Domain endings / .uk
A .uk expires on its expiry date.
It works for 30 more days, is suspended until day 90, and drops on day 95.
Nominet doesn't renew a .uk by itself. After the expiry date the domain keeps working for 30 days, then it is suspended and stops resolving, but can still be renewed until day 90. On day 95 it drops, to the second it originally expired.
When does a .uk domain expire?
A .uk expires on the expiry date in the registry record. Nominet doesn't renew it automatically; your registrar has to send the renewal. If it doesn't, Nominet emails the registrant the day after expiry.
Is there a grace period for .uk?
Yes, 30 days in which the domain keeps working, website and email, and can be renewed normally. After that it is suspended but can still be renewed until 90 days after expiry.
What happens when a .uk domain expires?
These are Nominet's stages, counted in days after the expiry date.
- Grace periodDays 0–30
- The domain works as before and can be renewed. Nominet sends a warning email on day 23.
- SuspendedpendingDeleteDays 30–90
- The domain stops resolving, so the site and email stop. It can still be renewed through your registrar. The record shows the date it may drop.
- CancelledDays 90–95
- It can no longer be renewed. It is on Nominet's drop list and stays out of DNS.
- ReleasedDay 95, at the expiry time
- The name becomes available at the same time of day it originally expired, in UTC.
How long can you register a .uk domain for?
From 1 to 10 years, through a registrar.
How do I look up a .uk domain's expiry date?
Ask the registry's RDAP server, https://rdap.nominet.uk/uk/, or type the name in the box above and nmspc asks the same server for you. IANA's RDAP bootstrap file lists that server for .uk.
What else is different about .uk?
Since 13 September 2022 names drop at an exact second, 95 days after their expiry time, rather than at random over a day. Nominet publishes a daily drop list; times are confirmed for the next five days.
If your registrar has let go of the domain, you can renew it directly with Nominet from day 23 after expiry.
Nominet's WHOIS is being retired in favour of RDAP.
Who runs .uk?
Nominet UK runs .uk, including .co.uk, .org.uk and the other .uk endings. You register and renew a .uk through a registrar that is a Nominet member.
How nmspc keeps track
Add a .uk domain and nmspc reads its expiry date from the registry, then reminds you 60, 30, 14, 7 and 1 day before it runs out, and before its certificate does. Free for every domain. Open nmspc
Sources
- Nominet: domain expiry process and drop lists for .uk
- Nominet: how to renew domains
- Nominet: WHOIS basic instructions
- IANA root zone database: .uk
- IANA: RDAP bootstrap file for domains
Checked against these pages on 25 October 2026. Registries change their rules now and then; the source wins if it disagrees.