.GOV.UK Terms and Conditions

Precedence, Latest Version and Updates

These terms take precedence over any other terms in this agreement. The latest version of these terms can be found at gov.uk/guidance/additional-terms-for-govuk-agreements.

The party selling or issuing the .gov.uk domain or subdomain must apply best endeavours to seek to update this agreement annually to reflect the latest version of the terms made available by the Critical Domain Holder from time to time.

Role and Responsibilities of CDDO as the Critical Domain Holder

The parties agree to and accept the role of the Critical Domain Holder as set out below in respect of the protection of .gov.uk domains and subdomains.

• The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), acting on behalf of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and as part of the Crown, has rights over the '.gov.uk' domain and subdomains. CDDO is the .gov.uk domain Critical Domain Holder.
• The Critical Domain Holder does not need to be party to this agreement.
• The Critical Domain Holder has appointed the .gov.uk Registry Operator.
• The Critical Domain Holder permits the .gov.uk Registry Operator to enter into Registry Registrar Agreements.
• The Critical Domain Holder is the only authority that may verify the identity of the Registrant.
• The Critical Domain Holder approves a .gov.uk domain name for use by the Registrant.
• The Critical Domain Holder is responsible for setting and maintaining the domain registration and management rules, as defined in the Apply for your .gov.uk domain name guidance on GOV.UK.
• The Critical Domain Holder acts as an escalation point and ultimate decision maker in the event of a dispute regarding the management or control of a .gov.uk domain name.
• The Critical Domain Holder may, at its sole discretion, direct the Registry Operator, Registrar, Registrant, or sub-Registrant to take action — including urgent action — to protect a .gov.uk domain name at any time. Such action may include suspending, withdrawing, or transferring a .gov.uk domain name in the following circumstances:
  • If the Registrant or sub-Registrant persistently or seriously violates the domain registration and management rules.
  • If the Registrant or sub-Registrant persistently fails to respond to communications from the Registrar, Registry Operator, or Critical Domain Holder.
  • To resolve disputes concerning the Registrant or sub-Registrant's registered .gov.uk domain name.
  • If the continued registration of the Registrant's .gov.uk domain name poses an immediate critical security threat to the Registrant's services or other public sector services.
  • If the Registrar persistently fails to meet the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
  • If the Registrar is no longer a .gov.uk Approved Registrar as defined by the criteria.
  • If there is any event that might lead to the organisation ceasing trading, such as a voluntary winding up, a bankruptcy, or an insolvency event as defined in section 123 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
  • If required by law.
• The Critical Domain Holder is an independent data controller in its own right for personal contact data contained within the Registry Data. The Registry Data means any data — including but not limited to DNS resource records, public-key material for DNSSEC, and personal contact data — held by the Registry Operator for use in its Registry Services, or in performance of its roles and obligations to the Critical Domain Holder, Registrar, and/or Registrant.
• The Critical Domain Holder and its suppliers are authorised to undertake monitoring of all .gov.uk domains and subdomains. The purpose of monitoring is to test for the secure configuration of domains and associated digital services and to alert the relevant service owners when problems are found. On some rare occasions, monitoring may temporarily impair the function of the domain and associated digital services; in such circumstances, the Critical Domain Holder will work with the relevant parties to resolve the impairment as soon as reasonably practicable. Details associated with a domain will be retained for as long as the domain is registered and in use. If details change to another person, the Critical Domain Holder and/or its suppliers will remove the old contact within 6 months.

Role and Responsibilities of the Registry Operator

The parties agree to and accept the role of the Registry Operator as set out below in respect of the protection of .gov.uk domains and subdomains.

• The Registry Operator means the administrative and technical operator of the policies, processes, and systems required to manage and operate the .gov.uk domains and subdomains. The Registry Operator is the only operator for .gov.uk domains and subdomains, as appointed by the Critical Domain Holder.
• The Registry Operator must only accept .gov.uk domain registrations from .gov.uk Approved Registrars and must not accept registrations from any reseller or other entity.
• The Registry Operator must use reasonable endeavours to verify that organisations wishing to become .gov.uk Registrars meet the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
• The Registry Operator has a Registry Registrar Agreement with all .gov.uk Approved Registrars.
• The Registry Operator must ensure that all Registrars have Registrant Agreements in place that reference the relevant GOV.UK page and include these terms as updated from time to time.
• All normal communications that the Registry Operator has with a Registrant must be through a Registrar, except where a Registrar is not supporting their Registrant in accordance with the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar, or where the Registrant itself is not accepting such support. In these exceptional cases, the Registry Operator may contact a Registrant directly and must always copy the relevant Registrar into such communications.
• The Registry Operator must maintain a published list of .gov.uk Approved Registrars.
• The Registry Operator operates a fair marketplace for .gov.uk Approved Registrars. If the Registry Operator itself chooses to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar, it must not grant itself more favourable terms or treatment than other Approved Registrars.
• The Registry Operator must not unreasonably refuse to sign a Registry Registrar Agreement with a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
• The Registry Operator must use reasonable endeavours to help .gov.uk Approved Registrars continue to meet the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
• The Registry Operator must notify the Critical Domain Holder before removing the status of .gov.uk Approved Registrar or terminating a Registry Registrar Agreement with a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
• The Registry Operator is an independent data controller in its own right for personal contact data contained within the Registry Data, and is responsible for ensuring that agreements to cover the sharing and processing of personal data with other parties — such as Registrars — are in place.

