Domain registration guidelines

Australian domain names

The rules which follow are drawn from auDA's Domain Name Eligibility and Allocation Policy Rules for the Open 2LDs (2008-05).

.au common guidelines

1. First come, first served - domain name licences are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. It is not possible to pre-register or otherwise reserve a domain name.
2. Registrants must be Australian - domain name licences may only be allocated to a registrant who is Australian, as defined under the eligibility and allocation rules for each 2LD.
3. Composition of domain names - domain names must:
   1. be at least 2 characters long
   2. contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-), or a combination of these
   3. start and end with a number or a letter, not a hyphen
   4. not contain hyphens in the third and fourth position (eg. ab--cd.com.au).
4. Domain name licence renewal period - the domain name licence period is fixed at 2 years. It is not possible to license a domain name for a shorter or longer period.
5. Renewal of a domain name licence at the end of the 2 year period is dependent on the registrant continuing to meet the eligibility and allocation rules for the relevant 2LD.
6. Number of domain names - there is no restriction on the number of domain names that may be licensed by a registrant.
7. auDA’s Reserved List - auDA’s Reserved List contains names that may not be licensed. The list is available on the auDA website.

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.com.au/.net.au guidelines

Domains of the .com.au and .net.au variety are intended for commercial purposes.

1. To be eligible for these domain names registrants must be:
   1. an Australian registered company; or
   2. trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory; or
   3. an Australian partnership or sole trader;
   4. a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia; or
   5. an owner of an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
   6. an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark ; or
   7. an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
   8. an Australian commercial statutory body.
2. Domain names of the .com.au and .net.au variety must also:
   1. exactly match, acronym or abbreviation of the registrant’s company or trading name, organization or association name or trademark; or
   2. be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.

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.org.au/.asn.au guidelines

Domains of the .org.au and .asn.au variety are intended for non-commercial organisations.

1. To be eligible for these domain names registrants must be:
   1. an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
   2. political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission; or
   3. a trade union or other organisation registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996; or
   4. a sporting or special interest club operating in Australia; or
   5. a charity operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation; or
   6. a non-profit organisation operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant’s constitution or other documents of incorporation.
2. Domain names of the .org.au and .asn.au variety must also:
   1. exactly match, acronym or abbreviation of the name of the registrant’s company or trading name, organization or association name or trademark; or
   2. be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.

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.id.au guidelines

The id.au domain is specialliy designed for individuals.

1. To be eligible for the id.au domain registrants must be:
   1. an Australian citizen; or
   2. an Australian resident.
2. Domain names in the id.au 2LD must:
   1. exactly match the registrant’s personal name; or
   2. be an acronym or abbreviation of the registrant’s personal name; or
   3. be otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant, because the domain name:
      1. is derived from one or more words of the registrant's personal name; or
      2. includes one or more words of the registrant's personal name; or
      3. is a personal name by which the registrant is known.

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Global domain names

These domain names include .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .bz, .cc, .nu, .tv and .ws. Since they are not regulated like .au domain names, they are less restrictive and can be registered by anyone.

If you have business or a trademark we recommend always attempting to get the .com variety as this is often the most prized and recognised domain type.

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