.ltd.uk is reserved for private limited companies on the Companies House register, and the domain has to be derived from the company's registered name. That makes it one of the few British addresses that proves something about its owner: only the company itself can hold it.
PD Hosting, a Nominet accredited registrar and itself a limited company registered in England and Wales, registers .ltd.uk names directly with the registry. When you order, we ask for your company's exact registered name and its company number, and the registration goes through the same owner verification as every .uk name. Search for your company below.
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What is a .ltd.uk domain?
- Type
- A restricted third-level zone of .uk, set aside for private limited companies. Its sister zone, .plc.uk, is for public limited companies. Source
- Registry
- Nominet UK, the registry for the .uk country code. Source
- Who may register
- Incorporated companies listed on the Companies House names register that are entitled to use "Limited", "Ltd", "cyfyngedig" or "cyf". Partnerships, sole traders and unincorporated bodies can't. Source
- Name rule
- The part before .ltd.uk must come from the company's official name through Nominet's conversion steps. Any other name is refused. Source
- One per company
- A company that already holds a .ltd.uk can't register a second one. Source
- Information needed
- The company's full registered name and its registration number; proof of incorporation may be requested. Source
- Name change or dissolution
- If the company changes its name, is dissolved or leaves the active register, the registry may transfer, suspend, amend or cancel the domain. Source
- After expiry
- As for all .uk names: suspended 30 days after expiry, renewable until day 90, released at day 95. Source
Facts checked against the registry on 9 November 2026.
Who a .ltd.uk domain suits
A .ltd.uk suits any private limited company that wants an address tied to its legal identity: an engineering consultancy, a family-owned building firm, a contractor trading through a personal service company, an accountancy practice set up as a limited company. Because only the company named on the register can hold it, it reassures customers and suppliers who check who they're dealing with.
It's also a useful second address for companies whose trading name differs from their registered one. The .co.uk carries the brand, while the .ltd.uk, in the legal name, can sit on invoices, contracts and compliance correspondence, where the formal name is printed anyway.
- An address that matches the company's registered name exactly
- Email for invoices, contracts and statutory correspondence
- A second address beside a trading-name .co.uk
- Stopping anyone else claiming your company name in this zone
- Showing visitors the site belongs to the incorporated company
Benefits of a .ltd.uk domain
Only your company can hold it
Nobody else can register the .ltd.uk derived from your company's name, so copycats and squatters are shut out of this zone.
Proves incorporation
A visitor who sees .ltd.uk knows the owner is a limited company on the public register, which they can look up on Companies House in seconds.
Rarely taken already
Companies House doesn't allow two companies with the same name, so the .ltd.uk derived from yours is very unlikely to belong to anyone else, even when the matching .co.uk went years ago.
Registered directly by us
We're accredited by Nominet, so your company's .ltd.uk sits on our own registrar account and any query about the name or its eligibility is handled by us directly.
The company-name rule, step by step
You can't pick any word you like in front of .ltd.uk. Nominet's rules say the name must be derived from the company's official name, using a fixed sequence of steps carried out in order:
- remove the legal ending (Limited, Ltd, cyfyngedig or cyf) from the end of the name;
- replace every "&" and "+" with the word "and";
- strip out punctuation such as apostrophes, commas, full stops, brackets and currency signs;
- remove accents, leaving the plain letter;
- optionally drop a leading "The" and, optionally, a trailing "Company" or "Co";
- finally, delete the remaining spaces or turn each run of spaces into a single hyphen.
So a company registered as Smith & Daughters (Leeds) Limited could have smithanddaughtersleeds.ltd.uk or smith-and-daughters-leeds.ltd.uk, but not smiths.ltd.uk or leedsbuilders.ltd.uk. A trading name, an abbreviation or an initialism isn't allowed unless it's the registered name. Each company may hold only one .ltd.uk, and if a different company derives exactly the same string first, the name has gone.
When you order, we ask for your registered name and company number, because the registry requires both, and the domain you request has to be derivable from that record. Nominet may also ask for proof of incorporation. Our usual .uk identity checks apply too, and anything you send is handled under UK data protection law (ICO registration ZA920919). Keep in mind that the domain follows the company's legal life: rename the company and the domain may no longer qualify; dissolve it and the registry may cancel the name.
.ltd.uk pros and cons
Works well if
- Your business is a private limited company on the Companies House register
- You want an address that can only belong to your company
- Your registered name is distinctive and not too long
- You'd like to reserve your company name in every .uk zone
Look elsewhere if
- You're a sole trader, partnership or LLP: you can't hold one, so choose .co.uk or .uk
- Your brand differs from the registered name: the domain must follow the legal name, so use a .co.uk for the brand
- You expect to rename or restructure the company soon: the domain may stop qualifying
- Customers type addresses from memory: .ltd.uk is less familiar than .co.uk
.ltd.uk compared with similar extensions
| Extension | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| .ltd.uk | Private limited companies on the UK register | Restricted to the company itself; must follow the registered name. |
| .co.uk | Any UK business or brand | Free choice of name and far more familiar, but anyone can register it. |
| .ltd | Limited companies wanting a short, international ending | A global extension, not tied to Companies House. |
| .uk | A short British brand | Open to anyone, with no company test. |
Register your .ltd.uk 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.
.ltd.uk questions
Can a sole trader or partnership get a .ltd.uk?
No. Only a private limited company listed on the Companies House register and entitled to use "Limited" or "Ltd" (or the Welsh equivalents) qualifies. Sole traders, partnerships, LLPs, unincorporated charities and overseas businesses can't hold one; a .co.uk or .uk is the usual choice for them.
Can my .ltd.uk use our trading name?
No. The domain must be derived from the company's registered name by Nominet's conversion steps. If you trade under a different name, register that as a .co.uk or .uk and use the .ltd.uk for the legal name, or both.
What happens to the .ltd.uk if we change the company name?
The registry may transfer, amend, suspend or cancel it, because the domain no longer matches the registered name. Tell us when a name change is planned, so we can register the .ltd.uk for the new name and move your website and email over in time.
Can a company have more than one .ltd.uk?
No. The rules allow each company one registration in the .ltd.uk zone. The optional steps, such as removing "The" or using hyphens, give you a choice of spelling, but you can only register one of them.
Does a .ltd.uk renew for more than the first year costs?
It can. A .ltd.uk renews at £9.15 a year with us, which may be higher than an introductory first-year price. You can renew for up to ten years in one go.
What happens to a .ltd.uk if the company is dissolved?
It may be cancelled, possibly without notice once the company has left the active register. If you're closing one company and carrying the business on in another, plan the move of the website and email before the old company is struck off.
Sources: Nominet .uk rules of registration (sections 11.2–11.3) · Nominet .uk policies · Nominet data validation process · Nominet registrar renewals procedure · IANA .uk record
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