain Name sample .co.uk is registered within the .co SLD.
1.4 When an application for registration of a Domain Name is submitted to us by you, or on your behalf, you are an applicant. If your application is successful your Domain Name will be registered by us and you will be the registrant.
- Registration of Domain Names - SLDs administered by us
2.1 The Rules have been made by us in our capacity as designated manager for the .uk TLD with the authority of the UK Internet Community.
2.2 We administer the SLDs within the .uk TLD (except for the SLDs listed in Appendix B below) and determine which SLDs are available for registration of a Domain Name within the .uk TLD. A list of the SLDs which are administered by us are listed in Appendix A below.
2.3 Each application by you for a Domain Name must be an application to register one Third Level Domain within one particular SLD listed in Appendix A.
2.4 Certain organisations have registered Domain Names with us and these organisations may offer to register a Fourth Level Domain for you as a sub-domain of their Domain Name. We do not accept responsibility for any registration of Fourth Level Domains by you with other organisations.
2.5 Each SLD listed in Appendix A has its own specific rules ("SLD Rules"). All of these SLD Rules form part of the Rules. Where there is a conflict between the Rules and the SLD Rules, the SLD Rules take precedence.
2.6 If your application to register a Domain Name within an SLD listed in Appendix A is successful, this in no way entitles you to any right to or registration of any other Domain Name. For example an application to register the Domain Name sample.co.uk will not entitle you to a registration for the Domain Name sample.xyz.co.uk or the Domain Name sample.org.uk.
- Other SLDs
3.1 The SLDs listed in Appendix B, as amended from time to time, have been delegated to and are administered by other entities as trustees.
3.2 We do not administer the SLDs in Appendix B and therefore do not accept applications for registration of a Domain Name within these SLDs. If you would like to submit an application to register a Domain Name within these SLDs, please click on the appropriate link in Appendix B to access information on and the identity of the administrators of these SLDs.
- General Rules
4.1 We reserve the right to check your application for compliance with the Rules either before or after your Domain Name is registered or renewed with us.
4.2 We will accept applications which comply with the Rules and register Domain Names on a first come first served basis. This means that, except where set out in the SLD Rules, we will not vet your application to:
- restrict who may apply for and register Domain Names; or
- restrict which Domain Names may be held by you; or
- restrict the number of Domain Names which may be held by you.
4.3 If your application is for a Domain Name which is identical to a Domain Name which has already been registered with us, your application will be rejected.
4.4 We do not impose restrictions on your status as applicant for the registration of a Domain Name in the following SLDs ("Open SLDs"):
4.4.1 .co.uk;
4.4.2 .me.uk; or
4.4.3 .org.uk.
In the SLD Charter of the SLD Rules for the Open SLDs we do set out certain intentions regarding the class of applicant or use of registrations of the Domain Name which we assume you will comply with when applying for a registration of a Domain Name within an Open SLD. However, we do not forbid applications, and will take no action in respect of registrations, that do not comply with the SLD Charters. We may request certain information from you regarding your legal identity when you make an application for or seek to amend the registration of a Domain Name in the Open SLDs.
4.5 For any application by you for a Domain Name within the remaining available SLDs listed in Appendix A ("Closed SLDs") we do specify certain criteria in the "Requirements on Applicants" section of the SLD Rules which you must comply with before your application for a Domain Name in a Closed SLD can be accepted by us.
4.6 As set out in our terms and conditions, we may cancel or suspend the registration of a Domain Name if you breach any of the Rules.
4.7 Some Domain Names and SLDs have been allocated to registrants or to other organisations for historical reasons. No change in these rules will affect the validity of a domain name registration which was registered before the date of that change unless, in Nominet's sole discretion, technical reasons require that such a change shall effect the validity of an existing domain name registration.
- restrict who may apply for and register Domain Names; or
- Restrictions on Domain Names
5.1 If the Third Level Domain in your application does not meet the requirements in this section then your application cannot be accepted by us.
5.2 The Third Level Domain may only contain the following thirty-seven characters ("Characters") or a combination thereof:
5.2.1 twenty-six unaccented Roman letters (e.g. a-z inclusive);
5.2.2 ten western digits (e.g. 0-9 inclusive); and
5.2.3 hyphen.
5.3 The first or last Characters of a Third Level Domain may not be a hyphen.
5.4 Both the third and fourth Characters of a Third Level Domain may not be a hyphen, however the third only or fourth only Characters of a Third Level Domain may be a hyphen.
