The European Commission have announced that UK holders of .eu domains will no longer be able to hold the domains once the UK has officially withdrawn from the EU.
The statement makes clear that all current .eu domain holders will not be able to renew their .eu domains once they expire.
The implications of this for businesses who have branded themselves under a .eu domain is serious.
Not only will these businesses be unable to own or use their .eu domain name after the UK has officially withdrawn from the EU, they will also be unable to redirect their current .eu domain to another UK domain as they will no longer be the owner of the .eu domain. Loosing them all of the SEO value that they have created and built over the years.
On top of this there is a real risk to brand reputation and security. If a business is known by a .eu domain and your customers go straight to your .eu URL and find another company there, with a similar branding and name, then your customers could be duped into sharing information or buying fake products.
It is currently less than one year until the UK leaves the European Union, if you have a .eu domain now is the time to consider setting up a new UK domain and ensuring that you have a successful transfer.
This will also give you time to adjust your branding and educate your customers on the change in your URL and branding.
You can read the statement from the European Commission via ec.europe.eu.
Published: 11th Apr 2018