An IPS tag,or an Internet Provider Security tag, is a label that identifies domain registrars when administering domain name registration and DNS services.

The IPS tag system is a standard required by Nominet, the .uk domain name registry service, and is used to identify the hosting company associated with a specific .uk domain name.

It was initially developed by Nominet's predecessor, known as the "Naming Committee," and the original definition of the acronym is unknown. IPS is now widely considered to stand for Internet Provider Security tag, and while the term IPS tag itself is now deemed obsolete, the term has since been replaced with registrar tag.

Why is an IPS Tag Important?

While this tag is not always a relevant piece of information, it is most commonly required when transferring the ownership of a .uk domain registration between registrars. Transferring a domain name requires the original registrar to modify the IPS tag to reflect the tag of the new registrar.