What .co.uk, .uk and .org.uk actually mean — and who can register them

All .uk domains are managed by Nominet, the UK registry. The differences between the variants are mostly about signal rather than restriction.

.co.uk is the long-standing default for British businesses. It carries the most recognition with UK customers, which is exactly why it is the hardest to find a good one in.

.uk is the shorter form. It works well when the .co.uk is taken by someone unrelated, and it looks modern next to a longer name.

.org.uk reads as non-commercial — clubs, community groups, charities and membership bodies.

You do not have to be a UK resident to register any of them, but you do have to give accurate details. Nominet runs data-quality checks and can suspend a domain whose registrant information does not stand up.

Two things that surprise people:

• A .uk registration must declare a registrant type — an individual, a UK limited company, an LLP, a sole trader, and so on. It is not optional, and the registry rejects registrations without it.
• Transferring a .uk works differently. There is no authorisation code. Your current provider changes the domain's TAG to the new one. That means a transfer starts with your losing provider, not your new one.