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.gov.uk Registry

Nominet operates the .gov.uk Registry for and on behalf of the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO), a part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology. The registry operates and functions independently of the parent .UK top-level domain but utilises the Nominet Registry Services Provider (RSP) platform used for gTLDs.

Please note that the .gov.uk application process shown in the video is still in development and is subject to change based on continuing user research. CDDO has updated slides four and five and the latest deck is available for download as a PDF.

1. Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Q: Where do I get approval to register a new .gov.uk domain?
  2. Q: How will the registry operate after transition?
    • A: There are some key differences to the operation of .gov.uk compared to the majority of registries, please see the details of the New Registry Model which is also included in the presentation above.
  3. Q: I’m an existing registrar, what do I need to do now?
  4. Q: Will pricing remain the same?
  5. Q: Have there been updates to any of the requirements listed on the GOV.UK website?
  6. Q: Are there any new operational policies for the .gov.uk Registry?
    • A: Yes, the full details of the new operational policies are on our policies page.
  7. Q: How can I automate integrations with the new .gov.uk Registry?
  8. Q: Can I add my .gov.uk domains to my existing Nominet tag?
    • A: No, the .gov.uk registry will operate independently from its parent registry and operate from Nominet’s newer Registry Service platform.
  9. Q: I’m not an existing registrar for .gov.uk, how do I become a registrar?
    • A: At this time we are not taking applications for new registrars to sign up. We will update this site when we open new applications.
  10. Q: Which registrars have signed the Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA)?
  11. Q: Will Nominet operate a Web WHOIS service for .gov.uk?
    • Nominet’s existing (RDAP based) Lookup service will work for .gov.uk domains after the registry has transitioned to Nominet. Any RDAP client will be capable of querying for .gov.uk domains.
  12. Q: Will Nominet operate a (port 43) WHOIS service for command line clients for .gov.uk?
    • No; you will need to use a command line RDAP client. The WHOIS protocol is in the process of being replaced by RDAP with the expectation many existing top level domains will withdraw the service starting from January 2025.

2. New Registry model

The way the .gov.uk Registry works is changing:

Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) will:​Nominet will:​
Set the rules and pricing for the registry.Enter into a .gov.uk Registry-Registrar Agreement with registrars.
Receive, process and approve applications for new domains via web based form for registrars to request approvals for new domains.Invoice registrars.
Perform identity checks on the registrant and grant approval for a specific domain to be registered.Operate a Shared Registry System aligned with gTLD operations.
* EPP (IETF standard; New creates require a Membership token and are immediate; Updates and renewals are implemented immediately).
* Web Based Domain manager.
* Registration Data Directory Service using RDAP protocol.
* DNS with DNSSEC.
Issue a Membership Token that can be used at Nominet to register the specific approved domain.Introduce automated DNS record checks to ensure domains meet the requirements set for public sector domains.

The new registry operational approach is set out in the following key documents:

  1. Nominet .gov.uk Registry-Registrar Agreement
  2. .gov.uk Registry Operational Policies

3. Existing registrar onboarding has started

Nominet have created a new ‘CDDO’ account for all existing .gov.uk registrars within Nominet Online Services using the email address supplied by Jisc.

  • If you already use the same email address for other registries on the Nominet platform, then you must login using the same password.
  • If this is the first time you have used this email address on the Nominet platform, use the first time logging in option to set up the password. 
  • All registrars are required to use 2FA.

After login choose your ‘CDDO’ account from the drop-down menu in the top bar.

  • To review and sign the new .gov.uk Registry-Registrar Agreement, follow the link in your CDDO account: ‘An RRA for a TLD you have onboarded with has been updated. Please review the new terms and conditions.”  
  • All registrars will need to either:
    • Sign the new RRA by 8am BST (UTC+1) on 26th June 2024.
    • Notify Nominet by the 10th April that they do not intend to sign the new RRA.
      • If you have decided that you do not wish to sign the new RRA then please let Nominet know as soon as possible by contacting [email protected] and we can help minimise any impact on you and your customers helping you to find a registrar that has signed the RRA that you can work with. 

Nominet will start publishing the list of registrars who have signed the .gov.uk RRA from 10th April 2024, and will continue to update this list weekly. Nominet will be following up with registrars to check their status. CDDO will refer registrants to this list to registrar so they can see the status of their registrar.

Further information about your accounts can be found on the CDDO registry account page. 

4. Pricing

.gov.uk Registry will adopt a new billing and pricing policy.

  • Domains can be registered or renewed for one to ten years provided the expiry date after the transaction does not result in an expiry time of more than ten years in the future.
  • The price is £10 + VAT per annual increment of a create or renew.  
  • The price to restore a domain in redemption period is £0.
  • Inter-registrar transfers can be made with or without renewing the domain. Where no renewal is requested no fee is charged.
  • At the time of expiry domains will auto-renew and charge registrars for a one year renewal. Registrars have until the end of the Auto-renew grace period to delete the domain and receive a credit for any domains that do not need to be renewed.
  • Important: At the point of transition to Nominet any domains which are still registered but have an expiry date in the past because they were not renewed by the registrar with Jisc will be subject to the new auto-renewal process and will be charged to the registrars account as if it had been renewed at the expiry date.

5. Technical

The .gov.uk Registry will operate from Nominet’s Registry Services Provider platform used by .cymru, .wales and client registries. This will be fully supported with a web domain manager; but for those who wish to carry out a full technical integration please review the EPP for gTLDs instructions.

After transition, new creates and updates to existing domains will be automated and the DNS will be dynamically updated when requests have been processed.

.gov.uk Registry will support:

  • RFC5730 to RFC5734
  • RFC3915: Registry Grace Period Mapping
  • RFC5910 : Domain Name System Security Extension Mapping
  • Registry Fee Extension
  • Token based registration extension – for automated new creates in EPP this is required. If you intend to use web domain manager the web form will deal with this aspect for you.

The EPP end points for .gov.uk are as follows:

  • Testbed – testbed-gov-uk.epp.nominet.uk
  • OTE – ote-gov-uk.epp.nominet.uk
  • Production – gov-uk.epp.nominet.uk

6. Support – who should I contact if I have questions? 

  • Questions related to the new .gov.uk application process for new domains: 
    • Central Digital & Data Office, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
    • Email:  [email protected]
  • Any questions related to the operation of the existing registry up until the 26th June should be directed to Jisc.

Minerva House, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, OX4 4DQ, United Kingdom