Introducing .au Direct

Australian companies and organisations can soon register their domain names ending in the new .au direct domain, like “dande1st.au”.

The launch of the .au IDN means that Australia has joined the ranks of major countries like China, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia, who also have IDNs that end in “.cn”, “.fr”, “.de”, “.jp”, or “.ru”.

No changes will occur to domain names with existing namespaces because of the launch of the new .au direct domain. You will still be able to use, register and renew com.au, net.au, id.au, org.au, asn.au, edu.au and gov.au etc.

 

The Launch of the .au Domain

As advised by auDA, the .au direct domain will launch on 24 March 2022. auDA is the organisation that develops and administers the rules for domain names in the .au country code Top Level Domain.

The new .au domain extension will be available to Australian internet users who wish to register a shorter and simpler web address.

.au direct names are accessible to anyone with a verified relationship to Australia. Additionally, these domains are open to anyone who wants to create a web presence for themselves or their business/organisation.

If you already have a domain ending in any .au namespace, you will be able to apply for Priority Status. In doing so, you will be able to register for its exact match in .au.

If the name doesn’t already exist in the .au namespace, you can purchase the .au direct name from 24 March 2022.

 

Priority Allocation Process

Registrants with existing com.au, net.au, id.au, org.au, asn.au, edu.au and gov.au domain names can enter the Priority Allocation Process. This process will run from 24 March 2022 to 20 September 2022 to obtain an exact .au direct match. This six-month period is the Priority Allocation Period.

In some cases, there may be multiple applicants applying for the same .au direct name. For example, John is the registrant of example.com.au and Jane is the registrant of example.net.au. In this situation, the exact match for the .au direct domain will be allocated according to the Priority Allocation Process.

The Priority Allocation Process is the process of distributing names among eligible registrants. Furthermore, this process is described in the .au direct registry Priority Implementation Rules.

For instance, if you are the registrant of example.com.au you will have six months to apply for example.au if you would like to licence it. You can apply for the exact match .au direct domain name via a participating .au accredited registrar.

 

Eligibility Criteria

Any person or organisation can register for a .au domain if they meet the Eligibility Criteria of having an Australian presence.
To be eligible to register, you must be:

A sole trader, partnership, company, charity, association, or trust with a current ABN or ACN.
A permanent Australian resident or citizen.
A foreign business with an Australian trademark application or registration.
There are no rules stating that domains must match business names, products, or services.

 

The Benefits of .au Domains

9 out of 10 Australians prefer to conduct business with fellow Australians. With a .au domain, Aussies can quickly identify that they are dealing with a local company.

Memorable: It’s easier to remember a website with a simple and short domain.
Reliable: Give customers the confidence to click on your URL during an online search.
Australian: Immediately be recognised as a verified Australian business.

Contact us to register your interest in a .au direct domain.