5.5 A Third Level Domain may not be one Character long. For example, an application to register 1.co.uk or a.co.uk would be rejected.
5.6 A Third Level Domain may not be two letters long. For example, an application to register ie.co.uk or be.co.uk would be rejected. For the avoidance of doubt Third Level Domains a-b or a2 do not fall under this prohibition.
5.7 The Domain Name (e.g. sample.co.uk) may not be more than sixty-four Characters long in total, including the SLD and TLD.
5.8 A Third Level Domain may not be identical to any existing SLD. For the avoidance of doubt this includes the SLDs listed in Appendix B in the Rules. For example, an application to register org.co.uk or nhs.co.uk would be rejected.
5.9 A Third Level Domain may not be identical to an existing TLD. For example, an application to register uk.co.uk or com.co.uk would be rejected.
- Appendices
6.1 APPENDIX A
Our SLDs
Domain SLD purpose co.uk Commercial entities and purposes ltd.uk Private limited companies me.uk Personal names net.uk Internet Service Providers' infrastructure org.uk Not-for-profit entities plc.uk Public limited companies sch.uk Schools 6.2 APPENDIX B
SLDs administered by third-party registrars as trustees.
Domain SLD Expected use ac.uk Higher and further education and research institutions gov.uk National, regional, and local government bodies and agencies mod.uk Military and related purposes nhs.uk National Health Service police.uk Police forces
Specific Rules for registration in the .co.uk SLD
- Introduction
These are the specific rules for the .co.uk SLD, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.
- SLD Charter
Domain Names registered in the .co.uk SLD are intended to be used for commercial purposes, and the Third Level Domains are intended to reflect and be related to these purposes.
Specific Rules for registration in the .org.uk SLD
- Introduction
These are the specific rules for the .org.uk SLD, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.
- SLD Charter
Registrants in .org.uk are intended to be not-for-profit or public service enterprises, and a Third Level Domain within this SLD is intended to be related to these enterprises and their activities. These may include, as non-exhaustive examples, charities, trades unions, political parties, community groups, educational councils, and professional institutions.
Specific rules for the .me.uk SLD
- Introduction
These are the specific rules for the .me.uk SLD, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.
- Charter
The .me.uk SLD is intended to provide a personal namespace within the .uk Top Level Domain. It is anticipated that registrants will be natural persons who have an association with the UK..
- Abusive registrations
There shall, without exclusion, be a sufficient demonstration of an abusive registration if the registrant is not a natural person and cannot demonstrate that they registered the domain name with the agreement at the time of a specific natural person and that the domain name was a reasonably faithful representation of that person's legal name.
- Fees and charges
4.1 Nominet UK reserves the right to make a reasonable charge for effecting a transfer of registration within the .me.uk SLD. Any charge for the transfer of a .me.uk domain name registration made may be different to charges (if any) made to transfer registrations within other SLDs.
4.2 In order to deter mass registrations of .me.uk Domain Names by speculative registrants to the detriment of genuine natural individuals seeking to register an individual domain name, the distribution of .me.uk will be staggered during the first 7 months by way of a differential charging mechanism. Under this scheme, the fees payable (excluding VAT) for each .me.uk Domain Name are:
From 14 January 2002 £50 From 1 February 2002 £45 From 1 March 2002 £40 From 1 April 2002 £30 From 1 May 2002 £20 From 1 June 2002 £10 From 1 July 2002 the fees payable shall be the same as the fees payable for the registration of a Domain Name in other SLDs.
4.3 All .me.uk registrations made directly with us will remain at £80 through this initial seven month period and thereafter, subject to any subsequent change to our charging policy.
Specific rules for the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs
- Introduction
These are the specific rules for the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.
- Requirements on Applicants
2.1 No Third Level Domain shall be registered in either the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD unless all the requirements of this section are met.
2.2 Registrants in .ltd.uk are required to be private limited companies, and registrants in .plc.uk to be public limited companies, registered under the Companies Act 1985 as amended from time to time.
2.3 No domain name shall be registered in either the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD unless the applicant:
- is a company of the appropriate type for the SLD; and
- is not already the registrant of a domain name in that SLD.
2.4 No domain name shall be registered in either .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD unless the Third Level Domain can be derived from the official company name of the applicant using the algorithm in Section [3] below. If the algorithm of Section 3 below does not generate a name permitted by the Rules, your application to register a Domain Name within the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLDs will be refused.
2.5 Applications for Domain Names in the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs must state the full name of the company as registered and the company registration number, and the applicant must be prepared to provide proof of the company's incorporation.
