RDAP UK Lookup — Free WHOIS UK Replacement
A free RDAP lookup for any domain name: registration status, expiry date, registrar and nameservers, checked instantly and run entirely from your own browser. This RDAP UK tool covers .co.uk, .org.uk and .uk domain names as well as international TLDs — using RDAP, the protocol now replacing WHOIS UK across the industry (Nominet retires .uk WHOIS on 9 February 2027 — see RDAP vs WHOIS below). New to this? Read the step-by-step user guide — how to check a domain's status, drill into the full record and raw output, what the status codes mean, and how to back up your tracked domain list.
This tool uses the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) to access domain name information for any top-level domain that supports RDAP and has published its endpoint in the IANA RDAP bootstrap registry — the same mechanism used by Nominet's own domain lookup tool.
Queries are sent directly from your browser to the designated registry's RDAP server. No lookup data passes through Domain Prices's servers. Tracked domain lists are stored only in this browser's local storage.
The results shown are this tool's interpretation of the RDAP response for the usual case. Any questions about the meaning or accuracy of specific data should be directed to the registry operator that returned it.
| Domain | Status | Renewal | Registrar | Actions |
|---|
| Domain | Status | Renewal | Registrar | Last checked | Actions |
|---|
pendingDelete/redemptionPeriod, or disappears from the registry entirely,
meaning it's dropped and is available to register), it's flagged here, and you'll get a desktop
notification too if you've enabled them below. Nothing here is sent anywhere — domains and their
last-known status are saved only in this browser's local storage.
| Domain | Status | Calculated Drop | Alert | Last checked | Actions |
|---|
What is RDAP, and why is WHOIS being retired?
WHOIS has been the standard way to look up who registered a domain since 1982 — but it returns free-text formatted however each registry feels like, with no consistent structure, no built-in security, and patchy support for non-English domain names. RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is its IETF-standardised replacement: the same kind of registration data — status, dates, registrar, nameservers — but returned as structured JSON over HTTPS, which is what powers the lookup tool above.
RDAP vs WHOIS: what's the difference?
Same underlying registration data, delivered a completely different way:
- Format — WHOIS: unstructured free text that varies by registry. RDAP: structured, machine-readable JSON.
- Transport — WHOIS: plain-text over port 43, unencrypted. RDAP: HTTPS, the same secure protocol as the rest of the web.
- Internationalisation — WHOIS: inconsistent handling of non-English domain names and scripts. RDAP: built-in IDN support.
- Privacy — WHOIS: ad-hoc, registry-specific redaction. RDAP: designed for consistent, standardised access control over contact data.
- Discovery — WHOIS: you often need to already know which server to query. RDAP: self-describing via the IANA bootstrap registry, so a client can find the right server automatically — exactly what this tool does.
The .uk WHOIS-to-RDAP transition — 9 February 2027
Nominet, the registry for .uk, .co.uk, .org.uk and related namespaces, has confirmed that .uk will stop using WHOIS at the point of the registry's transition on 9 February 2027, with RDAP taking over as the way to query .uk domain registration data. Anyone who queries WHOIS programmatically — registrars, brand-protection tools, or scripts like the one on this page — needs to move to RDAP before that date.
Official Nominet resources on the transition:
Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) — Nominet Registrar Resources
How to use RDAP to replace WHOIS and WHOIS2 — Nominet
Nominet's own RDAP lookup client
Already know a domain sold, and want to see the price it went for rather than its current registration status? Search our UK domain sales database instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is RDAP?
RDAP (Registration Data Access Protocol) is the modern, structured protocol domain registries use to publish who owns a domain, when it was registered, when it expires, and which nameservers it uses. It replaces the older WHOIS protocol with a format that's easier and safer for software to read.
How is RDAP different from WHOIS?
WHOIS returns free-text formatted however each registry chooses, which makes it unreliable to parse automatically. RDAP returns structured JSON over HTTPS, handles internationalised domain names properly, and lets registries redact personal contact data consistently for privacy compliance.
When is Nominet switching .uk domains from WHOIS to RDAP?
Nominet has confirmed that .uk will stop using WHOIS at the point of the registry's transition on 9 February 2027, with RDAP becoming the way to look up .uk domain registration data from then on.
Is RDAP more secure than WHOIS?
Yes. Classic WHOIS is queried in plain text over an unencrypted connection (port 43), with no built-in access control. RDAP is served over HTTPS and is designed to support authenticated, differentiated access to registration data — part of why registries adopted it.
What data does an RDAP lookup show?
Typically: the domain's status (e.g. active, locked, pending delete), key dates (registration, last-updated, expiry), the sponsoring registrar, its nameservers, DNSSEC signing status, and — where the registry publishes them — registrant, admin, and technical contact entities.
Why can't I see the domain owner's personal contact details?
Most registries and registrars redact personal registrant contact data from public RDAP (and WHOIS) responses by default, to comply with privacy law such as UK/EU GDPR. This is standard, expected behaviour rather than a fault of any particular lookup tool — organisations and some legacy records may still show contact details where privacy redaction doesn't apply.
Is this RDAP/WHOIS lookup tool free to use?
Yes — it's completely free, with no account, sign-up, or usage limit beyond whatever rate limiting the domain registry itself applies.
Does this tool store or send my searches anywhere?
No. Every lookup runs directly from your browser to the domain's own registry RDAP server — we never see or log what you search. Any domains you choose to "track" are saved only in your browser's local storage, not on our server.
Can I check more than one domain at a time?
Yes — use the Bulk Check tab to paste or import a list of domains, or the Tracked Domains tab to save a watchlist and refresh all their statuses in one go.
Does this work for domains other than .uk?
Yes — it works for any TLD that publishes an RDAP endpoint in the IANA RDAP bootstrap registry, which now covers the large majority of gTLDs (.com, .org, .net, etc.) alongside .uk and other ccTLDs that have adopted RDAP.