From HEXONET Wiki
 |
|
| Introduced | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Registry | AusRegistry |
| IDN Capable | N/A |
| Webpage | Register .AU |
| TLD |
.com.au |
| Allowed TLDs |
.com.au, .net.au, .org.au, .id.au |
| Registry | |
| Dispute Policy | |
| Registrar |
1api GmbH |
| WHOIS-Server |
whois.auda.org.au |
| WHOIS-Update |
5 minutes |
| Min. Characters |
2 |
| Max. Characters |
63 |
| Character Set |
|
| Limitations |
|
| IDN capable |
No |
| Restore capable |
Non-Realtime |
| Handle Updates |
Unsupported |
| Registration System |
semi-real-time |
| Allowed number of NS |
2 to 9 |
| Host IP-Addresses Type |
IPv4 / IPv6 |
| Hosts managed as |
Object |
| SEC DNS Interface |
DS data interface |
| Transfer Authcode required |
Yes |
| Transfer Lock |
No |
| Transfer Confirmation (Request / Approve) |
FOA E-Mail / - |
| Owner Change by |
Trade |
| Trade Periods |
reset, 1 year added |
| Transfer included |
No |
| Trade Confirmation (Request / Approve) |
Fax / - |
Periods
| Registration Periods |
1-5 years |
| Add Grace Period |
0 days |
| Accounting Period |
-7 days |
| Finalization Period |
-1 day |
| Failure Period |
29 days |
| Payment Period |
-61 days |
| Deletion Restorable Period |
1 day |
| Deletion Hold Period |
0 days |
| Explicit Renewals |
Yes |
| Renewal Periods |
1-5 years |
API
Domain Registration
Domains can be registered with the API AddDomain command.
command = AddDomain domain = (DOMAIN)
REQUIRED
ownercontact0 = (CONTACT) admincontact0 = (CONTACT) techcontact0 = (CONTACT) billingcontact0 = (CONTACT) nameserver0 = (NAMESERVER) nameserver1 = (NAMESERVER) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = ABN | ACN | TM | OTHER
OPTIONAL
auth = (TEXT) | (NULL) period = (PERIOD) transferlock = 0 | 1 | (NULL)
Further information can be found at TLD specific
Domain Transfer
The transfer has to be initiated by the gaining registrar and can be requested with the API TransferDomain command. An "Authorisation Code" must be provided in the request, which can be obtained from the current registrar by the owner or Admin-C of the domain. The Auth-code can also be requested directly from AuDA at https://pw.auda.org.au/
Please ensure, that you have a correct "Authorisation Code" associated with the domain, before initiating the transfer, otherwise it will fail.
Our system will send an FoA email to the Registrant. Once the Registrant has approved the request by clicking on the link in the FoA email, the transfer request will be submitted to the Registry (typically, the transfer takes place immediately).
command = TransferDomain domain = (DOMAIN)
REQUIRED
auth = <TEXT>
OPTIONAL
period = (PERIOD) ownercontact0 = (CONTACT) admincontact0 = (CONTACT) techcontact0 = (CONTACT) billingcontact0 = (CONTACT) transferlock = 0 | 1 | (NULL) action = REQUEST | APPROVE | DENY | CANCEL | USERTRANSFER
Delete Domain
Domains can be deleted with the API DeleteDomain command.
There is a Deletion Restorable Period of 1 day.
command = DeleteDomain domain = (DOMAIN)
Restore Domain
Restores can be processed automatically but not in realtime. A restore is possible within 1 day upon deletion. Please use the command RestoreDomain.
command = RestoreDomain domain = (DOMAIN)
OPTIONAL
subuser = (TEXT) renewalmode = (NULL) | (TEXT)
Ownerchange
In order to change the owner you have to request a trade with the TradeDomain command. This can be done through our web interface or through our API:
command = TradeDomain domain = (DOMAIN)
REQUIRED
Ownercontact0 = (CONTACT) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = ABN | ACN | TM | OTHER
Once the trade has been requested, an FoA email is sent to both the losing and the gaining Registrants. Once both have clicked on the approval link, the request will be submitted to the Registry. This is typically processed in real-time.
TLD specific
Restrictions
.AU is the so-called country code Top-Level-Domain (ccTLD) of Australia. An .AU domain is normally used by companies who are located in Australia or who have business relationships with Australia.