2.6 If we become aware that the registrant company has changed its name, been dissolved, or otherwise removed from the Register at Companies House, we may transfer, cancel, suspend or amend the Domain Name in accordance with our terms and conditions and by providing you with notice in writing.
- is a company of the appropriate type for the SLD; and
- Selection of Domain Name
3.1 The following algorithm is intended to assist you to convert your company name to a Domain Name capable of registration within either the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk. The steps must be carried out in the order given. Steps marked optional may be omitted; all other steps must be carried out. This algorithm is not guaranteed to generate a Domain Name capable of registration with us.
3.2 The following terms or abbreviations are removed from the end of the company's name:
- limited
- public limited company
- cyfyngedig
- cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus
- ltd
- plc
- cyf
- ccc
3.3 Each occurrence of the characters "&" and "+" is replaced by (the separate word) "and"
3.4 All punctuation marks are removed, including the following:
- apostrophe
- quotation marks
- commas, full stops, colons, and semicolons
- exclamation, question, number, and currency marks
- parentheses, (square) brackets, and braces
3.5 Remove any marks on or around the letters, for example accents, leaving only the "base letter", i.e. the letter without any marks in or around the letter.
3.6 If at this point the name contains any character not permitted by the Rules (other than the spaces between words), no Domain Name capable of registration with us may be derived. Otherwise the remaining steps in this Section 3 are to be carried out.
3.7 Optional: if the company name begins with any of the following words or phrases, they may be removed:
- the
(For the avoidance of doubt, this is done once only.)
3.8 Optional: if the company name ends with any of the following words or phrases, they may be removed:
- company
- cwmni
- and company
- a'r cwmni
and any abbreviation of these (such as "co", "and co", or "cpy")
For the avoidance of doubt, this is done once only.
3.9 Spaces at the beginning and end of the Third Level Domain are removed and the gaps between words in the Third Level Domain are removed.
3.10 Optional: some or all spaces which have been removed may be changed to hyphens (one hyphen per space). However, the remaining Third Level Domain must be compatible with section [5.2] of the Rules.
3.11 All remaining spaces are removed from the Domain Name.
3.12 We believe that the Rules in this section represent the way that Companies House interpret names in order to produce a unique match. In the event that they do not, or if the Companies House rules change in the future, the first successful applicant for a Domain Name will be registered.
3.13 If we receive an application to register a Domain Name which is identical to a Domain Name which, in accordance with these Rules, has been registered as the Domain Name which is being applied for, the application for the Domain Name will be rejected.
- limited
Specific rules for the .net.uk SLD
- Introduction
These are the specific rules for the .net.uk SLD, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.
- Requirements on Applicants
2.1 This SLD is only to hold only the computers of network providers, that is the network information centre (NIC) and network operation centre (NOC) computers, the administrative computers, and the network node computers.
2.2 Registrants in the .net.uk SLD are required to be Internet Service Providers. Notwithstanding the Rules, no Domain Name shall be registered in this SLD unless, in our reasonable opinion, the applicant is an Internet Service Provider and the Domain Name registered is the same as or a similar variant of the applicant's name.
2.3 Without prejudice to any other test that we may apply, the applicant shall only be deemed to be an Internet Service Provider if:
2.3.1 the applicant is either:
(a) a company listed on the Register of Companies at Companies House under the Companies Act 1985 as amended from time to time in the Great Britain or on the Register of Companies at the Northern Ireland Companies Registry under the Companies (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 as amended from time to time; or
(b) a partnership as defined by the Partnership Act 1890 or a sole trader; or
(c) a United Kingdom government department, local government body, or associated government funded organisation; or
(d) a recognised academic institution geographically located in the United Kingdom; or
(e) a Charity on the Register of Charities at the Charity Commission in the United Kingdom;
AND the applicant either:
(f) is listed as a local internet protocol (IP) address registry with a regional IP address registry; or
(g) has an Autonomous System containing hosts in the United Kingdom that is listed with a regional IP address registry and that is continuously or at all reasonable times reachable from major Internet exchange points.
2.4 Any Domain Name registered in .net.uk may only be used in the manner set out in this Clause 2.4, and we may suspend or cancel the registration if we believe it is not being so used, in accordance with the termination provisions set out in our terms and conditions.
2.5 The Domain Name must not be used in connection with any service provided by the registrant on behalf of any other entity. For example, the Domain Name must not be used as part of another entity's e-mail address or URL.
