.AU is the Country Code Top-Level Domain for Australia. This domain is operated by AUDA or AU Domain Administration LTD. AUDA is the policy authority and industry self-regulatory body for .au domain names. In October 2001, ICANN recognized AUDA as the suitable operator for all .au domains.
The Structure of .AU domain
- Have an Australian Presence.
- Meet the eligibility and allocation criteria for the specific namespace being applied for.
- If applying on behalf of a related Australian body corporate, that entity must also meet the Australian Presence requirement.
.AU domain names must be between 2 and 63 characters long and may include letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and hyphens (-), but hyphens cannot appear at the beginning or end, and double hyphens are not allowed. Special characters such as & or # are not permitted.
Go through the table to learn more about the different eligibility criteria and requirements of .AU domains.
Eligibility Criteria by Namespace
| .AU Namespace |
Requirements |
| .au direct Namespace |
A Person applying for a Licence in the .au direct Namespace must have an Australian Presence, and .au direct Domain Names will be allocated according to the priority allocation process set out in the .au Direct Priority Rules. |
| com.au and net.au Namespace |
- a Commercial Entity; and
- the domain name applied for must be:
- a Match of the Person’s company, business, statutory or Personal name; or
- an Acronym of the Person’s company, business, statutory or Personal name; or
- a Match of the Person’s Australian Trade Mark; or
- a Match to or an Acronym of a name of a Related Australian Body Corporate or
- a Match or an Acronym of a name of
- a partnership of which the Person is a partner;
- a trust of which the Person is a trustee; or
- a Match or Synonym of the name of
- a Service that the Person provides;
- Goods that the Person sells (whether retail or wholesale);
- an event that the Person registers or sponsors;
- an activity that the Person facilitates, teaches or trains;
- premises which the Person operates
|
| org.au Namespace |
- a Not for Profit Entity; and
- the Domain Name applied for must be:
- a Match to or Synonym of the name of:
- a Service that the Person provides;
- a program that the Person administers;
- an event that the Person registers or sponsors;
- an activity that the Person facilitates, teaches or trains;
- premises which the Person operates;
- an Occupation that its members practise;
and which that Person is providing at the time of the application; or
- a Match of the Person’s Legal Name, business or statutory name or the name of the unincorporated Association; or
- a Acronym of the Person’s Legal Name, Business Name, or statutory name; or
- a Match of the Person’s Australian Trade Mark; or
- a Match to the name of a trust of which the Person is a trustee.
|
| asn.au Namespace |
- a Not for Profit Entity or unincorporated Association; and
- the Domain Name being applied for must be:
- a Match to or Synonym of the name of:
- a Service that the Person provides;
- a program that the Person administers;
- an event that the Person registers or sponsors;
- an activity that the Person facilitates, teaches or trains;
- premises which the Person operates; or
- an Occupation that its members practice;
and which that Person is providing at the time of the application; or
- a Match of the Person’s Legal Name, business or statutory name or the name of the unincorporated Association;
- an Acronym of the Person’s Legal Name, Business Name, statutory name or the name of the unincorporated Association; or
- a Match of the Person’s Australian Trade Mark.
|
| id.au Namespace |
- a natural Person; and
- the domain name being applied for must be
- a Match to a Person’s Legal Name, first name or family name
- an Acronym or abbreviation of the Person’s Legal Name, first name or family name; or
- a Nickname of the Person.
|
| edu.au Namespace |
- A Person applying for a Licence in the edu.au Namespace or an edu.au Child Zone must satisfy the eligibility and allocation rules in Schedule A of these auDA Rules.
- A reference to edu.au Namespace in these auDA Rules should be read as including the edu.au Child Zones, unless otherwise specified.
|
| State and Territory Namespaces |
A Person applying for a Licence in a State or Territory Namespace must be:
- a Not for Profit Entity; and
- a Peak State or Territory Body formed and operating within the limits of the State or Territory to which the Namespace relates; or
- act on behalf of a Community Group residing in a locality in the State or Territory to which the Namespace relates.
- the Domain Name applied for must be:
- a Match of the Person’s Legal Name, Business Name or statutory name; or
- an Acronym of the Person’s Legal Name, Business Name or statutory name; or
- a Match to the Person’s Australian Trade Mark; or
- if a Community Group, the Geographical Name of the place in which the community resides.
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For further information concerning .au registration policies, you can read auDA's domain name eligibility policy.