Which restricted country domains can a UK company register after Brexit?

Brexit took .eu and .fr away from UK-based holders and left .it untouched. What a company registered in the UK can hold today, extension by extension.

Some.The verdict

A UK company can register .it and .hu in its own name, and .de with a German contact point if DENIC asks. It cannot hold .eu, .fr or .no. For those the choice is a trustee or an entity in the EEA.

Every restricted domain, for a UK company

Domain	For a company based in the United Kingdom	Why	Trustees
.de	Directly, with a condition	Open worldwide. A holder abroad must name an authorised recipient in Germany if DENIC asks.	Compare
.eu	Trustee or local entity	Needs an EU or EEA establishment. An EU citizen can hold one personally.	Compare
.fr	Trustee or local entity	Needs residence or an establishment in the EEA or Switzerland.	Compare
.no	Trustee or local entity	Needs a Norwegian organisation number or national ID. No exceptions.	Compare
.it	Register directly	The Registro.it Regulation names the United Kingdom alongside the EEA and Switzerland.	Not needed
.ca	Trustee or local entity	Needs Canadian presence. A registered Canadian trade mark gets you the matching name only.	Compare
.au	Trustee or local entity	Needs Australian presence: an ARBN or ABN, or an Australian trade mark for the exact-match name only.	Compare
.br	Trustee or local entity	Provisional only: a Brazilian legal representative, and a commitment to establish in Brazil within 12 months.	Compare
.cn	Directly, with a condition	Open to foreign applicants with real-name verification. Hosting in China needs an ICP filing.	Compare
.jp	Trustee or local entity	Needs a permanent postal address in Japan.	Compare
.sg	Directly, with a condition	Open to all, but a foreign applicant must appoint a local agent in Singapore as administrative contact.	Compare
.hu	Register directly	The UK is on the registry's list of eligible countries as a Council of Europe member.	Not needed

The table applies each registry's rule to a company established only in the UK. The full rules, cited from each registry's own policy, are on each extension's page.

What Brexit changed

81,000+

.eu names with a UK or Gibraltar holder suspended in January 2021

July 2021

Names still not compliant withdrawn by EURid

May 2022

Registro.it names the UK in its eligibility rule

.eu: suspended, then withdrawn

When the transition period ended in January 2021, EURid suspended more than 81,000 .eu names whose holders had a UK or Gibraltar country code. Holders who updated their details to an eligible person or address got their names back; over 8,000 had done so within six weeks. Names still not compliant were withdrawn in July 2021 and later released for anyone eligible to register.

.fr: closed to new UK registrants

Afnic stopped accepting UK-resident holders from January 2021. In 2021 it said names registered before then would not be taken back, and could be renewed or passed to an eligible holder. Afnic's naming policy of July 2026 applies the eligibility test on registration or renewal, and we have found no Afnic statement reconciling that with the 2021 position. If you hold an older .fr from the UK, ask your registrar before the next renewal.

.it and .hu: no change

Registro.it kept UK registrants eligible after Brexit and wrote the United Kingdom into its Regulation, version 8.0 of May 2022, alongside the EEA, Switzerland, San Marino and Vatican City. The .hu registry admits applicants from Council of Europe states, which include the UK.

Key point

What never changed

.no was never open to UK companies, because it requires a Norwegian identifier, not an EEA one. And .de has always been open to holders anywhere.

Who in the UK can still hold a .eu

The .eu rule tests the holder, and some people living in the UK still pass it. Since October 2019 a citizen of any EU member state can hold a .eu wherever they live, and since August 2021 so can citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. A UK resident with an Irish passport, for example, qualifies personally. That puts the domain in a person's name rather than the company's, which carries its own risk if that person leaves.

The routes back in

A trustee holds the name for you. Compared for .eu, .fr and .no. Read the .eu page first: the EURid terms say registration data must not be that of a proxy for an ineligible party.
An entity in the EEA, such as an Irish subsidiary, can hold .eu and .fr in its own name. Costs are on the .eu company page.
A Norwegian entity for .no specifically. A UK resident can be general manager of a Norwegian AS; see the .no company page.

Domains an EEA address unlocksWhat counts as EEA presence for .eu, .fr, .it and .hu.Read this Who can register a .eu domain?The .eu eligibility rules in full.Read this Restricted domains for Swiss companiesThe other non-EEA European case, with a different answer on .fr.Read this All countriesThe same table for companies elsewhere.Read this

Common questions

Can a UK company register a .eu domain?

No. A .eu holder must be established in the EU or EEA, be resident there, or be a citizen of an EU or EEA state. A company established only in the UK meets none of these. It needs an EEA entity or a trustee.

Can a UK company register a .it domain?

Yes. The Registro.it Regulation lists the United Kingdom among the countries whose citizens, residents and registered organisations may register .it, so no trustee is needed.

Can a UK company register a .fr domain?

Not a new one. Afnic requires residence or an establishment in the EEA or Switzerland, and UK-based holders lost eligibility in January 2021. A UK company needs an EEA establishment or a trustee.

Is a .uk domain open to companies outside the UK?

Yes. Nominet accepts foreign companies and individuals as .uk registrants, so the restriction only runs one way.

Sources

Last updated September 2026. Registry rules change. If you spot something out of date, email info@trusteeindex.com.

Restricted domains for UK companies