Sometimes, you cannot initiate a Change of Registrant via your VIPcontrol account. This will be because the ABN/ACN associated with the domain name is invalid or cancelled.
To resolve any ineligibility issues, you can refer to each section below on what is needed.
For Businesses or Organisations unable to reactivate their ABN/ACN
To initiate the Change of Registrant, we need some evidence that the domain name has changed entity.
Here are some examples of documentation we accept as proof of a change of ownership.
Sales Agreement
- A copy of a sales agreement that shows the business was sold or changed hands.
- The agreement must clearly show that the current company/entity was acquired by the proposed company/entity.
Signed Letter on Company Letterhead
- A letter signed on company letterhead stating that the domain name has changed hands.
- If you choose to provide a letter, it must explicitly state the full domain name being transferred from one business to another.
Other Valid Documentation
- Any valid document that shows the domain name or business has changed hands.
- If transferring to another Company under an ACN and are the same director, you can provide us ASIC Extracts for both companies which show who the directors are for each company, these can be purchased from ASIC directly.
- You can also provide a Statutory Declaration outlining who the domain should be transferred to and the desired outcome, signed by a Justice of the Peace or an authorised witness.
Transfer of Domain Chain Form
In the event that there is no supporting documentation to complete the CoR process, auDA has provided a document that you can fill out to proceed with the Change Of Registrant. This is the Transfer of Domain Chain Form.
- Download the Transfer of Domain Chain Form.
- Fill out the form and provide any supporting documents.
IMPORTANT: Documentation provided for a Change of Registrant needs to be dated before the previous ABN/ACN on the domain expired. For example, if the ABN on a domain expired in March 2020, valid documentation would need to be dated February 2020 or earlier.
For Sole Traders and Partnerships
This is for situations where the eligibility details listed on your domain have an expired or cancelled Sole Trader or Partnership ABN
These usually arise when you move to a new ABN/ACN and do not update the information on the domain name as well.
There are two options:
Option one: Re-Activate your ABN
- If you haven’t moved entities or to another company, you are able to re-activate your ABN, You can refer to this page here.
- Once reactivated, no further action is required.
Option two: Perform a Change of Registrant
- If you have moved to another entity and are no longer trading under the partnership or Sole Trader ABN, you can perform a Change of Registrant
- There’s no specific documentation that we need, You are free to initiate the change of registrant via VIPcontrol > Domain Names > Click Manage next to the domain > Change of Registrant.
If any issues are encountered, we normally accept any form of government-issued ID (e.g. drivers license, passport) as proof that the Sole Trader or member of a Partnership is actually requesting the COR take place.
For Domains under a Trust ABN
If the ABN is still active and that of a Trust, this usually means that they are incorrectly registered under a trust-type entity.
From 2021, auDA, which is the policy body for .au domains, made a change in which you cannot directly register a domain name under a Trust type ABN.
For the registrant details, they need to be that of the Trustee of the Trust, with their own Company or Sole Trader ABN/ACN or that of a natural person.
If you can provide us with either the complete Trust Deed or simply the schedule page clearly displaying the trustee information and wish to retain the same ABN on the domain, we can review and correct the domain with the accurate details at no cost, rather than performing a Change of Registrant.
For more information about Trust ABN’s with .au domains, you can refer to this guide here
How to organise a manual COR
If you need a COR processed manually, email us at policy@ventraip.com.au or submit an eTicket to our team with the documentation mentioned above, and we can assist with the Change of Registrant.
Please note: If you have multiple domains with the same Eligibility, you can include all the affected domains within the request, and we can assist with the COR process for all affected domains.
Important Information
- Changing the registrant will reset the domain’s license period. You will keep any existing full years and add the additional year(s) of renewal you select, up to the maximum period allowed. Partial years will not be carried over.
- There is a fee for the Change of Registrant process, which is equal to 1 year of registration/renewal per year you select.
