.AC.UK

Name: .AC.UK — TLD Knowledge Base
Creator: Nominet

United Kingdom

Nominet · SubTLD · Updated 2026-04-09

Open

Specifications

Zone: ac.uk
Registration: Real-time
Registration period: 1-10 years
Character length: 3 - 63
DNSSEC: Yes
IPv6: Yes
Nameservers: 2 - 10
Transfer time: Immediate
Auth code format: N/A
Redemption period: 60 days
Handle updates: Yes
WHOIS privacy: Individuals only
WHOIS update: Real-time
WHOIS server: whois.nic.uk
Connection: Direct
Data set: ccTLD

Eligibility & Restrictions

Open to anyone worldwide. No residency requirement. Legal type of registrant contact required (pre-configuration mandatory). Businesses cannot use WHOIS opt-out; individuals can opt out at registration.

Registration

1-10 years.

Transfer Procedure

Manual transfer process. No auth code used by this registry.

Pushing TAG is irreversible. Verify gaining registrar TAG before pushing. Cannot be cancelled once pushed.

📘 ICANN Transfer Policy (IRTP) — See ICANN Transfer Policy for the full IRTP framework, auth code rules, 60-day lock periods, and TEAC.

Registrant Change

Registrant change (name/organisation) must be done at Nominet Online Services portal directly. Registrar systems do not automatically sync all registrant changes. .UK WHOIS info must match associated .CO.UK/.ORG.UK/.ME.UK information.

📘 ICANN OwnerChange (COR) — See ICANN OwnerChange for COR triggers, FOA/DA modes, 60-day lock, and opt-out.

Renewal & Deletion

Standard renewal. Domain suspended 60 days after expiry. Nominet sends final cancellation notice 53 days into suspension. After 60-day suspension: domain deleted and available for registration.

📘 ICANN ERRP — See ICANN ERRP for the standard gTLD expiry lifecycle (Auto-Renew Grace → RGP → Pending Delete → Released).

Restore / Redemption Grace Period

Restore possible during 60-day suspension period after expiry.

📘 ICANN ERRP — See ICANN ERRP for RGP details and standard restore fees.

WHOIS / Privacy

Minimal data public by default. Individuals: can opt out. Companies: cannot opt out. WHOIS transitioning to RDAP (port 43 being phased out from Jan 2025).

📘 ICANN Registration Data Policy — See Registration Data Policy for RDP 2025, RDAP, redaction defaults, and privacy/proxy rules.

NIS2 Compliance

UK is not subject to EU NIS2. Nominet operates under UK regulations.

📘 NIS2 Compliance — See NIS2 Compliance for Article 28 requirements, registry implementation status, and operational impact.

Known Error Codes & Notes

Irreversible TAG push: TAG change is irreversible. Cannot be cancelled once pushed. Must contact new registrar or Nominet.
Data quality lock: Applied after 29 days if contact not validated. Domain suspended and stops resolving.
Registrant min chars: Registrant name/organization: minimum 4 characters with at least 3 letters. Street must contain non-numerical characters.
.UK WHOIS match: .UK WHOIS must match parent .CO.UK/.ORG.UK data.

API

Domain Create

POST https://api.autodns.com/v1/domain

{
  "name": "example.ac.uk",
  "ownerc": {
    "id": 23142212
  },
  "adminc": {
    "id": 23142212
  },
  "techc": {
    "id": 23142212
  },
  "nameServers": [
    {
      "name": "ns1.example.com"
    },
    {
      "name": "ns2.example.com"
    }
  ],
  "confirmOrder": false,
  "extensions": {
    "uk": {
      "registrantType": ""
    }
  }
}

⚠ IPS TAG system for transfers, not auth codes.

Domain Transfer

POST https://api.autodns.com/v1/domain/_transfer

{
  "name": "example.ac.uk",
  "_note": "IPS TAG push via registrar. No auth code."
}

⚠ IPS TAG push. No auth code. Irreversible. Transfer does NOT extend period.

Domain Restore

POST https://api.autodns.com/v1/domain/example.ac.uk/_restore

⚠ 60-day suspension period. Restore possible during suspension.

TLD Extension Parameters

extensions.uk.registrantType: string — Legal type of registrant. Pre-configuration mandatory.