.com.au domain names: who can register one, who should own it, and what to check

By Francis Valente, Navaro Systems · Updated 17 October 2026

Short answer: A .com.au domain can be registered by a business with an Australian presence, which for most small businesses means an ABN or ACN, and the name has to match or be closely connected to the business or what it sells. You register it through any auDA-accredited registrar for a yearly fee. The domain should be registered to your operating entity, not to a web designer or an individual, with the login held by you, because whoever controls the domain controls your website and your email.

Key points

Eligibility: an Australian presence (ABN, ACN or similar) and a name connected to your business.
yourname.au exists alongside yourname.com.au. Same presence rule, looser naming.
Register it to your entity, hold the registrar login, turn on two-factor authentication.
Set auto-renew and keep the registrar's contact email on an address you'll still read in three years.
If an agency registered it for you, look up the registrant now.

Who can register a .com.au

The .au namespace is run by auDA, the .au Domain Administration, and its rules require an Australian presence. For .com.au that means a commercial entity: a company with an ACN, or a sole trader, partnership or trust with an ABN, among others. The name you register also has to be your business or company name, an abbreviation of it, or something closely and substantially connected to what you do, such as your main product or service.

In practice the registrar asks for your ABN or ACN at checkout and checks it against the business register. If the details don't match the entity, the registration can be challenged later.

.com.au or .au

Since 2022 you can also register names directly under .au, so navaro.au as well as navaro.com.au. The presence rule still applies, but the naming connection is looser. Most established businesses treat the short .au as a defensive registration that redirects to the .com.au, so no one else can pick it up.

What it costs

A yearly fee set by the registrar, with the registry's wholesale fee underneath it. Prices differ between registrars and between the first year and renewals, so compare the renewal price, not the sign-up offer. The domain is a small cost next to the website and email that depend on it.

Who should own it

The registrant should be the business entity that operates the website: the company or the ABN holder. Not the web designer, not the marketing agency, not a staff member's personal account. If a designer registers it in their own name as a convenience, you don't own your own front door, and getting it back if the relationship sours ranges from awkward to impossible.

Registrant: your entity, with your ABN or ACN.
Registrar account: created by you, on a business email, with two-factor authentication on.
Technical contact: the designer or developer can be listed here, or given delegated access to manage DNS, without owning anything.
Renewal: auto-renew on, a payment method that won't expire, and the renewal notices going to an address you read.

What to check in the next ten minutes

Look your domain up on auDA's WHOIS service. It shows the registrant name and the eligibility details on record.
If the registrant isn't your entity, ask whoever holds it to transfer the registrar account or update the registrant to your business, in writing.
Find the registrar login. If you don't have one, request it. If you can't get it, that's a problem to fix before anything else is built.
Turn on two-factor authentication and auto-renew.
Check the expiry date and put a reminder a month before it.
Make sure email for the domain is set up on a service you control, because losing the domain means losing the email too.

If it lapses

An expired .com.au goes through a short period where it can still be renewed, then it's deleted and becomes available for anyone to register. Email stops first, which is usually how businesses find out. If a domain that should be yours has been registered by someone who isn't eligible, auDA has a complaints process, but it's slow and uncertain next to simply renewing on time.

Questions people ask

Do I need an ABN to register a .com.au domain?

You need an Australian presence, and for most businesses that's an ABN or ACN. Foreign entities with an Australian trade mark can also qualify. The registrar checks the number at registration.

Should I register the .au as well as the .com.au?

If it's available and cheap, yes, and redirect it to your main domain. It stops a competitor or a squatter from picking up the short version of your name.

Can my web designer own my domain?

They can be the technical contact or have delegated access to manage DNS, but the registrant should be your business. If a designer currently holds your domain, ask for the registrant and the registrar account to be transferred to you.

What happens if my domain expires?

The website and email stop. There's a short window to renew, then the name is deleted and anyone can register it. Auto-renew and an up-to-date contact email prevent nearly every case of this.

Sources

Free 60-second website read at navaro.com.au, no sign-up. Or ring Francis Valente on 0426 951 399.