Has Brexit Put Your .EU Domain Names at Risk?

The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union may put you or your customers at risk of losing .EU domain names. In response to the aptly named 'Brexit', EURid, the registry that manages .EU domains, have made updates to the eligibility requirements for UK residents, citizens, organisations, and undertakings that hold .EU domains. It's important to understand these updates to know if, and how, you will be affected. Those that are unable to prove their eligibility under the new guidelines will have their .EU domain names suspended on January 1st, 2021.

The UK's Withdrawal Agreement outlines a transition period that goes until December 31st, 2020. Until this date, UK- based registrants will still be able to hold and register .EU domain names. Here's what you can expect after the transition period.

New Eligibility Requirements for .EU Domain Names

Beginning on January 1st, 2021, the following will be eligible to register .EU domains:

• A Union citizen, independently of their place of residence
• A natural person who is not a Union citizen and who is a resident of a Member State
• An undertaking that is established in the Union
• An organisation that is established in the Union, without prejudice to the application of national law

The following will not be eligible to hold .EU domains:

• UK undertakings or organisations established in the UK but not in the Union
• UK citizens who are not resident of a Union Member State
• UK residents who are not Union citizens

The eligibility requirements will significantly impact UK citizens, residents, and organisations that hold .EU domains. However, there are a couple of ways for people connected to the UK to hold onto their .EU domain names or to register new ones:

• EU citizens who are residing in the UK will remain eligible to hold .EU domains if they update their registration data and prove their Union citizenship status
• UK citizens residing in a Union Member State will also remain eligible to hold .EU domains

An important note, UK citizens living outside Union Member States will no longer be eligible to hold .EU domains and will have them withdrawn after the transition period.

What Will Happen To Current .EU Domain Registrations?

EURid has developed a transition strategy for existing .EU domain registrations. Here's what is going to happen and the important dates to know.

October 1st 2020 - EURid contacted those affected by the updates

EURid emailed all UK registrants and their registrars that they will have their .EU domains withdrawn on January 1st 2021 unless they are able to prove their eligibility under the new requirements. Those contacted will need to update their registration data before December 31st, 2020. Eligibility can be proven by:

• Proving their citizenship of a Union Member State
• Updating their residence to a Union Member State
• Indicating a legally established entity in a Union Member State

December 21st 2020 - EURid will contact those still at risk of losing their .EU domains

UK registrants and registrars that have not proven their eligibility under the new criteria will be notified via email. For those able to maintain .EU eligibility, this is a final reminder for them to update their registration data.

January 1st 2021 - Ineligible .EU domain names will be suspended

EURid will take a few different actions at the beginning of 2021. For those unable to prove .EU eligibility, the registry will notify via email that their domains are no longer compliant with the new requirements and will have their domains "suspended" until March 31st 2021. This means that domains will no longer function or support active services like a website or email but may be reinstated if registration data is updated to meet the new eligibility criteria.

The registry will also not allow new domain name registrations nor the transfer of .EU domains to UK registrants at this time.

April 1st 2021 - Ineligible .EU domain names will be withdrawn

EURid will send out another email notification to all UK registrants and their registrars that their domain name is no longer compliant with the new requirements and will have their domains "withdrawn." A withdrawn domain cannot support any service.

January 1st 2022 - Withdrawn .EU domains will be revoked

At the beginning of 2022, all withdrawn .EU domains will be revoked and available for general registration. The release of these domains will occur in batches from the time they become available.

What should you do?

During the transition period (until at least December 31st 2020), undertakings and organisations established in the United Kingdom and United Kingdom residents and citizens will continue to be able to hold and register .EU domain names, but it is expected that this will no longer continue to be the case after the end of the period as those registrants will no longer meet the eligibility requirements.

If you're a domain name reseller or have .EU domains registered yourself, and you're affected by these updates, there are a few things you should do.

For Resellers

We advise that you contact your affected customers and notify them of their need to update their registration records with a valid registrant address in the EU. EURid would have sent them an email on October 1st 2020, but it's still a good idea to reach out to them with support.

As UK-based customers are able to register .EU domain names until the end of the year, it is important that you make them aware of these changes. This will prevent them from purchasing a domain registration only to have it withdrawn next year.

For Retailers

We recommend reviewing all your existing .EU domain names and make any necessary updates to your domain information as soon as possible. This will ensure your domains are not withdrawn.

Don't leave your domain name updates until the last minute

Taking action now will prevent any last-minute issues which could lead to losing .EU domains or great customers. Please feel free to reach out to Sales if you are looking for solutions to manage .EU domains: [email protected]

Updating registration data is not always straightforward and can take time. Therefore, we advise that you plan and act early to avoid problems come December. Contact [email protected] if you require assistance.