Since the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, .EU domain registrations have been restricted to registrants who meet EURid's EU-residency or EU-establishment requirements. UK- and Gibraltar-based registrants no longer qualify to hold .EU domains. This article explains the current eligibility requirement, what happens if a domain no longer qualifies, and what to do about it.
The Current .EU Eligibility Requirement
EURid, the registry that operates the .EU domain, requires every .EU registrant to meet at least one of the following:
- An EU citizen, independent of where they live.
- A natural person who is not an EU citizen but is a resident of an EU Member State.
- An undertaking established in the EU.
- An organization established in the EU, subject to applicable national law.
Because the UK and Gibraltar are no longer part of the EU, registrants based there do not meet any of these criteria and are not eligible to hold .EU domains. EURid enforces this by suspending, and eventually revoking, non-compliant registrations.
Before you begin
- Check your domain's current status. Sign in to your Hover control panel and check whether the domain shows as Active, Suspended, or Withdrawn.
- Confirm whether you meet the eligibility requirements above before requesting any changes to your registration records — this determines whether you can keep the domain at all.
What Happens If Your Domain No Longer Qualifies
Status | What it means |
|---|---|
Suspended | The domain does not resolve. The registrant has a window to update their registration records and meet EURid's requirements. |
Withdrawn | The domain still does not resolve. This follows Suspended if the registrant doesn't come into compliance in time. |
Revoked | The domain is released back to the registry and becomes available for public registration. |
Updating Your Registration Records
If you meet the eligibility requirements above but your registration records don't reflect that — for example, if your address on file is UK-based but you're an EU citizen living elsewhere — contact Hover Customer Support to update your registrant information.
Choosing a Different TLD If You No Longer Qualify
If you can't meet the .EU eligibility requirements, you'll need to let the domain lapse or move your site to a different TLD. Hover supports hundreds of TLDs — see the Domain Pricing page to compare options.
Next steps
- Believe your domain was flagged in error? Contact Hover Support to review and update your registrant information.
- Need an alternative to .EU? Browse Hover's Domain Pricing page for other TLDs.
Questions? Contact Hover Support.
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