.global is an open ending for organisations that work across borders and want an address that isn't tied to any one country. It suits exporters, international networks and brands whose UK website is only one of several markets they serve.
PD Hosting is a British registrar, Nominet accredited and based in London. When you check out, your .global is registered immediately and added to your client area next to your other domains, and our reminders reach you well before it's due for renewal.
Per year. Compare every extension on our domain pricing page.
What is a .global domain?
- Type
- A generic top-level domain (gTLD) under a standard ICANN registry agreement dated April 2014. Source
- Registry
- Identity Digital Domains Limited holds the ICANN agreement. .global was delegated to the root zone in June 2014. Source
- Who may register
- Any person or organisation, in any country. There's no requirement to trade internationally or to have offices abroad. Source
- Acceptable use
- The registry can suspend, lock or cancel names used for phishing, malware, spam or fraud, or to claim a credential or official status that doesn't exist. Source
- Public WHOIS
- Registrants' names, street addresses, phone numbers and email addresses are left out of public results where data protection law requires; the country is still shown. Source
- Contact verification
- Whenever we register a .global, take one in by transfer, or record a new owner, we email the owner to confirm the address. ICANN requires suspension if 15 days go by unconfirmed. Source
- Transfers
- A .global moves between registrars with an auth code, which your current registrar must issue on request. Source
- Expiry
- ICANN's recovery policy keeps an expired name renewable for a time, with DNS interrupted; a deleted name then has a 30-day redemption period before it becomes available. Source
Facts checked against the registry on 9 November 2026.
Who a .global domain suits
A .global suits UK organisations whose customers, partners or staff are spread across several countries: a Midlands engineering firm exporting to Europe, Asia and the Gulf; a professional network with members on four continents; a logistics company running shipments between ports; or a charity coordinating projects in several countries from a London office.
It also suits brands that already use country codes for local shops and want one neutral address to sit above them, such as a corporate site, an investor page or a careers portal that serves every market. Some organisations use it for a single international campaign or conference while keeping their .co.uk for UK customers.
- A neutral corporate home above several country sites
- Careers and recruitment sites for international hiring
- International conferences, alliances and member networks
- Export sales pages aimed at buyers outside the UK
- Group-wide email addresses for staff in many countries
Benefits of a .global domain
Not tied to a country
A .global address reads as international from the start, which avoids overseas buyers seeing your main site as UK-only.
Strong names are still available
Brand names that are long gone in .com can often still be registered here, without adding hyphens or extra words.
Fits international search set-ups
As a generic ending it works with language folders and hreflang, so one domain can serve many markets.
Managed with your UK names
Your .global sits in the same PD Hosting account as your .co.uk, with DNS management and free mail forwarding.
How a .global behaves in international search
Many buyers assume a .global tells Google to show the site everywhere. In fact search engines don't read the word at all. Google's guidance on multi-regional sites says it treats any top-level domain in the root zone as generic unless it is a country code, and it gives no special worldwide boost to generic endings. A .global is therefore handled like a .com: it isn't held back in any country, and it isn't pushed forward either.
What does decide which version of a page appears in which country is how you organise and label it. Google's guidance describes the main choices. You can use separate country-code domains, such as .co.uk and .de, which carry a strong location signal. You can use one generic domain with subfolders, such as example.global/fr/ and example.global/de/, which keeps everything under one address and is simple to run. Or you can use subdomains, such as fr.example.global. Whichever you choose, Google recommends hreflang annotations, in the page head, in HTTP headers or in a sitemap, so that it can show each visitor the right language or regional version.
A .global works well as the generic domain in the subfolder model: one memorable address, with clearly marked versions for each market underneath. If you already hold country domains, it can also serve as the neutral front door that sends visitors to them. Either way, the extension is a branding choice. The international reach itself comes from translated content, hreflang, local links and, where it matters, local contact details.
.global pros and cons
Works well if
- You sell, hire or work in several countries
- You want a neutral address above your country sites
- The .com of your exact brand has gone, yet the .global is still free
- You plan to use language folders and hreflang under one domain
Look elsewhere if
- Most of your customers are in the UK: a .co.uk or .uk will feel more local
- You want the lowest yearly cost: .global renews for noticeably more than .com
- You're a small local business: a global-sounding address may promise more than your site delivers
- You need a strong signal for one country: that country's own code does it better
.global compared with similar extensions
| Extension | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| .global | Organisations working across several countries | Open to anyone; handled as a generic ending in search. |
| .com | International brands of every size | The most familiar generic ending, but good names are hard to find. |
| .co.uk | Businesses selling mainly in the UK | Gives a clear UK signal to visitors and search engines. |
| .group | Holding companies and groups of firms | Describes structure rather than reach. |
Register your .global domain
- Search for the name you want below.
- Add it to your basket and choose how many years to register it for.
- Check out. Your domain is registered straight away and appears in your client area, ready to point at your website and email.
Every domain includes DNS management, DNS backup and restore, and free mail forwarding.
.global questions
What is a .global domain?
It's a generic top-level domain, open to anyone, intended for organisations and projects that work across borders. It was added to the internet's root zone in 2014 and is run under a standard ICANN agreement.
Do I need offices abroad to register a .global?
No. There are no eligibility rules, so a UK sole trader can register one as easily as a multinational. It makes most sense when your customers or partners really are in several countries.
Will a .global help my site rank in other countries?
Not by itself. Google treats .global as a generic ending, like .com, so it doesn't target or favour any country. Rankings abroad depend on translated content, hreflang tags, a sensible site structure and links from those markets.
Should I choose .global or .com for an international brand?
If the .com you want is free at a sensible price, it's the more familiar choice. If it's taken, a .global with the exact brand name is usually clearer than a .com with hyphens or extra words. Many firms point both at the same site.
Can I use a .global alongside my .co.uk?
Yes. A common set-up keeps the .co.uk for UK customers and uses the .global as the international site, with hreflang linking the two. Or the .global can simply forward to your main site until you need more.
Why does .global cost more than some other endings?
Prices differ from one extension to another, and .global sits towards the upper end of our list. With us it renews at £126.95 a year, which is more than the first-year price shown in the box above.
Is .global suitable for business email?
Yes. Addresses such as [email protected] work like any other. Point the domain's mail records at your email provider, or use our free mail forwarding to send messages to an existing inbox.
What happens if my .global isn't renewed?
We remind you before it expires. If it lapses, you can still renew it for a while, but the website and email stop working. After deletion there's a 30-day redemption period, then the name is released for anyone to register.
Sources: IANA .global record · ICANN .global registry agreement · Google: managing multi-regional and multilingual sites · Identity Digital acceptable use policy · ICANN WHOIS Accuracy Program Specification · ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy
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