Enter Australia market with a .ORG.AU Domain

The namespace is open only to not-for-profit organisations. The structures named in the rules include incorporated associations, companies limited by guarantee, non-distributing cooperatives, charitable trusts, charities on the register, registered unions and employer associations, political parties, government bodies, and foreign embassies and consulates. The Australian presence requirement applies on top of that, and being registered in the country satisfies it.

No. A for-profit company cannot use this namespace even when it runs community projects, because eligibility turns on the organisation's legal structure. Commercial entities belong in .com.au. If you want a separate identity for your social responsibility work, expect a .org.au application to succeed only where a separate legal entity has been established to carry out that work.

The connection is not defined in only one way. The domain may match your organisation's name, but it may equally match a service you provide, a programme you administer, an event you sponsor or an occupation you represent. That flexibility lets you register a short, memorable address under a campaign or programme name when your registered title is long. Whichever name you choose must be explainable through at least one of those connections.

The Australian presence requirement applies to .org.au too, so a foreign charity not registered in the country cannot apply directly. The exception written into the rules covers foreign embassies and consulates. For an organisation that wants to operate in Australia, the practical route is to establish a registered association or comparable structure in the country and apply through it.

Both require Australian presence; what separates them is the type of applicant. .com.au is open to commercial entities, .org.au to not-for-profit structures. On the commercial side, the name must connect to the company name, a trade mark or the services offered; on the .org.au side, a match with the organisation's name, a programme, an event or an occupation is accepted. Your legal structure determines which one applies to you.

.org.au names can be moved between providers. A transfer does not end your obligations: under the new record you must still be a not-for-profit entity and still meet the Australian presence requirement. The remaining registration period is preserved after the move, and your site and email are unaffected as long as you do not change name servers. You can start on the domain transfer page.

Registration asks for the registration details that evidence your eligibility: an incorporation number for the association, a charity register entry, a company number or a comparable record your organisation is held under. You are also expected to state which connection your chosen name rests on. Having these ready before you apply keeps the registration from stalling on a missing field.