Any domain name that was registered before 1 August 1996 is considered a pre-Nominet domain name. These domain names were registered with the UK Naming Committee who managed the register before Nominet was set up.

We ran a project a regularise these domain name registrations and they all now need to be renewed every two years like all domain names registered since 1 August 1996.


What is a Pre-Nominet domain name?
A Pre-Nominet domain name is any .uk domain name registration that was applied for before 1 August 1996, when Nominet took over the management of the .uk register database.

How can I identify a Pre-Nominet domain name?
We have now completed the Pre-Nominet project and all domain names that were registered prior to 1 August 1996 have now either been signed up to our terms and conditions or have been cancelled. If a Pre-Nominet domain name has been signed up to our terms and conditions, the registration date on the WHOIS will appear as:

Registered on: before Aug 1996

Why did Nominet decided to address the Pre-Nominet domain name registrations?
Nominet's Board of Directors and Policy Advisory Body felt that the pre-Nominet register should be regularised so that these domain names would be bound by our terms and conditions and have renewal dates set. This means that we no longer offer hosting or registration services for these domains free of charge.

Further information
If you have any questions regarding a Pre-Nominet domain name please contact Registrant Services either by telephone on 01865 332244 or by email to nominet@nominet.org.uk.