Eligibility criteria for registering .AU domain names

The criteria for registering a .AU domain name vary based on the specific domain name extension you’re trying to register and whether you’re registering it on behalf of an individual, business, or some organisation.

Below you’ll find a summary.AU domain name extensions and some of the most common eligibility information required upon registration. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and may be missing some niche information—complete eligibility requirements of all.AU domain names can be found.

.COM.AU & .NET.AU

As .NET.AU and .COM.AU domain names are intended for commercial use by Australian businesses, the most common methods of proving eligibility are by providing an ABN or ACN; as most Australian businesses require one to operate.

An ABN refers to an Australian Business Number, which identifies your business by 11 numbers. An ACN refers to an Australian Company Number, which determines your business by eight digits. In this case, either of those legal identifiers can be used to register a .com.au domain name.

If you don’t currently have an ABN, you’re able to register for one by visiting the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website and apply for one here.

The list of ABN’s accepted for the following companies are listed below:

• Sole Trader
• Partnership
• Not-for-profit organisations (including Religious/Church groups)
• Any Australian Public or Private Company (Can either be Limited by Guarantee or Limited by Shares)

Alternatively, you can provide a registered trademark that exactly matches the domain, incorporated association ID, or any registered State business number.

.ASN.AU

.asn.au domain names have relatively strict eligibility requirements as they are intended for not-for-profit, charity, and government organisations.

The most common entity types eligible to register these domain names are:

• Not-for-profit organisations registered with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (ACNC)
• Club/Sporting/Special Interest Groups
• Religious/Church Groups
• Incorporated Associations in any State
• Political Party Groups registered with the Australian Electoral Commission
• Trade Unions registered with the Fair Work Act of 2009

Standard eligibility information we require for .asn.au domain names are:

• An active ABN/ACN for a not-for-profit or charity organisation.
• Incorporated association number for a not-for-profit/charity organisation
• An active ABN/ACN for an unincorporated entity.

Private companies are NOT eligible for this extension, as share/stakeholders and not guarantors limit them.

.ORG.AU

.org.au domains have the strictest requirements of all publicly available .au based domain names. To ensure a .org.au is representing a registered not for profit organisation, they will need to fit into the below entity types

• an Incorporated Association under State or Territory legislation;
• a Company limited by guarantee under the Corporations Act 2001(Cth)
• a Non-distributing cooperative registered under State or Territory legislation;
• an Indigenous Corporation reported under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006(Cth) and which appears on the Register of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations;
• a Registered Organisation that is:

(a) an association of employers;

(b) an association of employees (union); or

(c) an enterprise association;

• registered under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009(Cth) and which appears on the Register of Organisations;
• a Charitable trust endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient;
• a Non-trading cooperative under State or Territory legislation;
• a Public or Private Ancillary Fund endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient;
• an unincorporated association that appears on the Register of Charities established under the Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission Act 2012(Cth);
• a Political Party registered under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918(Cth) or State or Territory Electoral Act and which appears on the Register of Political Parties or as otherwise named; or
• Government, being either the Crown or a Commonwealth, State or Territory statutory agency.

Private companies are NOT eligible for this extension, as share/stakeholders and not guarantors limit them.

Please note, .org.au domains are manually reviewed and registered by our team, this can take 1-6 hours.

.ID.AU

.id.au domain names are intended for personal use by Australian residents, and as such, you’ll find the requirements are significantly less restrictive.

The following eligibility requirements for .id.au domain names are listed below:

• You must be an Australian resident/citizen
• The domain name must exactly match your name (first, last or both)

.id.au domain names CANNOT be registered for commercial use, as they are a domain intended for personal use.

Please note, .id.au domains are manually reviewed and registered by our team, this can take 1-6 hours.

More Information

Suppose you’re unsure about any of the eligibility requirements when registering a domain name. In that case, we recommend speaking with a member of our sales team who can answer any questions you may have and assist you with writing your perfect domain name.

To view the full criteria for .au domain eligibility, please take the time to review auDA’s documentation by clicking here.