Role and Responsibilities of the Registrar

The parties agree to and accept the role of the Registrar as set out below in respect of the protection of .gov.uk domains and subdomains.

• The Registrar must meet the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar at all times.
• The Registrar must only provide .gov.uk domains directly to Registrants with whom they have Registrant Agreements in place. The Registrar must not provide .gov.uk domains via any reseller.
• The Registrar must maintain a list of all Registrants that have delegated lower-level subdomains out to sub-Registrants.
• The Registrar must ensure that if a Registrant transfers a domain name, the new Registrant is eligible to hold the domain, any new Registrar is a .gov.uk Approved Registrar, and all parties follow the Transfer your domain name guidance.
• The Registrar agrees that any persistent failures to meet the Criteria to be a .gov.uk Approved Registrar — as defined and/or determined by the Registry Operator and confirmed at the sole discretion of the Critical Domain Holder — will result in the Registrar no longer being a .gov.uk Approved Registrar and the Registrar being required, in consultation with the Registrant, to transfer the management of its .gov.uk domain names to an alternative .gov.uk Approved Registrar. The Registrar must provide all such support, assistance, and cooperation as the Critical Domain Holder or Registry Operator may require to give full effect to this provision.
• The Registrar is an independent data controller in its own right for personal contact data contained within the Registry Data.

Role and Responsibilities of the Registrant

The parties agree to and accept the role of the Registrant as set out below in respect of the protection of .gov.uk domains and subdomains.

• The Registrant is an entity which has registered a .gov.uk domain name in the .gov.uk Registry.
• The Registrant must remain in legal control of their .gov.uk domain name at all times. This includes not reselling or passing control of their .gov.uk domain name to a non-public sector organisation.
• The Registrant must obtain approval from the Critical Domain Holder prior to transferring their .gov.uk domain to any other organisation.
• The Registrant must protect its .gov.uk domain name by following the domain registration and management rules as defined in the Apply for your .gov.uk domain name guidance on GOV.UK.
• The Registrant has the right to move its .gov.uk domain name from the Registrar to any other Registrar at any time and for any reason. The Registrant is not entitled to a refund for any remaining term of the registration.
• The Registrant accepts that if their Registrar is no longer a .gov.uk Approved Registrar, the Registrant must move its .gov.uk domains to a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
• If the Registrant has delegated lower-level subdomains out to a sub-Registrant, the Registrant must notify its Registrar, must help the sub-Registrant meet the applicable domain registration and management rules, and is a data controller of the personal data that the sub-Registrant has shared with it.
• The Registrant is an independent data controller in its own right for personal contact data contained within the Registry Data.
• The Registrant agrees that the Critical Domain Holder and its suppliers are authorised to undertake monitoring of all .gov.uk domains and subdomains. The Registrant consents to the processing and retention of personal data — specifically DNS records and WHOIS records where available — for the purposes of providing support, protecting domain names in the public sector, reducing the risk of attack to associated services, and ensuring the governance and accessibility of web services.

Role and Responsibilities of the Sub-Registrant

The parties agree to and accept the role of the sub-Registrant as set out below in respect of the protection of .gov.uk domains and subdomains.

• The sub-Registrant is an entity which has been given a lower-level domain from a .gov.uk Registrant. The sub-Registrant is not the same organisation as the Registrant.
• The sub-Registrant must protect its .gov.uk domain name by following the domain registration and management rules as defined in the Apply for your .gov.uk domain name guidance on GOV.UK.
• The sub-Registrant is a data controller of the personal data it shares with the Registrant.
• The sub-Registrant agrees that the Critical Domain Holder and its suppliers are authorised to undertake monitoring of all .gov.uk domains and subdomains. The sub-Registrant consents to the processing and retention of personal data — specifically DNS records and WHOIS records where available — for the purposes of providing support, protecting domain names in the public sector, reducing the risk of attack to associated services, and ensuring the governance and accessibility of web services.

Pricing for .GOV.UK Domain Names

The pricing for .gov.uk domain names is to be confirmed. Please contact us at support@hostgrower.com for current pricing information.