.au Domain Registrationfrom £21.50/yr
Why Choose a .au Domain?
.au is the country-code top-level domain for Australia, administered by auDA (the .au Domain Administration). Originally registrations were restricted to second-level domains like .com.au and .net.au, but in March 2022 auDA opened direct .au registrations to anyone with a verified Australian presence. A direct .au is shorter, cleaner and signals a clear connection to the Australian market — useful for businesses, creators and organisations operating locally.
Ideal for:
- Australian small businesses and sole traders
- Local service providers and tradespeople
- Australian e-commerce stores and brands
- Community groups, clubs and not-for-profits based in Australia
- Startups targeting the Australian market
Things to know:
- .au has an Australian presence requirement — registrants must be an Australian citizen, resident, or a business with an Australian Business Number (ABN), Australian Company Number (ACN) or registered trademark.
- The registry is auDA, with Afilias (now Identity Digital) operating the technical back end.
- If you already hold the matching .com.au or .net.au, you may have priority rights to the equivalent direct .au — check before someone else registers it.
- Privacy services are restricted on .au; registrant contact details are subject to auDA's WHOIS policy.
Creative .au Domain Ideas
- Bondi.au — a local guide or surf school in Sydney
- OutbackTours.au — adventure travel operator
- FlatWhite.au — independent coffee roaster or café group
- Tradie.au — directory or booking platform for Australian tradespeople
- BrisbaneEats.au — local food and restaurant blog
- SolarHub.au — renewable energy installer or marketplace
Frequently asked questions about .au
Anyone with a verified Australian presence can register a .au. That includes Australian citizens and permanent residents, as well as businesses, companies and organisations holding an ABN, ACN, or an Australian-registered trademark. You'll need to provide eligibility details at the point of registration, and auDA may verify them.
You can register a .au domain in increments of one to five years. Renewals follow the same range, so you can extend the registration up to five years at a time. We'll send reminders before expiry so you have time to renew and keep the name in your name.
Yes. To transfer a .au you'll need to unlock the domain at your current registrar and request the auth code (also called the domain password). Once you initiate the transfer with us and approve it, the domain moves across without you losing any remaining registration time — that's added on top.
After expiry your .au enters a suspension period during which it stops resolving but you can still renew it. If you don't renew in time, it moves to a purge phase and is eventually released back to the public pool, where anyone eligible can register it. Renewing early is the safest option.
WHOIS privacy is not available for .au domains. auDA's policy requires that registrant name and certain contact details are publicly displayed in the WHOIS record. Some fields like street address are limited, but the registrant name and a contact email or phone must be visible. This is a registry rule, not something registrars can override.