.uk domain lifecycle

.uk is the United Kingdom ccTLD operated by Nominet. The lifecycle differs significantly from ICANN gTLDs — there is no separate redemptionPeriod; instead, expired domains enter a 30-day grace then a 90-day "protected" period before dropping.

Total time from expiry to public availability is roughly 120 days, longer than most TLDs. The protected period gives the original registrant additional time to recover at lower fees than gTLD redemption.

.co.uk has historically dominated registrations. Nominet released .uk (the second-level extension) for general registration in 2014, but most UK businesses still prefer .co.uk for brand continuity.

Best fit: Anyone with a UK audience or operations. Most UK businesses still default to .co.uk despite .uk availability.

• No separate redemptionPeriod — the lifecycle uses a single 90-day "protected" period instead.
• Total expiry-to-drop window is ~120 days (vs ~80 for gTLDs).
• Both .uk and .co.uk exist as viable extensions for UK registrants.
• Nominet-specific dispute resolution (DRS) instead of UDRP.

• Plan on 120 days from expiry rather than the standard 80.
• The 90-day protected period is rigid — the registry does not deviate.
• Drop catching is less industrialised than for gTLDs.
• Recovery fees are lower than typical gTLD redemption — registrants more often recover.

• .de lifecycleEffectively immediate — no redemption period
• .fr lifecycleApproximately 60-70 days from expiry to drop
• .us lifecycleApproximately 80 days from expiry to drop

• Nominet