When is the transition date for .UK standardisation?

• We have announced the transition will take place on Tuesday, 9th February 2027.

Do we plan to make Nominet a thin registry?

• No, we retain a direct contract with the registrant and this matches our commitment to maintaining a secure, trusted, and locally relevant namespace with the authoritative data for the geographic TLDs held within the same legal jurisdiction.

How can I stay up to date on upcoming Nominet events and announcements?

• To receive newsletters, policy updates, and webinar invitations:
• Log into your Nominet Online Services account.
• Go to Account Settings > Mailing List Preferences.
• Select Member Updates.

How will a registrant that has used a proxy service log into the Nominet system?

• Registrants who have opted to use a proxy service are not able to log into Nominet’s systems. Nominet does not have any contact details that can be used to create an account. This is the same behaviour as of today and will remain post-transition.

Will a new WHMCS module be available to connect with Nominet, and will it support .gov.uk domains?

• Nominet have committed to providing a WHMCS module that will work with the changes implemented by registry standardisation. We are currently evaluating solutions for WHMCS module updates and domain type compatibility. Further updates will be shared as development progresses.

How many registrar classes will exist after standardisation?

• Following standardisation, there will be one single class of registrar.

Are Nominet going to continue to accept direct registrations?

• No, Nominet will stop accepting direct registrations per the 2024 consultations. The transition to the future .UK registry state shall enable registrars to provide a full-service to registrants (unlike today where policy restricts certain actions). Nominet will however act as an escalation point for registrants should a registrar fail to comply with the relevant registry policies.

When will DAC be decommissioned?

• The retirement of DAC had previously been communicated as being in Q4 2025. This has now been delayed to the point of transition, Tuesday, 9th February 2027.

Why is DAC being decommissioned?

• Nominet are transitioning to an industry standard implementation of EPP which will provide the equivalent data currently provided by DAC. An Unavailable names report is published daily containing domains within the .UK domain family along with the status of the domains. Further details on the Unavailable names report can be read here. Additional ways to check the availability of a domain can be found here.

When do the policies & agreements come into effect?

• The Policies and agreements will come into effect at the time of transition on the 9th of February 2027 following formal notice sent on the 4th June 2026.

Should I be concerned about the new DNS Abuse clauses?

• Nominet understands that these clauses are new and will work with registrars during implementation to share how they can meet these clauses. Nominet’s Criminal Practices Policy will continue to be the primary route for interfacing with law enforcement.

When will the Know Your Customer Policy be developed?

• There is not an exact date for this yet, we need to engage with a wide variety of .UK stakeholders to understand how best to meet the needs of our stakeholders and consider applicable legal frameworks. Once this is complete, we will start the development of the policy which will follow the same process as any other .UK policy with UKRAC input and a consultation period.

How is the new Nominet Registry-Registrar Base Agreement related to the rest of the policies within the policy framework?

• The .UK Registry-Registrar Agreement (.UK RRA) is the contract Nominet has in place with a Registrar. The .UK RAA binds registrars to the Nominet Registry-Registrar Base Agreement (RRBA) (which contains common clauses that apply to multiple Nominet registries) and the full suite of.UK specific policies. This can be seen in the diagram below:

Are there any plans to introduce a redemption fee in the future?

• No, the intent remains the registrant has the rights to restore a domain that is in redemption period.

Is Nominet intending to remove the three-way contractual relationship between Nominet, a registrar and registrant?

• No, Nominet does not intend to remove the three-way contractual relationship. It will continue to have a contract with the registrar via the .UK Registry-Registrar Agreement and the registrant via the .UK Registrant Terms and Conditions. This is the current arrangement and will remain in place.

What is happening to non-member .UK Registrars?

• As per the .UK Registry-Registrar Agreement there is a new requirement for all registrars to be members of Nominet with the limited exception of a small number of schools and local authorities who only manage .sch.uk domains.
• Registrars that are not currently members can either sign up to be a member or transfer their domains to a registrar who is a member.

When will we know more about the new compliance process?

