E-commerce Brisbane

Rules of Domain Name Registration

Anyone can register most domain names like .com, .net or .biz, but there are some rules for Australian domains like .com.au. Select a domain type you are interested in below to find out more.

• .com.au / .net.au
• .au.com / .com / .net / .biz /.net / .info .org
• .org.au / .asn.au
• .id.au

.com.au & .net.au

To own a .com.au or .net.au you must be an Australian registered company, or business with a registered business number (ABN, BRN, BN).

(The licence requirements for a .com.au and .net.au domain name require your business to be registered for business in Australia, this means registering your business or company name with one of the official Government Authorities, eg ASIC, State Dept. of Fair Trading, or alternatively by obtaining an Australian Business Number (ABN) from the ATO.

The domain name you order should have either be an exact match, acronym or abbreviation of the supplied business registration, or it should bear a close and substantial connection to the domain name:

For example, the Ford Motor Company would be reasonably entitled to own:

• www.fordmotorcompany.com.au
• www.ford.com.au
• www.mustang.com.au
• www.fordfocus.com.au

Domains can be 2 to 63 letters, and words can be separated by hyphens, but not spaces.

.au.com, .com, .biz, .net, .info, .org

These domain names are not restricted or regulated by .au Policy Rules. They are therefore policy free and anyone can register any domain name. If you own a company name, or a trademark, register an .au.com domain name to prevent anyone else registering that name.

.org.au & .asn.au

To qualify for these domains your organisation must be a "non-commercial organisation".

The domain name you register should have a solid relationship to the organisation to which it represents.

For example, the Salvation Army are reasonably entitled to own:

• www.salvationarmy.org.au
• www.salvos.org.au

.id.au

Especially designed for individuals, who reside in Australia. You may register ANY personal name by which you are known.

For example, John Howard would be reasonably entitled to own:

• www.john-howard.id.au
• www.littlejohnny.id.au
• www.theprimeminister.id.au

More Frequently Asked Questions or please get in touch.

• Ecommerce fact sheet
• Who needs a web site?
• What is necessary to have a web site?
• What is a domain name [web site address - URL]?
• What is a web site host?
• How much does it cost to setup a web site?
• Can I have e-mail addresses /auto responders?
• Do you need a web site manager?
• How many pages will I need?
• Who actually owns my web site?
• Will my web site be listed in the search engines?
• How can people find my web site?
• How long does it take to build a web site?