Commonly in Australia we have been used to using .com.au domain names. Recently the auDA (who is the authority over Australian domain names) released the .au extension without the .com.

Priority Register

Up until 20th September existing .com.au domain names owners can register the same domain name as .au to secure this name. This is so that existing domain name owners can secure their IP. We recommend registering the .au domain name even if you don’t plan on using it, as it protects your brand, and stops another business registering that domain name and using it.

This means the .au must be an exact match of the .com.au domain name you currently own.

If no priority applications have been made for the .au direct match, it will be become available for registration by the general public at 21:00 UTC 3 Oct 2022 (8:00AM AEDT 4 Oct).

To check if you are eligible to priority register the .au domain name, use this handy tool here.

Why register .au ? 

  • Protect your brand and stop another business from using that domain name.
  • As a shorter extension we expect this extension to gain popularity quickly, so you may find in the future you will be using this over your .com.au domain name.

Any Australian will be able to register .au

Unlike .com.au where you must have an ABN to register this extension, any one with a verifiable Australian presence will be able to register this extension, such as being a citizen or permanent resident.  This means that once the priority register period is over, anyone will be able to register .au domain name that could be similar to your business, and unless you own a trademark, you will have no rights to prevent this happening.

How do I register a .au domain name?

If you are an existing Show Pony Creative client and you have your domain name with us, please contact us and we will reserve the domain name for you. Once reserved we will add the domain name to your account. Currently our system does not handle automatic registration for the priority register.

If you are not with Show Pony Creative you will need to go to your domain register direct or you will need to contact us to transfer your .com.au domain name to our system first, then we can organise the .au domain name on your behalf.

How do I connect my new domain name to my hosting account?

If you host your website with Show Pony Creative, you can request we add this domain name to your hosting account. This means your website will be accessible using either .com.au or .au directly.

More information on the .au domain name can be found here.