Nominet is conducting a review of its compliance process in conjunction with the new policies and agreements.

Recognising the work involved for all registrars to transition to the new registry and associated policy changes, Nominet’s compliance team will not undertake proactive compliance reviews for a period of six months following the transition date. This initial time will be used to assess available data points, assess feedback and complaints, and where needed support registrars in their efforts to implement the new policies.

Registrant complaints to Nominet will also be a data point. in the first instance, registrants should follow their Registrar’s complaints process. Where this has already been completed and the complaint has been escalated to Nominet, the compliance team will review evidence and factor aggregate data and patterns into the new compliance programme. Where appropriate, Nominet’s compliance team will reach out to specific registrars should a registrant complaint warrant such engagement.

Following the initial six months of monitoring, the compliance team will provide a minimum of three months’ notice before proactive compliance reviews are initiated. Ahead of this, the compliance team will publish the outline of the planned compliance programme to allow registrars to prepare accordingly. This compliance programme is intended to be proportionate, work collaboratively with registrars to maintain compliance, and will be informed by the monitoring work carried out in the first six months following transition.

How will Nominet measure compliance with the new RRA?

• Nominet is conducting a complete review of its compliance process in conjunction with the draft policies and agreements to understand where the compliance process should be updated. Nominet will also look at the available data to understand overall compliance outside of the formal compliance process to inform future policy development and ensure the compliance process is effective. At a later date Nominet will communicate more details on the new compliance process.

How can I test renewing a domain or cancelling a renewal in the Testbed?

• The Testbed contains a variety of test data to cover scenarios a registrar will need to test with. Manual and unrenewals can be tested through your own direct usage of those operations auto renew is catered for by the dataset which can be here. 

Will EPP commands or API calls change for domain registrations and renewals?

• Yes, technical integrations, including EPP commands and API calls, will update as part of standardisation. For technical specifications and guidance, please review our EPP and Integration Documentation.

When will test access for Dragon Domain Manager be available, and is it linked to the OTE EPP testbed?

• Access Timeline: A demo environment for .UK-only registrars will open in September 2026. Registration details will be announced closer to the date.
• Environment Details: The demo platform is separate from the Operational Test and Evaluation (OTE) EPP environment. It is designed to allow users to explore the user interface and key workflows.

When I query a domain on RDAP, will the response provide TAG level information about the registrar?

• No, RDAP will confirm the legal entity or account holder as the registrar. Registrars wishing to brand their sales channel with varying landing pages should utilise the reseller information to publish alternative brands.

Will I continue to get an invoice per accreditation per transaction type after transition?

• No, with the move from the legacy .UK platform to the Dragon RSP platform registrars will obtain consolidated billing per registrar account simplifying everyone’s monthly paperwork. This means that all registry related transactions for the same registrar legal entity in the calendar month will appear on the same consolidated invoice whether they are for new creates, renews or locks and include all accreditations on a single invoice.

Add, Renew, Auto-Renew period are aligning with gTLDs – is there a planned change to invoicing – e.g. will there be pre-payment of registry funds. Will domains auto-renew (bill) on day one or day 45 of the auto-renews?

• Credit limits will still be available to registrars per our payment and credit terms.
• Auto-renew domains will bill on the invoice after day 45.
• Registrars can convert auto-renews to manual renews through the EPP renew command using the appropriate expiry date.

Will the transfer authorisation code system replace the current IPSTAG change process for .UK domains as part of standardisation?

Yes, the domain transfer process will work as follows:

• Losing Registrar: Generates and provides the Transfer Authorisation Code to the registrant.
• Gaining Registrar: Searches for the domain in Dragon Domain Manager, enters the Transfer Authorisation Code, and submits the transfer request.
• If the domain is unlocked and the Transfer Authorisation Code is correct, the transfer will complete immediately for .UK domains. This process applies to both .UK domains and gTLDs hosted on Nominet’s RSP platform, although the transfer may not complete immediately as intended for certain TLDs.

Will the transfer process require an authorisation code in the future and tags disappear; will a 1 year renewal become standard on transfer?

