Who runs it
.uk is administered by Nominet, and its expiry process is a registry that records the registrant separately from the registrar.
What happens after expiry
Same Nominet process as .co.uk: suspension at expiry, then a protected period before release.
The grace period
The domain stops resolving immediately but remains recoverable by the registrant for a period measured in weeks.
Recovery after that
Nominet's protected period is longer than typical gTLD redemption, and fees are usually lower.
Worth knowing about .uk
The shorter .uk was opened to holders of the matching .co.uk. Many businesses hold both, and it is common for one to be renewing and the other not, because they were registered at different times.
What is true of every extension
- The domain stops resolving the moment it expires. Website and email both stop at once, because both depend on the same records.
- Your registrar panel may still show the domain as active while the rest of the internet already treats it as gone.
- Every stage after expiry costs more than renewing did, and the last stage cannot be undone at any price.
Registry policies change. The shape of the process is stable, but confirm exact windows with your registrar before relying on a number.