From March 24th 2022, Australians will be able to purchase or apply for .au direct names (eg. yourdomain.au). These names will be for general use, meaning any person or organisation can register them as long as they meet the eligibility criteria of having an Australian presence. There are no rules about the domain needing to match business names, products or services.
Registrants who have pre-existing names in the .au namespace (eg, .com.au, .net.au, .org.au) will be able to apply to obtain the matching .au direct name. The .au direct name will be allocated according to the .au direct priority allocation process.
If the name doesn’t already exist in the .au namespace, then the .au direct name can be purchased from the 24th of March 2022.
Registrants of pre-existing domain names have until the 20th of September 2022 to submit their applications.
How much will .au direct names cost?
To celebrate the launch of .au direct we are pleased to announce that from March 2022 through March 2023, Creative Ground will offer .au direct domain name registrations for just $16.50 inc. GST for the first year.
How do I apply for priority allocation?
If you are currently have your domain registered with Creative Ground and submit a priority application on the form then you will be able to apply without a priority token supplied by auDA, provided that the qualifying domain is active in your account.
You can still apply if you do not manage the qualifying domain through Creative Ground, however, you will need to obtain the priority token. You must first request a priority token from auDA. This will be emailed to the registrant’s email address. Chat with our team, and we can assist you in regards to this.
What happens if there are multiple priority applications?
Pre-existing domain names are split into two categories based on the creation date for the domain. Any domain name created before or on the 4th of February 2018 is given higher priority (category 1) than domain names created after the 4th of February 2018 (category 2).
What requirements are needed to purchase a .au direct name?
To register a new .au direct domain name, you can use the same information we request for a normal .com.au, .net.au or .org.au. An ABN or an ACN will work fine. .AU domains can be registered online at www.creativeclients.com.au
auDA Links
• auDA’s .au direct priority allocation process
• auDA priority status tool – Find out what priority status a domain is.
• auDA .au direct implementation process
• Eligibility and Allocation Criteria
