I received emails from NameJet and SnapNames informing me about upcoming .UK domain name auctions that will be held via SnapNames. In case you aren’t aware, .UK domain names are newly available, and registrants that owned .co.uk domain names were given the opportunity to purchase their matching .UK domain names.
The period to reserve matching .UK domain names ended on June 25, and domain names that were not claimed are going to become available for others to register. Details about this are available on Nominet’s website.
Now that this period has expired, domain names will become available for others to register. Here’s what NameJet wrote in its email to customers today:
1.8 MILLION RESERVED .UK DOMAIN NAMES BEING RELEASED JULY 1-5, 2019
These .UK domain names have been held in reserve by the registry on behalf of .CO.UK registrants allow them to register their corresponding .UK domain name. The window to exercise that right has expired.
This creates a one-time-only opportunity to acquire these potentially high-value .UK names in the drop.
Our partner, SnapNames, is currently taking backorders for these 1.8 million names and will facilitate auctions on names that they catch in the drop with multiple backorders.
If you are interested in buying .UK domain names when they become available, you can do so via SnapNames. I believe other registrars and possibly other auction platforms are also offering a similar opportunity, but this is the information that was shared with me by NameJet and SnapNames.
There might be a requirement that registrants have an address or business presence in the UK. I am not sure about the legal requirements or nexus requirements for buying or registering .UK domain names, so do your own research.
