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.net.au domains
Register a .net.au — $20 a year, same at renewal
A .net.au costs $20 a year inc GST at Chill Domains, and renewal is the same $20 list price. The rules are identical to .com.au: you need to be an Australian commercial entity, such as a company or a business with an ABN, and the name has to match 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 .net.au on this page.
.net.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, as for .com.au |
| 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 .net.au?
Exactly the people who can register a .com.au, because auDA applies one rule to both. You must be a commercial entity — a company, a sole trader or other business with an ABN, an incorporated association, a trading co-operative or a government body that trades — or hold an Australian trade mark (exact-match names only). The .com.au page has the full list.
Which names can you register?
Also the same as .com.au: a match or acronym of your company, business or personal name, a match of your trade mark, or a match or synonym of goods, services, events, activities or premises you actually offer. auDA has proposed removing that last option for .net.au and .com.au; it isn’t in force yet (what’s proposed). A match can use some of your name’s words but can’t add any: Coastal Network Cabling could register coastalnetworkcabling.net.au or cabling.net.au, but not bestcabling.net.au.
.net.au or .com.au?
Nothing in auDA’s rules ties .net.au to internet or network businesses. It’s mostly chosen when the .com.au is already taken, or registered alongside it. Owning one gives you no claim to the other or to the matching .au — every .au name is first come, first served. Here a .net.au is $20 a year, the same as a .com.au or direct .au.
Renewing and transferring
auDA renews a .net.au 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. You can renew up to 90 days before expiry; our reminders come 30 days, 7 days and 1 day before expiry (they stop if you renew or tell us not to).
No transfer fee. If your .net.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) 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 .net.au transfer.
.net.au questions
Is .net.au only for internet providers?
No. Under auDA’s current rules a .net.au has the same eligibility as a .com.au, with no requirement to run a network or internet business.
The .com.au I want is taken. Is .net.au a good substitute?
It can be, if the name meets the rules. People often type .com.au out of habit, though, so some visitors and email may reach whoever holds it. If that’s a business in your field, a different name may serve you better.
Can I hold the .net.au, .com.au and .au together?
Yes, if you’re eligible for each. They’re separate licences, and you can point the extras at your main site with URL forwarding, which is included.