This article describes the procedures and requirements of .eu domain names.
Click on the subject below to open the dropdown for more information.
You can register an .eu domain via RCP (Reseller Control Panel) or XML API or REST API. This registration is real time and requires the following information:
- the domain's contact handles (registrant, admin, etc.)
- registrant should be located in a EU or EEA country or be a citizen of one of the EU member states.
- if a private individual registrant does not reside in a EU or EEA country but is a citizen of such country, enter the "country of citizenship" in the customer details in RCP.
- two or more nameservers or a nameserver group
If error "The contact type registrant must meet the general eligibility criteria" is shown, the registrant does not meet the requirements. (see above).
It is not required to submit a VAT number in the handles, but when the VAT number is added, the EU registry will check if it is valid. Non valid VAT numbers will give an error.
Note that it is not allowed to mix alphabets: the domain name must be in the same alphabet (script) as the extension. That means that
- for .eu domains, the domain name itself must be in Latin characters;
- for .ею domains, the domain name itself must be in Cyrillic characters; and
- for .ευ domains, the domain name itself must be in Greek characters.
NOTE :
The registrant of the domain name will get an email directly from EURid Registry under the title
"[rt.eurid.eu #XXXXX] Confirm your registration details for domainname.eu"
As a part of .eu registration process, the registry collects the personal information of the registrant in accordance with their Privacy Policy.
The registrant is responsible for following up to this email and this is NOT DONE via Registrar / Reseller.
Please note that if the registrant did not reply to this email within 14 days, the registry reserves the right to SUSPEND or DELETE the domain without refunds.
Domain names with status "withdrawn" are no longer registered and are currently unavailable for registration pending the outcome of legal activity. For further information please contact legal@eurid.eu.
Brexit changes
On the 1st of February 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. This will cause registrants from the United Kingdom to be no longer eligible for .eu, .ею and .ευ domain names after the transition period. The transition period is scheduled to end on the 31st of December 2020.
The registry has informed all UK and GI registrants by e-mail on the 1st of October and the 21st of December 2020, urging them to update their registration data to an address in the European Union, if possible. Any non-compliant domain name has been suspended on the 1st of January 2021. Until the 30th of June 2021, changes can still be made through the control panel or API, but please always inform us on support@openprovider.com about such changes, as we need to request them manually at the .eu registry as well.
On the 1st of July 2021, the domains will be withdrawn and cannot be updated anymore.
UPDATE 2021-06-30: contrary to the registry's original plans, they made it possible to recover a withdrawn domain name (even after the 1st of July) by the last holder in exceptional cases, provided that last holder can present registration data that meet the .eu eligibility criteria.
If the last holder wishes to recover a domain name, they must contact EURid directly and follow the recovery procedure: the domain holder submits a formal request, which includes an eligible address and EURid will evaluate. If granted, EURid will activate the domain name with the provided registration data by moving them to a dedicated EURid Brexit holding account. The status of the domain name will be updated to ‘registered’, and a one-year term will be added to the registration.
The domain name holder will be then invited to log in to their My.eu account (using the e-mail address provided in the request) and obtain a transfer authorisation code that can be provided to Openprovider for a regular transfer.
An activated Brexit domain name that has not been transferred to an accredited registrar by 31 December 2021 will be revoked together with the other Brexit withdrawn domain names, and subsequently made available for general registration starting from 1 January 2022.
The registry regularly updates the Brexit-related information on their website.
You can start an .eu domain transfer via RCP or XML API or REST API. Transfers are processed real time and require the following information:
- an authorisation code that you need to request at your current provider
- a valid authorisation code has 4 blocks of 4 characters, for example REGE-1HAZ-W3XP-3EA1
- the domain's contact handles (owner, administrative, etc.)
- registrant should be located in a EU or EEA country or be a citizen of one of the EU member states.
- owner contact/handle of a reserved domain that was registered through a special application process can not be changed during transfer.
- two or more nameservers or a nameserver group
The transfer code is valid for 40 days after creation. The registration period after a successful transfer extends with 1 year.
It is not required to submit a VAT number in the handles, but when the VAT number is added, the EU registry will check if it is valid. Non valid VAT numbers will give an error.
Additional notes on a .eu transfer
- A transfer code for a .eu domain is valid for the period of 40 days.
- If the domain holder changes during the authorisation code validity period of 40 days, the code will be reset. A new cost must be retrieved if you still want to transfer the domain out.
- If the current registrar is not able to or does not cooperate in providing the authorization code, the registrant can request the authorization code via My .EU.
- If My .EU is no option, the registry offers an escalation path through the registry. This should be used as a last resort only.
- Transfer from quarantine is possible, but we still need the authorization code. Be aware that additional costs are involved. Please contact the support department and send the domain name, handles and nameservers along with the authorization code.
- A bulk transfer is possible: Openprovider can transfer a complete or partial portfolio with as much as signing a form.
| Authorization code required | yes |
| Method of confirmation | authcode |
| Registration period after transfer | extends |
| Average transfer time | Realtime |
| Advanced and simple transfers available | Contact our Sales department to check if easy transfer of 100 or more .eu domains is available. |
- External authorization code request - via RCP (Reseller Control Panel) or XML API or REST API
Owner change (trade)
- requested as a normal domain update via RCP or or XML API or REST API
- processed realtime
- Owner change is not possible for reserved domain that was registered through a special application process.
Other update
Delete
Restore / reactivate
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| Registration agreement | The registry requires that a registration agreement is in place between the provider and the domain holder. The text of this registration agreement and any required supplements is the following: |
Due to the regular changes in registry rules and configuration or missing information from registry side, and despite our effort to keep our knowledge base up-to-date, information in the knowledge base may be outdated or incorrect. If you encounter some issue, please report it through the "HotJar" feedback collector on the bottom right, or (if it is blocked by your browser) by clicking the "Submit a request" link below. No rights can be derived from the information in this knowledge base. If there is discrepancy between the knowledge base and the process in Openprovider, the process in Openprovider is leading.
