What happens to Dot-EU?
EURid, the private not-for-profit organization operating the dot.eu domain since 2003, announced that UK individuals and businesses would face restrictions on their dot.eu registrations following a no-deal Brexit. The EU Commission’s Notice to Stakeholders indicated that registrants would need to update their contact information to EU-based details or risk domain revocation.
Impact on .EU Registrants
Approximately 300,000 dot.eu domains belong to UK registrants—roughly one-tenth of all registrations. These domains face potential revocation unless registrants can provide EU contact addresses, such as through an EU-based business establishment. The revocation could occur without advance notice, and registrants would lose the ability to challenge abusive domain registrations based on UK rights.
No Deal Scenario Timeline
Under a no-deal Brexit, the timeline included:
- Email notification on March 23, 2019 regarding non-compliant data
- Second notification by March 30, 2019 requiring updated EU contact details
- Two-month deadline (until May 30, 2019) to provide new information
- Registration suspension and eventual revocation if requirements weren’t met
- One-year window to reactivate domains with eligible EU contact information
Deal Scenario Timeline
If the UK departed following a transitional period ending December 31, 2020, EURid would implement a similar process with adjusted dates:
- Initial notification by December 23, 2020
- Second notification by January 1, 2021
- Registration withdrawal from March 2, 2021
- Registration revocation from January 1, 2022
Recommended Actions
Registrants should monitor EURid’s official website, assess available EU options, and consider transferring domains to suitable EU entities before March 29, 2019. Those without EU alternatives should redirect their domains to prevent service disruption.
New Regulatory Framework
The European Parliament and Council agreed to modernize dot.eu regulations, allowing EU nationals to hold registrations regardless of residence. However, this change created a gap between the initial deadline and when new provisions would take effect.