- COM.AU: For Australian registered companies or a trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory or an Australian partnership or sole trader or a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia or owners of an Australian Registered Trade Mark or an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark or associations incorporated in any Australian State or Territory or Australian commercial statutory bodies
- NET.AU: same as for .COM.AU
- ORG.AU: For a charity operating in Australia or a non-profit organisation operating in Australia
- ID.AU: For Australian Citizens and Australian Residents
Special parameters
Required for .COM.AU, .ID.AU, .NET.AU and .ORG.AU registrations:
X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT) (max. 255 chars) - The respective number depending on the registrant id type. X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = ABN | ACN | TM - The meaning of the abbreviations is stated in the table below.
| Abbreviation | Registrant Id Type |
|---|---|
| ABN | Australian Business Number |
| ACN | Australian Company Number |
| TM | Trademark Number |
The domain registration may fail due to incorrect ACN or ABN numbers provided. Make sure that the ACN or ABN number you are using is registered and ACTIVE.
The validity of these numbers can be checked using the following lookup services.
The validity of the ABN number can be checked via the following LINK:
The validity of the ACN number can be checked via the following LINK:
https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/SearchRegisters.jspx (select "Search within: Organization & Business Names" and enter the ACN below it)
The Australian Trademark database can be search via the following database:
ATMOSS - Australian Trade Mark On-line Search System
Authcode Request
Registrants can recover their domain authcode via The .AU registry website.
AUDA Recover Domain Password and Expiry Date
RenewalProhibited Status
The registry does not allow explicit renewals unless the domain is within 90 days of the current expiration date. This lock will be automatically removed by the registry and then will be applied after the domain has been renewed.
Release of 2nd level .AU
Starting from March 24, 2022, registration of domains directly under .au will be available to any business or individual that fulfills the Australian Presence requirements (see https://www.auda.org.au/policy/au-domain-administration-rules-licensing and https://www.auda.org.au/policy/au-domain-administration-rules-au-namespace-implementation for details).
There are no special restrictions or requirements on the string that can be applied for registration under .au (i.e. there is no requirement for the string to match a company name or a trademark*, like it is the case for e.g. com.au).
PLEASE NOTE: only in the case an applicant not based in Australia uses an Australian Trademark to establish their Australian Presence, then the domain applied for must match the Trademark.
Important information on Availability checks for second level .AU domains
During the Priority Registration period that runs until September 20th, the HEXONET API will forward the response from the Registry operator and return the following message when an availability check is performed on a 2nd level domain name:
- If only one of the 3rd level domains is currently registered: 211 Domain Name not available; Membership contact required
- If more than one of the 3rd level domains is currently registered (the 2nd level domain is in a contention set): 211 Domain Name not available; Domain Name reserved by PRIORITY-ACCESS
Unfortunately, the Registry returns the same code (211) both for domains that are unavailable/already registered and for those that are available but require a priority token in the application. We strongly recommend Resellers not to rely simply on the code received, but parse the entire response to get the accurate status of the domain that is being queried.
Priority Registrations for Registrants of existing 3rd level .au domains (Grandfathering)
In the initial phase of the .au launch, Registrants of existing 3rd level .au domains will have a Priority right to register the corresponding string directly under .au.
During the first 180 days following the launch on March 24th, any string matching an existing 3rd level .au domain will be reserved in the Registry and unavailable for general registration. Only applicants with a Priority right will be able to apply to register the string under .au, using a special authentication token.
AuDA has divided Priority applicants in 2 categories, depending on when their 3rd level .AU domain was registered:
- Priority category 1: 3rd level .AU Names with a creation date on or before February 4, 2018 at 23:59:59 UTC
- Priority category 2: 3rd level .AU Names with a creation date after February 4, 2018 at 23:59:59 UTC and before March 23, 2022 at 23:59:59 UTC.
In those cases where more than one eligible Priority applicant exist, the 2nd level .AU domains will be allocated according to the following criteria:
- Where there are Category 1 and Category 2 applicants, Category 1 applicants have priority over Category 2 applicants.
- Where there are multiple Category 1 applicants, all Category 1 applicants must agree on the allocation. Domains for which an agreement cannot be reached, will remain reserved indefinitely, until a single applicant remains.
