Empower Your Government Presence
Official .gov.uk Domain Registration Made Easy!
Official .gov.uk Domain Registration Made Easy!
Looking to register a .gov.uk domain? Hostworld, an approved domain registrar, is here to assist you. We specialise in registering .ac.uk, .gov.uk, and .gov.scot domain names.
The .gov.uk domains are issued exclusively to eligible organisations through Nominet. For .ac.uk domains, registration is restricted to eligible entities according to criteria set by UKERNA (United Kingdom Education and Research Networking Association). Additionally, .gov.scot domains are managed through JISC.
Whether you need to register a new .gov domain or transfer an existing one to Hostworld, we have you covered. If your current provider is no longer an authorised domain registrar, our team can seamlessly manage your domain transfer.
For more information about eligibility requirements, please see below.
Your proposed domain name must clearly describe your organisation or the government initiative you are providing. Consider the users of the domain name and ensure that the name is not too long or complicated.
You must use the full name of your organisation, government initiative or an appropriate suffix or abbreviation.
If you apply for an acronym, initialism, or abbreviation this must be descriptive, unique and clear to avoid user confusion. Applications for these terms will need approval from the Naming and Approvals Committee. Commonly-used abbreviations like DWP, HMRC or DVLA are acceptable as are abbreviations that are well-known to your users.
A central department can use hmrc.gov.uk.
A county council can use northamptonshire.gov.uk.
A town council can use biggleswadetowncouncil.gov.uk, biggleswadetown.gov.uk, or biggleswade-tc.gov.uk.
A parish council can use bonbyparishcouncil.gov.uk, bonbyparish.gov.uk, or bonby-pc.gov.uk.
Ensure your domain name includes a geographical identifier your users will recognise. For example, northyorks.gov.uk is acceptable.
Find out the benefits of getting and using a .gov.uk domain
From: Central Digital and Data Office and Cabinet Office Published 30 June 2022 Last updated 20 January 2023 — See all updates
Using a .gov.uk domain is beneficial because it gives your eligible organisations trusted branding, increased security and helps meet any policy and legal obligations.
A .gov.uk domain name used by your organisation:
A .gov.uk domain name is monitored for potential security vulnerabilities, which will be reported to you by the Protecting Public Sector Domains Team at the Cabinet Office. This ensures that your website and services remain secure and trustworthy.
Using a .gov.uk domain name means outgoing emails are more likely to be cleared by security filters and delivered to citizens and other public sector organisations. This increases the reliability and effectiveness of your communications.
Using a .gov.uk domain name increases transparency for smaller organisations when public servants use corporate email accounts instead of personal email accounts for official government business. This practice helps ensure accountability and maintains the integrity of official communications.
If you are using personal equipment or email addresses for the work of your organisation, you may have to submit them for scrutiny if your organisation receives a freedom of information or data request. This highlights the importance of using official .gov.uk email addresses to maintain privacy and ensure proper handling of official communications.
Anyone can submit a written request for information in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This law means your organisation could be asked to disclose a wide range of data, including:
Using a .gov.uk domain name helps ensure that all official communications and records are properly managed and easily accessible for compliance with such requests.
Having a .gov.uk email account that is only used for government business will make it easier to respond to any FOI requests. This ensures that all official communications are kept separate from personal emails, simplifying the process of locating and disclosing relevant information when required.
We’re an Approved registrar, use us.
If your organisation is eligible for a .gov.uk domain name, you must identify a registrant who is going to be responsible for the domain and then choose a .gov.uk Approved Registrar.
Registrants must follow the Cabinet Office guidelines once their .gov.uk domain is live, or Cabinet Office will withdraw it. For example, registrants must keep contact details up to date.
Those wishing to register and operate a .gov domain have certain responsibilities. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) requires that you read and subscribe for updates on the following pages:
£120+VAT per 2 years.
If you don’t already have a gov domain name then please complete the form at the bottom of this page. We can process the application on your behalf.
If you already have a gov domain then please call us or email us on [email protected] and we’ll be happy to assist.
The .gov.scot domains are reserved for official Scottish government websites.
With recent Cabinet Office changes, we realise that some registrars will not be continuing to register and manage gov.uk domain names from 2024. Hostworld can transfer your existing gov.uk domain to us and continue to manage it on your behalf. Simply email us at [email protected] and include the following:
If you still have questions about ordering a gov.uk domain then feel free to contact us using the form below.