.EU brexit update

The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020 at midnight (CET). After full ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK and the EU entered into the so-called “transition period”.

This time-limited period was agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and will last until 31 December 2020 at least. During the transition period UK residents and citizens will continue to be able to hold and register a .eu domain name.

Registrants will be given the possibility to demonstrate their compliance with the .eu regulatory framework by updating their contact data before 1 January 2021, 00:00:00 CET. They could do so by indicating a legally established entity in one of the eligible EU27 or EEA Member States, or updating their residence to an EU27 or EEA Member State, or providing a citizenship country code corresponding to an EU27 Member State irrespective of their residence.

As of 1 January 2021, 00:00:00 CET, all registrants who did not demonstrate their eligibility will be deemed ineligible and their domain names will be WITHDRAWN. A WITHDRAWN domain name no longer functions, as the domain name is removed from the zone file and can no longer support any active services (such as websites or email).

Twelve months after the UK withdrawal, i.e. on 1 November 2020 00:00:00 CET, all the affected domain names will be REVOKED, and will become AVAILABLE for general registration. Their release will occur in batches from the time they become available.