- Where there are only Category 2 applicants, the name is allocated to the applicant whose 3rd level .AU domain has the earliest creation date in the .AU registry.
Priority Registration Tokens
AuDA will make the Priority Registration Tokens available to the Registrars managing the 3rd level domain name.
This means that the Reseller submitting a priority registration order/pre-order does not need to obtain the Token from the Registrants if the 3rd level domain on which the priority application is based on is managed by HEXONET at the time the application is submitted to AuDA AND is managed by the Reseller that is submitting the application
For pre-orders, this check will take place in the days immediately prior to the launch date of March 24th 2022, in order to account for transfers/deletions of the 3rd level domain used to submit a priority application. Resellers should keep in mind that, while the HEXONET system will accept any pre-orders submitted, any pre-order that does not meet the conditions above will be failed at that point.
Where the 3rd level domain is currently managed by a different Registrar/Reseller, the Registrant will need to obtain the Token from their current Registrar/Reseller, or directly from AuDA at https://priority.auda.org.au/ .
How to check the Priority status of a 3rd level domain
AuDA provides an online tool to allow existing Registrants to check the Priority status of their 3rd level .au domain and whether there are other competing applicants for the same string. After March 24th, the tool will also show whether an application for the matching 2nd level domain has been submitted/withdrawn/declined.
The tool is available at https://www.auda.org.au/tools/priority-status-tool
Using a 3rd level ID.AU domain to claim Priority
Please note that due to the more stringent requirements for validation of Natural Persons applying for 2nd level .AU domains, customers using a 3rd level ID.AU domain to claim Priority for the corresponding 2nd level string will also need to complete the validation process of the Registrant handle (see section “Validation of Natural Persons applying to register a .AU domain name” below for more information).
How to ensure a smooth Priority application experience
In order to avoid unnecessary delays or errors, it is recommended that Registrants and Resellers confirm that the Registrant details on the 3rd level .au domain used to claim a priority right on a 2nd level .au domain are correct and up-to-date. If necessary, the Registrant details on the 3rd level domain should be updated before a pre-order for the 2nd level .au domain is submitted.
For details on how to perform this operation, see https://wiki.hexonet.net/wiki/AU#Ownerchange
Please note that once a Priority application has been submitted to AuDA, it will not be possible to transfer or to perform any update to the Registrant details of the 3rd level domain used to claim the priority right until the 2nd level domain has been assigned.
When will 2ld.au domains get allocated?
Eligible Priority Applicants have to exercise their priority right and actively submit an application within the 6 months of the Priority Application phase. Eligible Priority Applicants can also explicitly renounce their right to apply.
Generally speaking, the allocation of a reserved 2ld.au domain takes place once all eligible Priority Applicants have expressed their intentions.
When there is only one eligible Priority Applicant for a string, the domain name is immediately allocated to that Applicant.
Where there are multiple eligible Priority Applicants for a string, the name is allocated as soon as the contention is resolved.
In the case where there are only multiple Category 2 applicants, if the applicant with the 3rd level domain with the earliest registration date applies, the domain is allocated to them within the following 24 hours and any pending application from other Category 2 applicants is automatically rejected.
Please note that applicants and prospective applicants can also actively withdraw or decline their application on the AuDA portal where priority tokens can be requested.
Priority Registrations Timeline
General Availability applications
Any string that is not currently registered under one of the existing .au 3rd level extensions or otherwise reserved by the Registry will be available for registrations on a First-Come-First-Served basis from March 24th, 2022.
Any applicant fulfilling the Australian presence requirement can submit a an order for any available .au string.
PLEASE NOTE: After March 24th, regular General Availability registrations should be submitted with the "AddDomain" command. For Grandfathering applications, "AddDomainApplication" must be used until September 20th when the Priority phase ends.
Validation of Natural Persons applying to register a .AU domain name
AuDA requires all Registrars to validate the details of anyone applying for a .au domain “using Reliable and Independent Electronic Data or valid identity documents” before submitting their application to the Registry systems.
For 3rd level extensions such as com.au that are restricted to Australian businesses, this type of validation is already built into the regular registration workflow, using the ABN/ACN numbers provided in the domain registration command.
