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Nominet Standardises .uk Domains from February 2027

Nominet has announced that its .uk Standardisation Programme will go live on 9 February 2027, modernising the .uk registry and aligning it more closely with the standards used by many gTLDs.

The result is a more familiar and consistent domain management experience, with .uk adopting many of the standards registrars already use every day. 

For Realtime Register partners, the technical transition happens behind the scenes. We'll manage the required platform and registry updates, so your existing integration with Realtime Register remains unchanged. 


A familiar domain lifecycle

One of the biggest changes is that .uk will adopt the standard gTLD lifecycle, making it easier to manage alongside other domain extensions.

This introduces the following grace periods: 

  • Add Grace Period: 5 days
  • Auto Renew Grace Period: up to 45 days
  • Redemption Period: 30 days
  • Pending Delete: 5 days

Nominet is also introducing support for gTLD style auto renew behaviour at registry level. As Realtime Register already applies a consistent renewal process across all supported TLDs, this change requires no action from you. 


.uk transfers become easier

The most noticeable operational change affects domain transfers. 

Instead of the current TAG based push process, .uk transfers will move to the standard EPP pull model used by most gTLDs. Transfers will be authorised using a Transfer Authorisation Code (TAC), making the process much more familiar for registrars and resellers. 

Under the new process: 

  • The gaining registrar initiates the transfer using a TAC
  • TACs can be valid for up to 14 days
  • Domains can be transferred either with a renewal of 1 to 10 years or without renewal, depending on your preference
  • The traditional TAG will no longer be required


Preparing for the transition

While we'll take care of the technical changes, it is worth reviewing your own registrant terms and conditions. If they refer to the current .uk transfer process or notice periods, you may wish to update them before the new process takes effect. 

We'll continue to keep you informed as February 2027 approaches and ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.