Your .eu domain name may become unusable in a No Deal Brexit

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Individuals, companies and organisations that use a .eu domain are being warned by the Government that it may not still be usable if the UK exits the EU without a deal. Anna Tobin reports

Domain name registration is covered in the Government notices on changes to UK rules and regulations in the event of a no-deal Brexit. These advise all those who hold a .eu domain name to read Article 4(2)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 733/2002 to check to see if they are still eligible to hold a .eu Top Level Domain after a no-deal Brexit.

In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European Commission has confirmed that the EU regulatory framework for the .eu Top Level Domain will no longer cover UK individuals and entities after March 29th 2019. It will no longer be possible to register .eu domain names after this date or renew .eu domain names registered before this date

The notice explains that undertakings and organisations that are established in the UK and individuals who reside in the UK, will no longer be eligible to register .eu domain names or, if they are .eu registrants, to renew .eu domain names registered before the withdrawal date. The full text of this notice can be read here.

If you currently use a .eu domain name and are viewed to no longer fulfil the general eligibility criteria, the Registry for .eu will be entitled to revoke your permissions to use it, which would block your access to your .eu website or email with immediate effect. In this instance, it is recommended that you transfer your registration to another Top Level Domain such as .com, .co.uk, .net or .org as soon as possible.

Contact your local domain name registrar to check whether the terms of your contract provide for any recourse in the event of revocation of a .eu registration and consider taking legal advice.

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