Current advice by EUrid
EUrid, the organisation, responsible for registering .eu domains has set out some guidance on the topic. They stipulate that it is likely that businesses without an address in Europe will lose the right to the .eu domain and will not be able to register a new one.
If you already have an .eu domain in your name, you will most likely be given a period to transfer and redirect this, unless you can follow the legislation. It is currently uncertain but depending on the withdrawal date and the deal or no-deal circumstances, the period will vary.
1. If Britain leaves the EU without a deal
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As of the date of the withdrawal, UK businesses will not be able to register new .eu domains;
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Registrants of current domains will get a notification about the changes with a deadline of 2 months to comply with the requirements ;
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During that period, the domain will remain active but it will not be transferable to a non-GB/GI registrant or be renewable;
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If you still do not comply after that, your domain will be suspended by the following year and it will be available for purchase.
2. If Britain leaves with an agreed deal
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From the first day after the end of any agreed transitional period, it will not be possible for UK businesses to purchase an .eu domain without complying to the legislation;
- Same rules apply as above, however, the timelines are moved forward, based on the withdrawal agreement.
How can I keep my domain name?
There are options to be able to retain your domain:
To follow the legislation, UK-based businesses and individuals will have to amend their contact information to include an EU address. With valid contact details from one of the other 27 EU countries, you will be able to keep your domain – for example, Estonia offers the option for anyone to become an e-Resident.
If you can’t or don’t want to retain your EU domain, then you should start taking steps to redirect all of your traffic to another valid domain.
We suggest to register an alternative domain as soon as possible and to think about the SEO implications of migrating the website. Ensuring that all parts of your website are redirected properly, by using permanent (301) redirects and having an SSL certificate with your domain are vital parts of the strategy.
Get in touch today so we can help out with every part of the migration – from managing your website to providing a bespoke SEO strategy for your website.