How to Register a Domain Name in Australia

Over 60% of people in Australia and Oceania use the Internet.

According to a 2009 study by Internet World Stats, there are 21,110,490 Internet users from Australia and Oceania compared to 7,620,480 users in 2000. 60.8% of the population used the Internet in 2009, projecting a 177.0% growth rate from 2000. If you run an international or Australian company, setting up an Australian domain name is a smart business practice to capture the Australian Internet consumer.

Although restrictions apply when registering an Australian domain name, the registration process compares with that of registering other domain names such as .com or .net.

Things You'll Need

• Australian business or citizenship
• Credit card

Instructions

1. Find an Australian web domain registrar. Most Australian web hosts will also offer domain name registration. Example hosts include Australian Domain Registration Services, Aust Domains and Net Registry.

2. Register a .com.au domain name if you represent an Australian business.
   To be eligible to register a .com.au domain, you must be one of the following:

   - Registered Australian company
   - Trade using business name registered in Australia
   - Australian partnership
   - Australian sole trader
   - Australian commercial statutory body
   - Incorporated Australian association
   - Foreign business with Australian trading license
   - Owner of an Australian TradeMark
   - Association incorporated in Australia
   - Australian commercial statutory body

3. Register a .net.au if you represent an Australian technology company. The same eligibility restrictions apply as in Step 2.

4. Register a .org.au if you represent an Australian charity. To register, your organization must be defined as a charity in your incorporation documents.

5. Register a .asn.au if you are an Australian noncommercial organization, but not necessarily a charity organization. To register, you must be an Australian-incorporated association, a political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission, an organization registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996 or an Australian-registered club.

6. Register a .id.au domain if you are an individual citizen or resident operating a domain name for personal use only. You must be a legal Australian citizen or resident to register.

7. Enter your preferred domain name into the "search domain name" input box. Choose the domain name suffix of your choice (.com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .asn.au or .id.au). Press the submit button. Fill out the domain registration form with your personal information.

8. Pay for the domain name registration. Although Australian domain name registration generally costs more than .com registration, some Australian domain names cost under $10. Price depends on domain-name suffix and web host pricing.

9. Purchase a .au.com domain name if you do not qualify for an Australian domain name. A .au.com domain name is actually just a regular .com domain name. Because your domain name contains the .au., however, many Australians will associate you with an Australian company.

References

• Australian Domain Registration Services: Domain Names - Registration Page
• Internet World Stats: Internet Usage Statistics
• Australian Domain Names: Why choose an .au domain name?
• Go Domains: General information for .au.com names

Resources

• Aust Domains
• Melbourne It
• .AUDA
• Net Registry
• Passion Computing: Australian Domain Names FAQs