.uk domains: Nominet and two levels of the same name

Nominet keeps the registry

IANA lists Nominet UK as the manager of the extension. Nominet maintains the database, publishes the policies and runs the lookup services; registrars handle sales and support.

Levels are read from the right

In shop.example.co.uk, .uk is the country extension, .co.uk a registry-defined namespace, and example.co.uk the registered domain. The shop label is a subdomain the holder creates without paying anything.

Historically British businesses registered under .co.uk. The shorter form directly beneath .uk is newer, which is exactly why it is sometimes free when the .co.uk equivalent has been taken for twenty years.

For a business that is a real decision: register both and redirect one, or accept that a share of visitors will arrive at a competitor.

Both versions cost the same

At a Polish registrar, .uk and .co.uk each cost 54 PLN net to register and 60 PLN to renew (August 2026). Price will not decide for you — the choice is purely a branding one.

Keeping both runs to roughly 120 PLN net a year, which for a serious project is not a sum worth arguing over.

Availability comes from the registry itself

Nominet publishes an RDAP service, so answers come straight from the registry — as with .pl and .com, and unlike .de or .eu. You can treat the result as final.