General Rules applying to the .au domain space
Domain name allocation in the .au domain space is governed by a set of rules enforced by the AuDA, the governing bodies of domain names within Australia, to ensure that no misuse of domain names occurs.
The following Rules and Regulations apply to all domains registered in the .au domain space, which includes: com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .edu.au, .asn.au, & .id.au domain names. Please also be aware of the specific Rules which apply to each different type of .au domain, which follow the General Rules below.
- All .au domain names are valid for two years from the date of registration.
- Please refer to the MelbourneIT allocations policy which is located at http://www.melbourneit.com.au/policies/aupolicy.php for more details on restrictions that apply to the .au domain space.
- You are allowed multiple registrations per business entity.
- The domain must be at least two characters in length.
- Domains must be composed entirely of letters, digits and hyphens.
- The first and last characters of the domain must not be hyphens.
Specific .com.au and .net.au Rules
- The domain must be:
- an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of your company, business, trading, association or statutory body name or words in your registered trade mark; or
- be closely and substantially connected to you because the domain refers to a product you manufacture or sell or a service you provide.
- To register a .com.au or .net.au domain name you should supply proof of registration of a company, business name, association or statutory body or of your trade mark.
Specific .org.au Rules
- The domain must be:
- an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of the name of your charity or non-profit organisation; or
- otherwise closely and substantially connected to you because the domain refers or is associated with your business practices, eg. services, events, profession, activity, venue or program.
- To register a org.au domain name, you should supply proof of registration of a company, business name, association or statutory body or of your trade mark.
Specific .edu.au Rules
- Names should conform to the named entity or a logical abbreviation of the named entity.
- Supporting information on why your institution requires an .edu.au domain name will be required.
- Domain names will require the state suffix preceding the .edu.au extension (eg. .qld.edu.au).
Specific .asn.au Rules
- The domain must be:
- an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of the name of your association, political party, trade union or other industry body or club; or
- otherwise closely and substantially connected to you because the domain refers or is associated with your activities, eg. services, events, profession, activity, venue or program.
Specific id.au Rules
- The domain must either:
- exactly match, be an acronym or abbreviation of the registrant's personal name; or
- be derived from or include one or more words of the registrant's personal name.
Specific .biz and .info Rules
- .biz and .info domains may require proof of trademark or proof of trading as the business entity name you are registering.
Specific .nz Rules (ie. .co.nz, .net.nz, and .org.nz)
- .nz domains are valid for one year from the date of registration.
- A seven to ten day turnaround time applies to .nz domains.