As 2nd level .au domains are open also to Natural Persons, HEXONET will need to perform validation of the applicant’s details before submitting their orders to the Registry.
Unlike ABN/ACN numbers lookups, these checks are not free. We are currently working on a separate paid validation service that Resellers can offer to their customers to validate a Contact Handle that can then be used to apply for one or more .au domains. We expect the service to be available through HEXONET in early March, please check back here for updates.
Please note that it is possible for Resellers to submit pre-orders on behalf of Natural Persons and complete the Contact Handle validation at a later stage once the new validation service is available (but no later than Mar 23, 2022, to allow enough time for us to prepare the submission of the registration order).
For full details on the Validation for Natural Persons service, please see https://wiki.hexonet.net/wiki/AUValidation.
How to submit pre-orders
To submit a pre-order for a .au domain ahead of the launch date of March 24th, 2022, Resellers can use the AddDomainApplication command.
Supported periods:
- Priority preorders with multiple potential applicants: 1 year
- Priority preorders with single applicants: 1-5 years
- General availability preorders: 1-5 years
Priority Preorders (Grandfathering)
To submit a preorder on behalf of a customer with a Priority right, the following additional fields should be included in the AddDomainApplication command:
- CLASS = AU_GRANDFATHERING
- X-AU-PRIORITY-TOKEN = String (This field is optional when submitting the AddDomainApplication, and it is not required when the 3rd level domain on which the priority right is based is managed by HEXONET and by the Reseller submitting the preorder (see section “Priority Registration Tokens” for more details). Where the 3rd level domain is managed by a different Registrar/Reseller, this field needs to be populated with the Priority Token provided by AuDA to the Registrant using the ModifyDomainApplication command before March 24th, 2022 in order for the request to be submitted to the Registry.)
- X-AU-GRANDFATHERING-TLD = <com.au|net.au|org.au|asn.au|id.au> (This is the 3rd level extension of the domain on which the priority right is based. For instance, if you are applying for mydomain.au based on mydomain.net.au, you can fill the value “net.au” here. It is very important that this field is filled in correctly for domains that are managed by HEXONET and the Reseller, to ensure that we can import the Priority Token correctly.
Resellers should take extra care in ensuring that the Registrant details of the 3rd level domain are correct and match those submitted in the AddDomainApplication for the 2nd level domain. In case the same Registrant holds the domain in multiple 3rd level extensions, it is the responsibility of the Reseller that the domain with the highest Priority right is entered here.)
- X-AU-IMPORT-TOKEN = <1|0> (optional - Default 1) (When the 3rd level domain is managed by the Reseller through HEXONET, we will automatically import the Priority Token to submit the application to the Registry. If needed, we will also populate any additional X-FLAGS required to submit the order correctly using the data from the corresponding 3rd level .au domain.In case the Reseller does not wish for the token to be imported automatically, this field can be set to 0. In this case, the X-AU-PRIORITY-TOKEN field will need to be filled in with the Priority token obtained from AuDA. In this case, we will obviously not attempt to import the token, even if the domain is with us. Furthermore, we will not attempt to populate any of the other X-FLAGS either. I.e. it is entirely up to the Reseller to ensure all the data is added correctly to the pre-order, including all the relevant X-FLAGS.
If the 3rd level domain is managed by HEXONET but on behalf of a Reseller other than the one submitting the order, this field will be ignored and the token will not be automatically imported even if the field is set to 1.)
- X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE and X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = these 2 fields need to be filled in with the same values used for the 3rd level domain on which the Priority application is based (e.g. if an ABN number was used to register the corresponding com.au domain, then the value ABN and the ABN number need to be added in these 2 fields).
