.AU Domain Policies at Hover : Hover Customer Support

.AU is the country code TLD for Australia and is administered by the Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA). Registering a .AU domain name is a great way to showcase national pride.

Registration

The Hover system will generate an order number after accepting a registration or renewal order, but this is not an indication of success. Hover will send a confirmation notice to your account email address once the non-real-time order has been processed or if the order has failed. The newly registered domain might take up to 48 hours to appear in the account.

If the registration violates exhibit A's end-user agreement terms, it is subject to suspension, cancellation, or transfer.

Registration requirements

Hover supports .AU second-level domains, as well as .COM.AU, .NET.AU, .ORG.AU, and.ID.AU third-level domains.

The name length requirements for .AU domains are two to 63 characters. Domain names can include letters and numbers. Hyphens can be used, except in the first or last characters of the domain name.

Hover does not support Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) for this TLD.

The organization name must match the Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) information submitted.

A trademark (TM) is your registered brand and is used to distinguish your business from other products and services. A trademark can be a letter, number, word, phrase, logo, image, sound, movement, shape, or scent. Registering a trademark gives you exclusive rights to your business name in Australia.

Eligibility type

Either ABN, ACN, or Australian trade mark number.
Required for all third-level .AU registrations.
The eligibility type must correspond to the eligibility name.

Eligibility ID type

Select ABN or ACN from the drop-down list.
All third-level .AU registrations except for .ID.AU need it.
Options depend on eligibility type selection.
- For example, when the eligibility type is charity, the only option available for eligibility ID type is Australian Business Number (ABN).

Eligibility ID

The eligibility ID is the ABN or ACN number.
Required for all registrations except .ID.AU; however, when you specify an eligibility ID type for a .ID.AU registration, you must complete this field.
This number must correspond to the eligibility ID type that you chose.
- For example, if the eligibility ID type is ABN, you must enter that number in this field.

Note: The number entered in this field undergoes validation; registration fails when submitting an incorrect number.

Residency requirements

All .AU domains, including third-level TLDs, require an Australian address.

Third-level domain requirements

We support the following third-level domains: .ASN.AU, .COM.AU, .NET.AU, .ID.AU, .ORG.AU.

All third-level .AU TLD's domain names must be an exact match, abbreviation, or acronym of the registrant's name or otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant.
Note: An exact match means that the domain name applied for is identical to one, some, or all of the words or numbers used in the person’s legal name, business name, or Australian trademark. The domain name must use the words or numbers in the same order as they appear in the person’s legal name, business name, or Australian trademark and must not include any additional words or numbers.

Third-level TLD	Requirements
.ASN.AU	To register a .ASN.AU domain name, registrants must be one of the following: An association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory. A political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission. A trade union or other organization registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. A sporting or a special interest club that operates in Australia. A charity operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant's constitution or other incorporation documents. A non-profit organization operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant's constitution or other incorporation documents.
.COM.AU and .NET.AU	To register a .COM.AU domain name, registrants must be one of the following: An Australian registered company. Trading under a registered business name in any Australian state or territory. An Australian partnership or sole trader. A foreign company licensed to trade in Australia. The owner of an Australian registered trademark. An applicant for an Australian registered trademark. An association incorporated in any Australian state or territory. An Australian commercial statutory body.
.ID.AU	To register a .ID.AU domain name, registrants must be Australian citizens or residents. Eligibility ID is not required for .ID.AU domains; however, when you specify an eligibility ID type for a .ID.AU registration, you must complete this field. Domain names must include or be derived from one or more words of the registrant's name or the name the registrant is commonly known, such as a nickname.
.ORG.AU	To register a .ORG.AU domain name, registrants must belong to one of the following: An association incorporated in any Australian state or territory. A political party registered with the Australian Electoral Commission. A trade union or other organization registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996. A sporting or special interest club operating in Australia. A charity operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant's constitution or other incorporation documents. A non-profit organization operating in Australia, as defined in the registrant's constitution or other incorporation documents.

