From the 24th of March 2022, auDA will be launching the .au Direct domain names. This allows you to register with a direct .au without the usual .com.au at the end (eg, domain.au).
For all holders of an existing .com.au, .net.au or .org.au, your name has been reserved on a priority basis for 6 months (where eligible). As it launches on the 24th, Conetix will register (on your behalf) all domains which you have requested.
Why the change?
The .au Direct is simply in addition to the existing .au (.com.au, .net.au and .org.au) namespaces and won’t be replacing it. The .au direct means you can have a shorter name and URL.
The other change is to allow anyone with a connection to Australia to be able to register an .au Direct domain (ie, no ABN required).
What’s the cost?
Conetix will initially offer the .au Direct domains for $15/year.
How many years can I register my .au domain for?
Initial domain registration is for 1 Year only.
After the first year and your .au domain is not contested you can register your .au domain for up to 5 Years.
How do I reserve my existing domain?
For businesses and other entities who want to ensure their domain is secured, it needed to have been registered prior to February 2018 (when the .au Direct namespace was announced).
To check and reserve, you can do the following:
- Check your domain is listed via the auDA Priority status tool.
- If the domain has been reserved, you can register your interest to have Conetix immediately register the domain on the 24th (subject to auDA conditions).
auDA Priority Allocation of .au direct process outline.
Existing registrants with an exact match have the first opportunity to register the name during the six-month Priority Allocation period.
If no one applies for Priority Status during that period, the name can be registered through an accredited
registrar on a first-come first-served basis when the Priority Allocation period ends.
Priority categories:
Category 1
.au domain name licences with a creation date on or before the Priority Status cut-off date of 4 Feb 2018
Category 2
.au domain name licences with a creation date after the Priority Status cut-off date of 4 Feb 2018
The complete Priority Allocation Process is set out in the .au Domain Administration Rules:
.au Direct Priority Implementation