AddDomainApplication command example:
command = AddDomainApplication class = AU_GRANDFATHERING domain = yourDomain.au techcontact0 = (contact) ownercontact0 = (contact) admincontact0 = (contact) billingcontact0 = (contact) period = (INT) nameserver0 = (nameserver) nameserver1 = (nameserver) X-AU-PRIORITY-TOKEN = (token) X-AU-GRANDFATHERING-TLD = <com.au|net.au|org.au|asn.au|id.au> X-AU-IMPORT-TOKEN = <1|0> X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = (TEXT) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT)
The below states (provinces) are valid for the state contact field:
- VIC - Victoria
- NSW - New South Wales
- SA - South Australia
- NT - Northern Territory
- WA - Western Australia
- TAS - Tasmania
- ACT - Australian Capital Territory
- QLD - Queensland
- JBT - Jervis Bay Territory
Go Live preorders
To submit a preorder on behalf of a customer without a Priority right for a domain that is not reserved by the Registry, the following additional fields should be included in the AddDomainApplication command:
- CLASS = AU_GOLIVE
- X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = (TEXT) (When the Registrant is an Australian business, accepted values here are ABN/ACN/TM. When the Registrant is a Natural person, the only accepted value here is “PRIVATE”)
- X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT) (When the Registrant is an Australian business, this field needs to contain the ABN/ACN number of the Registrant or the TM number on which the application is based, in order to allow us to validate it before submitting the registration request to the Registry. When the Registrant is a Natural person, this field can be left blank as the Registrant validation is handled through a separate validation product (see section “Validation of Natural Persons applying to register a .AU domain name” above).
Please remember that in the case an applicant not based in Australia uses an Australian Trademark to establish their Australian Presence, then the domain applied for must match the Trademark.
AddDomainApplication command is as follows:
command = AddDomainApplication class = AU_GOLIVE domain = yourdomain.au techcontact0 = (contact) ownercontact0 = (contact) admincontact0 = (contact) billingcontact0 = (contact) period = (INT) nameserver0 = (nameserver) nameserver1 = (nameserver) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-TYPE = (TEXT) X-AU-REGISTRANT-ID-NUMBER = (TEXT)
Modifying an existing Preorder
Customers can modify preorder applications submitted to HEXONET before they are sent to AuDa using the ModifyDomainApplication command. For instance, this can be used to add the Priority token to the X-AU-PRIORITY-TOKEN field of a Priority application. The extra fields for this command are the same as described above under AddDomainApplication. Additionally, the field “application” is required and should contain the ID of the application that the Reseller wishes to modify. This information is returned on a successful execution of the AddDomainApplication command or by querying the applications. ModifyDomainApplication command example:
command = ModifyDomainApplication class = AU_GRANDFATHERING | AU_GOLIVE application = <ID> X-AU-PRIORITY-TOKEN = <token> X-AU-IMPORT-TOKEN = <1|0>
Important Information on Billing processes for .AU Priority Preorders
Please note that AuDA charges Priority Applications at the time they are submitted. In those cases where multiple applicants are eligible for the same string, the Registry will accept - and charge - every application that is submitted successfully. When the contention sets are resolved (see section above for details), the applications of the losing applicants will fail. The Registry will not issue any REFUNDS in these cases.
If, however, HEXONET is unable to submit a priority application successfully (due to errors in the data provided, or because the applied-for domain is no longer available for registration), the application fee will be refunded to the Reseller's account. These refunds will, however, be processed manually. We appreciate your patience while we handle these cases.
Additionally, please note that to ensure a smooth order processing, all pre-orders for .AU domains will be considered final on 20 March 23:59 UTC. After this deadline has passed, Resellers can no longer cancel their pre-orders for a full refund. Pre-orders submitted after this date will be finalized and charged right away upon submission. It will still be possible modify them/update them, though, and the general information about billing for pre-orders described above will apply.
Optimization of Go Live pre-orders before the launch
To maximize our "success rate" on GoLive orders (which are allocated on a First-Come-First-Served basis), we will try to perform all the required pre-checks in advance, where possible. This includes eligibility checks (e.g. ABN/ACN numbers, or validation of owner handle in case of private Registrants), availability checks and we will also pre-seed all the contact handles, so that once the Registry opens we will be ready to submit the registration orders directly without further delay.
To fully use our available connections to the .AU Registry, we will also put on hold all other operations on .AU domains for a few minutes while we submit the Go Live orders.
The "priority" pre-orders will be submitted right after the GoLive ones have been submitted. This means the first priority orders will likely be processed 15-20 mins after the Registry opens.
To give us enough time to perform all the optimization tasks, please submit/complete your GoLive pre-orders by 22 March 23:59 UTC.
Any GoLive order submitted after this time will obviously be accepted and handled, we just can't guarantee we can fully optimize it like the ones that arrived before.