Registering .AU domains

Navigate to Hover.com. Enter the domain name you would like to register, followed by the search icon.
You will see an indication that the domain is available. Select Add to cart.
Note: If the domain is taken, you will be presented with other available options that closely match the search term you entered.
Select one of the shopping cart icons. Both will allow you to proceed with the registration.
To add a domain-related mailbox to your purchase, select the + next to the desired email option, followed by Secure checkout.
If you have a Hover account, select Use an existing account to log in.
If you don't have a Hover account, add your new account information followed by Continue.
Fill in the registration information, and select Save changes.
Third-level .AU domains fill in the required information followed by Continue.
Note: Second level .AU domains are not required to fill in this form.
Ensure the billing information is correct; select Edit to update if not. Check the box I have read and agree to the terms of service, followed by Submit order.
The order is now complete. An order confirmation email will be sent to the account holder.

Renewing .AU domains

For .AU domains, the Australian registry has implemented a validation matrix for all the domains that are registered. All third-level .AU customers (except .ID.AU domains) must have an active ABN or ACN or trademark to renew.

Unincorporated .ORG associations must be listed on the Australian charities and not-for-profits commission (ACNC). At domain renewal, this requirement must be fulfilled.

Domains can be renewed up to 90 days before the expiry date and up to 30 days after the expiry date. When domains are not renewed within 30 days after the expiry date, the status changes to expired pending purge and the domain name cannot be updated, renewed, or transferred to another registrar.

We do not offer domain renewal refunds.

Changing ownership

A trade is relinquishing ownership to another entity. A trade costs the same as a new .AU domain registration and resets the registration period.

After the trade, the domain will gain a new term that starts on the day the trade was completed, and any previous registration period will be lost.

Updating a .AU domain's legal owner requires a change of ownership, or trade, to be processed. This includes changes to the domain's ABN, ACN, Australian trademark number, or eligibility type.

Ownership changes apply to .AU .ASN.AU, ORG.AU, .NET.AU, .COM.AU but not .ID.AU.

The ABN, ACN, Australian trademark numbers, eligibility name, type, and registrant name cannot be updated from the Hover control panel, and will require a trade. The registrant name and eligibility name can sometimes be updated without a trade only if the new name matches the entity name or business name as per the ABN/ACN lookup or the trademark information in a TM lookup.

Domain ownership information is publicly visible using the .AU whois lookup.

Contact Hover support to initiate a trade or update the ownership information. Support will provide the required forms to initiate a trade. We will require the following information.

Domain Name: 
Registrant Name (must match information in ABN/ACN lookup): 
Eligibility Name (must match information in ABN/ACN lookup): 
Eligibility Type: 
Eligibility ID: 

First Name: 
Last Name: 
Organization: 
Phone Number: 
Address: 
City: 
Country: 
State/Province: 
Postal Code: 
Email Address:

Prior to contacting support, ensure the ABN, ACN, or TM is active and valid. If the ABN, ACN, or TM is inactive or deregistered, it must be reactivated prior to completing the trade.

Australian Business Number

Verification is available at Australian Business Register

Australian Company Number

Verification is available at Australian Securities & Investments Commission

Note: Search within Organization and Business Names.

Australian Trademark

Verification is available at IP Australia

Note: Ensure any trade requests are submitted at least 30 days before the domain's renewal date. The trade is a manual process at all levels, and sufficient time is needed to complete the steps.

Transfering-in .AU domains

There is no charge for .AU transfers unless the domain expires within 90 days. If the transfer takes place within 90 days before expiry, the domain will renew after the domain transfer completes, and a charge will be applied.

After the transfer is initiated, an email is sent to the owner's email address specified on the transfer form to confirm the transfer. The registry declines the transfer request if the owner does not approve the transfer request within two days.

There is a three-calendar-day grace period during which the transaction may be canceled.

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