.au and .com.au domains

false

.au and .com.au domains

Last updated October 13, 2026 10:49

Learn about the guidelines and features of .au and .com.au domains.

You can register or connect domains ending in .au or .com.au to Squarespace if you have an Australian address. These domains are a great option if you want to establish an online Australian presence.

The .au and .com.au country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) follow different rules than most other ccTLDs we offer. This guide covers certain special requirements and exceptions from Squarespace and the relevant organization that oversees .au and .com.au domain registration. To learn more about these requirements and exceptions, visit TLD registry policies.

To find a domain's price, you can search for it on our domain name search page or in your domains dashboard.

If you already have a .au or .com.au domain registered with a third-party domain provider, it’s not currently possible to transfer these domains into Squarespace, but you can connect the domain to your Squarespace site instead. If you don’t already have a .au or .com.au domain, you can register one with us.

TLD features

Note: You need to have an Australian presence to register a .au or .com.au domain. Whether or not you need an ABN, an ACN, or neither, depends on your entity type and which ccTLD you’re registering.

Browse the table below to learn about the unique features and rules of registering a domain ending in .au or .com.au. If you connect a third-party .au or .com.au domain, these guidelines don't apply.

Which entities can register for .au and .com.au domains?

Review the table below to determine if your entity can register a .au or .com.au domain:

What documentation do I need to register a .au or .com.au domain?

Whether or not you need an Australian Business Number (ABN), an Australian Company Number (ACN), or neither to register your domain depends on your entity type and which ccTLD you’re registering. Review the resources below from the Australian government and the .au Domain Administration (AUda) to determine your registration requirements and contact them with any questions:

• Australian government site on registering domains
• AUda - the governing body of the .au registry

Note: When you register an ABN or ACN, you may need to wait one week for it to update across all government systems before you can register a domain. When using an ACN, ensure that it’s associated with a matching ‌ABN, and that the details of both are identical.

When registering or renewing a .au or .com.au domain, ensure that your registration information exactly matches your ABN records. If they don't match, we'll email you prompting you to update your registration information.

Find your ABN, ACN, or Australian trademark number

You can use the following tools to find your ABN or ACN information to ensure it matches the registrant information you provide when you register your domain:

• Australian government ABN Lookup tool
• ASIC website
• Australian trademark search

Tip: If the Australian Business Register lists your ABN as an “Australian private company,” we recommend selecting “Company” in the Entity type dropdown menu during registration.

Troubleshooting ABN, ACN, or Australian trademark issues

If you have an issue registering your domain, you’ll receive an error message with instructions on how to fix it. You can use the Australian government's ABN Lookup tool to ensure the registration information you’ve entered matches what they have on file.

You can also review the table of supported entities. If your entity type isn't listed, you can’t register your domain with Squarespace.

Additional requirements

The Australian Domain Name Administrator requires that all .au and .com.au domains include specific information in their registration details. This is because .com.au domains are intended for registered Australian businesses and organizations. Similarly, .au domains can be used for businesses and organizations, or for individuals with an Australian address.

During the registration process, you'll complete the following fields in the Additional Requirements panel:

• Entity name - Enter the name of your business or organization as it appears on your Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) documents.
• Entity type - Select the entity type as it appears on your Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) documents. If there is not an exact match, select the closest match to your entity type. The entity options include: Company, Partnership, Pending trademark owner, Registered business, Sole trader, and Trademark owner. If you're registering a .au domain, you have a few more options: Charity, Citizen/Resident, Club, Non-profit Organization, Private Person, and Trade Union.
• ID - Select either ABN or ACN from the drop-down menu, then enter your ID number in the field. Keep in mind, if you select ACN, your ID will only be accepted if your company also has a valid ABN.
• Eligibility ID - Select the type of ID you're providing from the drop-down menu. The ID options include: Pending trademark, Trademark owner, and Other (if your ID isn't tied to a trademark). Enter the business or trademark ID number in the field. This field only appears if you choose Registered business, Pending trademark owner, or Trademark owner in the Entity type menu.
• Policy reason - Select the reason the domain you've chosen meets the eligibility requirements from the drop-down menu.

Locate the Additional Information section

After registering the domain, you can review your Additional Information:

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain you want to review, then click Registration information.
3. Scroll down to view or edit your Additional information.

Edit the domain's additional information

If your business or organization's information changes, you can update the information associated with your domain. The process for how to update the information depends on whether you change one field or multiple fields in the Additional Information panel.

Change one field

How you change a single field in your Additional Information panel depends on whether your domain is registered through Tucows or Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra, a partner of Key-Systems. You can find your registrar by entering your domain into the au Domain Administration (auDA) whois tool and reviewing the Registrar field.

• Tucows
• Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra

To change one field in the Additional Information panel of your domain, contact us with the information you need to update. We’ll reply with next steps.

To change the Entity name or ID (ABN, ACN, or Trademark number) field, access the Additional Information panel:

1. Open the domains dashboard.
2. Click the domain you want to review, then click Registration information.
3. Click Additional information.
4. You can only update Entity name (First and Last name or Organization) or ID (ABN, ACN or TM). To change a field other than Entity name or ID, contact us with the information you need to change. We’ll reply with the next steps.
5. Click Save.

Change multiple fields

Changing multiple fields in the Additional Information panel is considered a trade, or a change to the ownership of the domain. We'll charge you the current price of a .au or .com.au domain, plus any applicable taxes. A new year of domain registration begins when the change is complete. If your domain had time remaining on its registration, that time is lost when you change the information.

How you change multiple fields in your Additional Information panel depends on whether your domain is registered through Tucows or Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra, a partner of Key-Systems. You can find your registrar by entering your domain into the au Domain Administration (auDA) whois tool and reviewing the Registrar field.

• Tucows
• Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra

To change multiple fields in your Additional Information panel for your Tucows domain and proceed with a trade of your domain:

1. Download the Current owner and New owner forms.
2. Download the Transfer of domain name chain of title form.
3. Download the statute of declaration form for your respective state.
4. Complete all four forms and save them. If you need help filling them out, refer to the instructions on the OpenSRS website and the additional requirements section.
5. Email our Customer Support team but wait for our team to reply and request the forms before attaching them to your email.

To change multiple fields or edit a field other than the Entity name or ID number, contact us with all the information you need to update.

Access your certificate of registration

After registering a .au or .com.au domain, au Domain Administration (auDA), the organization that oversees these domains, requires that registrants are provided with a certificate of registration.

How you receive your certificate depends on if your domain is registered through Tucows or Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra, a partner of Key-Systems. You can find your registrar by entering your domain into ​​the au Domain Administration (auDA) Whois tool and reviewing the Registrar Name field.

Tucows

For domains registered through Tucows, there's no need to manually generate your certificate. You'll automatically receive the certificate by email after you register your domain.

Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra

To generate a certificate of registration for domains registered through Domain Directors Pty Ltd trading as Instra:

1. Open your domains dashboard and click your domain.
2. Scroll down and click Request transfer code,then click OK. You'll receive an email with a unique authentication code to the contact details on the domain within 24 hours. You'll need this code to generate your certificate.
3. After receiving your code, visit the certificate generator and enter your domain and the transfer code you received.
4. Click Submit to automatically download your certificate.

Was this article helpful?

Yes No

173 out of 343 found this helpful

Yes No

.au and .com.au domains