• We will no longer use the TAG terminology to refer to an accreditation.
• Transfer Authorisation Codes (TACs) will be utilised for .UK domains.
• A 1-year renewal will be optional for any domains that are not in an auto-renew grace period.
• Registrars are not compelled to offer zero year transfers to themselves and must ensure they bind the registrant to a contract at the time of transfer.

How long is a Transfer Authorisation Code (TAC) valid for?

• A TAC is valid for 14 days from the time it is generated. If it is not used to initiate a transfer within this period, it expires and a new TAC must be generated. A TAC also becomes invalid once it has been successfully used for a transfer.

How do I set or update a TAC?

• A TAC is set using the standard EPP command by updating the domain’s authInfo value. No additional command is required beyond the standard domain update operation.
• You can also generate a TAC via Dragon Domain Manager.

What is the secure-authinfo-transfer-1.0 extension?

• The secure-authinfo-transfer-1.0 extension provides support for secure Transfer Authorisation Codes (TACs) within EPP. Registrars implementing TAC functionality should implement this extension as part of their EPP client.

Do I need to declare the secure-authinfo-transfer-1.0 extension when I log in to EPP?

• Yes. Your EPP client must include the secure-authinfo-transfer-1.0 extension during the EPP login process.

What support and resources are available to help registrars transition to Dragon Domain Manager?

We offer several resources to assist registrars:

• Webinars: Live demonstrations detailing platform features and workflows prior to launch. We will publish any recorded webinars in our video library on Registrar Resources.
• Documentation: Step-by-step instructions and technical guidance in our Dragon Domain Manager Registrar Resources pages.

Will all domains on the current platform be moved to Dragon Domain Manager automatically and how will I access them?

• Yes, all domain portfolios will be automatically migrated to Dragon Domain Manager during the transition period, enabling you to manage .UK domains and gTLDs in a single portal. You can access Dragon Domain Manager using your existing Online Services account credentials. 

Are there restrictions on updating registrant or contact details in Dragon Domain Manager?

• No, registrars can update registrant and contact details directly within Dragon Domain Manager without restrictions.

Can I update domain ownership details in Dragon Domain Manager if a domain or company is sold?

• Yes, you can update contact and registrant ownership details directly within Dragon Domain Manager.

Is it possible to create a new contact and/or host object as part of the domain creation cycle in Dragon Domain Manager?

• Host objects: Created automatically, provided you are authorised to create host objects in the registry.
• Contact objects: Must currently be created separately prior to domain creation. We are exploring options to integrate contact creation directly into the creation flow in a future update.

Can you still sort the registered domains list by expiry date in Dragon Domain Manager?

• Yes, Dragon Domain Manager allows you to filter and sort your domain list by a wide range of criteria, including expiry date. 

Can I export a full list of domains linked to my accreditation in Dragon Domain Manager?

• Yes, you can export your complete domain portfolio directly from your Dragon Domain Manager account.

What is the purpose of the notes field on domain records in Dragon Domain Manager?

• The notes field is primarily used by Nominet Registry Operators to provide administrative context regarding updates, actions, or suspensions applied to a domain.

Can I pay invoices within Dragon Domain Manager?

• No, invoice management and payments remain within your existing Online Services account.

Is Domain Health integrated into Dragon Domain Manager to flag domain abuse?

• No, domain abuse notifications are managed separately through the CleanDNS platform. For details on how abuse reporting and tracking work, visit our CleanDNS Guidance Page.

What are “accreditations” and how they correspond to the current members and/or TAG? 

• Following standardisation, the term accreditation replaces TAGs. An accreditation serves the same core function for .UK domains as TAGs do today. 

Will accreditations still have their own bespoke contacts that TAGs had?

• No, all accreditations within the same account are for the same legal entity and will share the same account level contacts including the published abuse contact and we will cease to utilise existing TAG level contacts.

What is Nominet’s approach to de-accreditation?

• If you do not wish to remain a registrar post transition you need to give us notice under the existing terms of the RRA. Registrars are encouraged to off-board any registrants prior to termination.