Not an ordinary public-registration product.
ICANN Accredited Registrar Since 2006
.GB Is Reserved and Not Open for Public Registration
IANA delegates .GB as a country-code top-level domain but lists it as reserved. Review the current status, see the evidence, and compare active UK-focused alternatives such as .UK and .CO.UK.
Why verify .GB before choosing a domain
A delegated TLD is not always a publicly registrable TLD.
.GB appears in the DNS root, but the IANA manager field says Reserved Domain - IANA. Checking registry status before comparing prices prevents a reserved namespace from being mistaken for a retail product.
Use .UK or an eligible category beneath it for a UK identity.
Confirm delegation, manager, eligibility, and retail support before purchase.
.GB Market Intelligence · 2026 to date
.GB is an IANA-reserved ccTLD, while .UK is the active public namespace.
IANA records .GB as a country-code top-level domain, with Reserved Domain - IANA as its manager. DNS Coffee has no .GB zone file and DomainTools reports its domain count as N/A, so annual registration growth would be misleading; the page uses a same-source UK-related TLD comparison instead.
.GB is delegated in the DNS root as a country-code top-level domain.
IANA does not list a public registry operator for ordinary registrations.
IANA and DNS Coffee list three nameservers for the reserved delegation.
2026 .GB Status Structure
The delegation exists technically, but its management status prevents ordinary public registration.
Root-zone classificationccTLD
IANA manager statusReserved
Public registrationUnavailable
Source note: IANA .GB delegation record and DNS Coffee root-zone observation, accessed September 10, 2026. The equal arcs illustrate three status dimensions, not registration shares.
Why .GB should not be treated as a retail registration option
The technical delegation, manager status, and absence of a public count all point to the same buyer conclusion.
Reserved IANA manager status
The official delegation record explicitly names Reserved Domain - IANA as the manager rather than a public registry operator.
No public zone-file count
DNS Coffee states that it cannot list domains beneath .GB because it has no zone file, and DomainTools reports the count as N/A.
Active alternatives exist
.UK and .CO.UK provide established paths for United Kingdom naming, with .LONDON, .SCOT, and .WALES available for more specific positioning.
UK-Related TLD Domain Comparison — 2026 to date
Because .GB has no usable annual registration series, this same-source snapshot compares active UK-related namespaces and shows .GB as unavailable rather than inventing a count.
Source note: DomainTools public TLD-count table, accessed September 10, 2026. Figures are known-domain counts, not official registry totals. DomainTools reports .GB as N/A, consistent with its reserved status.
Public Premium .GB Domain Sales Examples
No public premium .GB sales are shown because .GB is reserved and not offered as an ordinary public registration namespace. Parent-domain or lookalike sales must not be presented as .GB transactions.
Source note: This module only displays confirmed public sales when both the domain and sale amount can be verified and the example is suitable for NiceNIC front-facing customer education. We do not include unverified listings, estimated prices, placeholder sales, or unrelated TLD transactions.
Choose an active alternative to .GB
Match the registrable namespace to the real project.
.GB is not a retail option, but the intended audience and use case can guide a practical alternative.
For UK-facing businesses
Use .UK or an eligible category beneath it when the organization needs a recognizable United Kingdom identity.
- Compare .UK and .CO.UK
- Check eligibility and rights
- Plan website and email DNS
For network and technology projects
Use .COM or .NET when a service needs broad recognition beyond a specifically British audience.
- Match the service or project name
- Protect core brand variants
- Review renewal pricing
For agencies and portfolio owners
Consider .LONDON, .SCOT, or .WALES when the location is more specific than a country-wide UK identity.
- Match the actual service area
- Check trademark conflicts
- Coordinate campaign redirects
For brand and portfolio teams
Document .GB as unavailable and focus monitoring and registrations on active namespaces that customers can actually use.
- Record the IANA status
- Prioritize active extensions
- Review the portfolio annually
Questions about the reserved .GB domain?
Short answers about .GB delegation, public availability, DNS status, and active United Kingdom domain alternatives.
What is the current status of the .GB domain?
.GB is a country-code top-level domain delegated in the IANA root and designated for the United Kingdom. IANA lists its manager as Reserved Domain - IANA, so it is not an ordinary public registration namespace.
Is .GB currently available for new registrations?
No. IANA lists .GB as a reserved domain, and public TLD statistics do not provide a registrable-domain count for it. NiceNIC does not present .GB as available for ordinary public registration.
Who manages the .GB delegation?
The IANA delegation record lists Reserved Domain - IANA as the ccTLD manager and Jisc as the administrative and technical contact. The record showed three authoritative nameservers and was last updated on September 10, 2024.
How is .GB different from .UK?
.GB is reserved and not open for ordinary public registrations. .UK is the active country-code namespace used for United Kingdom websites and supports registrations through participating registrars.
Can I use .GB for a new website or email address?
Not through ordinary public registration. Because a new registrant cannot normally obtain a second-level .GB name, choose an active alternative such as .UK, .CO.UK, .COM, or another suitable TLD for a new website or email service.
Is the .GB zone technically active?
Yes, .GB remains delegated in the DNS root and had three listed nameservers in September 2026. DNS Coffee states that it has no .GB zone file and therefore cannot list domains beneath it; technical delegation does not mean public registration is available.
Does .GB support DNSSEC?
DNS Coffee reported the .GB zone as unsigned in September 2026. This describes the reserved zone's current delegation posture, not a feature available to public registrants.
Which domains should I consider instead of .GB?
For a United Kingdom identity, compare .UK and .CO.UK first. Depending on the project, .COM, .NET, .LONDON, .SCOT, or .WALES may also be relevant. Check eligibility, audience fit, pricing, and renewal terms for each option.
Why does NiceNIC keep an information page for .GB?
The page prevents buyers from confusing a delegated but reserved ccTLD with a publicly registrable product. It also directs visitors to active alternatives and records the sources and access dates behind the status explanation.
Use an active namespace instead of reserved .GB
Search .UK, .CO.UK, .COM, or another supported extension that matches the audience and project.
