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.com.au domains
Register a .com.au — $20 a year, same at renewal
A .com.au costs $20 a year inc GST at Chill Domains, and renewal is the same $20 list price. You can register one if you’re an Australian commercial entity — such as a company, or a sole trader or other business with an ABN — or hold an Australian trade mark, and the name matches your business or what you sell. auDA has proposed removing the “what you sell” option; nothing has changed yet (what’s proposed, checked 14 October 2026).
Type just the name — we’ll assume .com.au on this page.
.com.au at a glance
| Price | $20 a year, inc GST |
|---|---|
| Renewal | $20 a year — the same list price as the first year |
| Transfer in | No transfer fee. Free, unless it’s within 90 days of expiry: then it includes the renewal ($20) |
| Term | 1 year when you register; renew for longer from your dashboard (auDA’s maximum is 5 years) |
| Who can register | Australian commercial entities and Australian trade mark holders |
| Name rules | Must match your name or trade mark, or describe what you sell or provide (that last option is proposed for removal; not in force) |
| Public in WHOIS | Registrant name, ABN or ACN, eligibility type, registrar; contact email on auDA’s web WHOIS only. Not your street address, phone or the domain’s dates. No privacy option. |
| After expiry | auDA allows renewal for 30 days, then the name is released |
| Rules and registry | auDA sets the rules; Identity Digital Australia runs the registry for auDA |
| Included | DNS hosting, email and URL forwarding, DNSSEC, passkey and two-factor sign-in |
Who can register a .com.au?
auDA’s Licensing Rules require a commercial entity. That includes:
- a company (ACN), a foreign company registered in Australia (ARBN) or an incorporated association
- a sole trader, partnership or trust with an ABN (not charitable trusts)
- a trading co-operative, incorporated limited partnership, or government or statutory body that trades
- an overseas business or person with a registered or pending Australian trade mark, for names that exactly match the mark
We collect your eligibility details at checkout. These are auDA’s rules, and every .au provider applies them.
Which names can you register?
- a match or acronym of your company, registered business or personal name
- a match of your Australian trade mark
- a match or synonym of a service you provide, goods you sell, an event you register or sponsor, an activity you run or teach, or premises you operate — proposed for removal: auDA’s Board approved this in principle in August 2026, but it isn’t in force and no date is set. What’s proposed.
- a match or acronym of a related company’s name, or of a partnership or trust you’re part of
A match uses some or all of your name’s words, in order, with nothing added: Harbour Street Bakery could register harbourstreetbakery.com.au or bakery.com.au, but not bestbakery.com.au. “Pty Ltd”, punctuation and words like “the” are ignored.
Renewing: you need to still be eligible
You must stay eligible for as long as you hold a .com.au, and auDA renews a licence only when the provider is satisfied you still qualify. Your details are checked at registration and again at renewal, and you must still be eligible on the date of any transfer. If the ABN or ACN on the licence has been cancelled, you’re no longer eligible: the renewal may not go through, and the licence can be suspended or cancelled. A suspended licence stops resolving and can’t be transferred, and it’s cancelled if the problem isn’t fixed within 30 days.
auDA allows renewal up to 90 days before expiry, but our reminders come 30 days, 7 days and 1 day before expiry (they stop if you renew or tell us not to). If your ABN or business structure has changed, reactivate the ABN or start a change of registrant from your dashboard early.
Transferring a .com.au to Chill Domains
No transfer fee. If your .com.au is within 90 days of expiry, the transfer includes its renewal ($20 for a year); otherwise it’s free and your expiry date stays the same. You need the domain password (auth code or EPP code) from your current provider, or from auDA’s recovery tool at pw.auda.org.au, which emails it to the registrant contact. Once the code is accepted, .au transfers usually finish within a few hours. Start a .com.au transfer.
.com.au questions
Can a sole trader register a .com.au?
Yes. An active ABN makes you a commercial entity, and you don’t need a registered business name: the domain can match your own name, or be a match or synonym of what you sell or provide. auDA has proposed removing the “what you sell or provide” option. It hasn’t taken effect, and auDA says there’s no need to act yet. If you’re weighing up a business name too, see what a business name, ABN, domain and trade mark each get you.
Can an overseas company register a .com.au?
Yes, in two ways. A foreign company registered with ASIC (with an ARBN) qualifies like a local business. Otherwise you need a registered or pending Australian trade mark, and the domain must exactly match it.
Should I also register the matching .au?
Not automatically. If customers already know your .com.au and nobody is likely to use the shorter name against you, one domain is enough. Our .au direct page sets out when the extra $20 a year is worth it.