You can register or connect domains ending in .au or .com.au to Squarespace if you have an Australian address. These domains are a great option if you want to establish an online Australian presence.
The .au and .com.au country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) follow different rules than most other ccTLDs we offer. This guide covers these special requirements.
To find a domain's price, you can search for it on our domain name search page or in your Domains panel.
TLD features
Browse the table below to learn about the unique features and rules of registering a domain ending in .au or .com.au. If you connect a third-party .au or .com.au domain, these guidelines don't apply.
Feature |
Rules |
Additional information |
When registering a .au or .com.au domain, you'll need to provide information about you or your Australian company or organization. |
Address requirement |
To register a .au or .com.au domain, you need to have an Australian address. |
Domain verification |
You don't need to take any action or verify your domain via email after registering. Your .au or .com.au domain is verified automatically. |
Failed payments and expired domains |
15 days before your domain's official expiration date, we'll charge the credit card linked to your site. If we can't complete the charge, we'll make additional attempts to charge your card every five days until the expiration date. If we're unable to successfully charge your card, the domain will expire and will no longer connect to your site. After your domain expires, you have a 30 day grace period to reactivate it through Squarespace. If your domain isn't reactivated, it's deleted from both our system and the registrar's (TuCows). |
Five-day registration grace period |
There's no five-day grace period to cancel .au or .com.au domains, and no refunds. Before you register the domain, ensure you want to keep it. Double-check the domain for typos. |
Priority for .au domains |
If you're registering a .au domain and already own a version of that domain, such as .com.au, .net.au, .org.au...etc., you may have priority over the .au domain. |
Free domain offer |
You can use the free domain offer when registering a new .au or .com.au domain. |
Transferring to Squarespace |
It's not currently possible to transfer .au or .com.au domains to Squarespace. |
Transferring away from Squarespace |
You can transfer your domain away from Squarespace at any time. You don’t need to wait the usual 60 days after transferring it to Squarespace. After initiating the transfer, the domain's owner has 48 hours to approve it by email. If the transfer isn't approved, our system will automatically cancel it. |
Whois privacy |
Whois privacy isn't available. |
ABN and ACN details
You can look up your ABN or ACN information to ensure it matches the information you provide when registering your domain.
Tip: If your ABN is listed as an "Australian private company" in the Australian Business Register, we recommend selecting "Company" in the Entity type drop-down menu during registration.
Additional requirements
The Australian Domain Name Administrator requires that all .au and .com.au domains include specific information in their registration details. This is because .com.au domains are intended for registered Australian businesses and organizations. Similarly, .au domains can be used for businesses and organizations, or for individuals with an Australian address.
During the registration process, you'll complete the following fields in the Additional Requirements panel:
- Entity name - Enter the name of your business or organization as it appears on your Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) documents.
- Entity type - Select the entity type that best describes you, or your business or organization. The options for include: Company, Partnership, Pending trademark owner, Registered business, Sole trader, and Trademark owner. If you're registering a .au domain, you have a few more options: Charity, Citizen/Resident, Club, Non-profit Organization, Private Person, and Trade Union.
- ID - Select either ABN or ACN from the drop-down menu, then enter your ID number in the field.
- Eligibility ID - Select the type of ID you're providing from the drop-down menu. The ID options include: Pending trademark, Trademark owner, and Other (if your ID isn't tied to a trademark). Enter the business or trademark ID number in the field. This field only appears if you choose Registered business, Pending trademark owner, or Trademark owner in the Entity type menu.
- Policy reason - Select the reason the domain you've chosen meets the eligibility requirements from the drop-down menu.
Locate the Additional Information panel
After registering the domain, you can review the information you provided in the Additional Information panel:
- In the Home menu, click Settings, then click Domains.
- Click the domain you want to review, then click Registration information.
- Click Additional information.
Changing the domain's additional information
If your business or organization's registered information changes, you can update the information attached to your domain.
Changing the additional information transfers ownership of your domain. We'll charge you the current price of a .com.au domain plus any applicable taxes. A new year of domain registration begins when the change is complete. If your domain had time remaining on the registration, it's lost when you change the information.
Follow these steps to change the domain's additional information:
- Download the Current owner and New owner forms.
- Complete both forms and save them. If you need help filling out the forms, refer to the instructions on the OpenSRS website and the additional requirements section above.
- Contact our Customer Support team by email. Attach both forms to your email and enter your .au or .com.au domain in the description field. We’ll reply with next steps.
Priority for .au domains
.au is a new ccTLD. Versions of .au domains, like .com.au, have been sold for many years. To help domain owners maintain a consistent online presence, the Australian Domain Administration (auDA) created the priority allocation process.
This process allows current owners of .au versions to submit a claim on the matching .au domain. From March 24, 2022 through September 20, 2022, auDA is holding all .au domains that have exact matches ending in the following ccTLDs:
- .asn.au
- .com.au
- .edu.au
- .gov.au
- .id.au
- .net.au
- .org.au
Owners of these matching versions of .au domains can apply for priority during the six month time period. For example, if you owned the domain nicesite.com.au and wanted to purchase nicesite.au, you could apply for priority over nicesite.au before September 20, 2022.
Tip: If your .au domain doesn't have a matching version (like .com.au), you don't need to apply for priority. Visit your Domains panel or our domain name search page to register your .au domain.
How to apply to register a .au domain when you have priority
You can apply to register a .au domain while it's held by auDA for priority allocation. There are a few more steps and billing details to consider.
When you apply to register a .au domain and enter your priority status information, you pay the $20 registration fee (or use your free domain offer). If someone else has a higher priority category to you and claims it, their priority claim is chosen and you won't receive the domain. Should you succeed at registering the .au domain or not, the $20 fee (or free domain offer) isn't refundable. To learn more about priority categories and how they're determined, visit auDA's priority overview.
To apply to register a .au domain when you have priority:
- Request your priority token from auDA.
- Receive an email with your Priority contact ID and Priority auth info from auDA.
- Log into your site. In the Home menu, click Settings, then click Domains, then click Get a domain. You can also visit our domain name search page and search for the domain.
- Complete the registration process. Ensure that you enter your Priority contact ID and Priority auth info in the Additional requirements panel.
- We automatically submit your .au application to auDA. By September 20, 2022, you'll receive an email letting you know if you own the .au domain.
Note: It's not possible for Squarespace Customer Support to review your priority application or determine your priority category. You can contact auDA for more information about your .au domain's priority.