Who are Nominet?
Nominet UK is the domain registry for the .uk ccTLD [Country Code Top Level Domains] as well as .wales and .cymru [Wales in Welsh if you wondered!]
It operates a number of domain name extensions with the most commonly registered one being .co.uk followed by .uk, .org.uk and .me.uk. It also maintains a number of others for which registrants need to fulfil certain prerequisites.
- .uk - Open to all.
- .co.uk - Open to all.
- .org.uk - Open to all.
- .me.uk - Open to individuals, not companies.
- .ltd.uk - Must be a private limited company registered with Companies House and the domain name must match the company name exactly.
- .plc.uk - Must be a public limited company registered with Companies House and the domain name must match the company name exactly..
- .net.uk - Registrant must be an ISP [Internet Service Provider] or operate a network with its own ASN [Autonomous System Number].
- .sch.uk - Reserved for primary and secondary schools. Domains must be in the format of <school name>.<LEA>.sch.uk, for example "kendrick.reading.sch.uk".
Additionally there are a number of domain names which aren't possible for the general public to register and are managed by separate organisations. These include .nhs.uk, .police.uk, .ac.uk, and .gov.uk. We will be able to guide you through the application process, so get in touch!
Nominet is registered as a 'Limited by guarantee' company and does not distribute profits to members. It theoretically operates as non-profit, has generated profit since 2003, and historically donates surplus profit to the Nominet Trust and other initiatives.