As a result of Brexit, UK residents will no longer be allowed to register or renew .EU domain names. Only companies, entities or individuals with a physical address in the European Union will be allowed to own a .EU domain name.
EURid (the registry manager of .EU domains) announced the following action plan, with two possible Brexit scenarios:
Scenario 1: .EU domain names in case of a no deal Brexit:
Brexit and new .eu domain name registrations:
As from 30 March 2019: UK residents will no longer be allowed to register new .eu domain names.
Brexit and existing .eu domain names:
On 23 March 2019, EURid will inform registrants by email of their forthcoming non-compliance.
30 March 2019: second email sent by EURid. Possibility to update contact details before 30 May 2019 (indicate a legal entity or update residence in an EU/EEA Member State). During this 2 months’ period, the affected .eu domain names will remain active (but transfer of the domain name to another UK resident will not be possible; also, there will be no automatic renewals during this period: the domains will move to ‘withdrawn’ status at expiry).
As from 30 May 2019, domain name owners who did not demonstrate their eligibility will see their .eu domain names withdrawn (the domains will no longer function, but the record may be reactivated by updating eligible contact information).
As from 30 March 2020: all affected .eu domain names will be revoked and available for new registration (in batches).
Scenario 2: .EU domain names in case of Brexit with transition period:
Brexit and new .eu domain name registrations:
As from 1 January 2021: UK residents will no longer be allowed to register new .eu domain names.
Brexit and existing .eu domain names:
On 23 December 2020, EURid will inform registrants by email of their forthcoming non-compliance.
1 January 2021: second EURid email. Possibility to update contact details before 2 March 2021 (indicate a legal entity or update residence in an EU/EEA Member State). During this 2 months’ period, the affected .eu domain names will remain active (transfer of the domain name to another UK resident will not be possible; no automatic renewals during this period: the domains will move to ‘withdrawn’ status at expiry).
As from 2 March 2021, all registrants who have not demonstrated their eligibility will see their domain names withdrawn (the domains will no longer function).
As from 1 January 2022: all affected .eu domain names will be revoked and available for new registration (in batches).
Conclusion: Brexit and .EU domain names:
Whatever the Brexit scenario will be, sooner or later, all British companies, entities or individuals owning a .EU domain name will have to update their registration details to reflect registration by an owner established in the European Union (or Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein). If your company has a subsidiary based in a EU country (not the UK), it makes sense to transfer all .EU domain names to this subsidiary. British domain name owners who fail to provide a physical address in the EU or EEA will lose their .eu domain name.
In case you wondered: EURid’s action plan does not foresee in compensation for Brits loosing their .EU domain name as a result of Brexit.
