auDA (the administrator for .au domains) has introduced stricter eligibility requirements for .au domain renewals. While these new rules were introduced in 2021, older domains (established prior to the rule change) have been operating under older rules as part of a transition period arrangement.
As of 11th April 2026, the transition period has ended, and the new rules are now in place for all domains. Registrars (auDA-approved entities that manage and update registrations) have started applying the updated validation requirements to all domain renewals.
Previously, outdated ABN/ACN ownership details were often overlooked during domain renewals. From April onward, domain ownership details need to match an active business/company entity (ABN/ACN) to meet renewal compliance checks.
Most businesses and companies will not need to take any action, provided that they have an active ABN or ACN with up-to-date and accurate business registrant details. To ensure this is the case, registrars are strongly recommending that all business and company owners with any .au domain review their domain ownership details. If your information is inaccurate, you will lose access to your domain.
Checking domain details only takes a few minutes (via TPP):
1. Run a WHOIS Lookup on your domain
2. Check the ABN and/or ACN linked to the domain (Registrant ID)
3. Confirm the ABN matches your current business/company entity, and check that it is still active with the ATO
TPP Wholesale Article - https://support.tppwholesale.com.au/hc/en-gb/articles/36183288456733-Important-Update-AU-Domain-Renewal-Rules-Changing-from-20-May-2026
auDA Domain Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy (Expired) - https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/au-rules-and-policies/domain-renewal-expiry-and-deletion-policy-2010-01/
auDA Domain Renewal, Expiry and Deletion Policy (New) - https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/au-rules-and-policies/au-domain-administration-rules-licensing-2/
Changes to Third-party use domains - https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/blog/changes-third-party-use-au-domain-names/
Changes to rules for .au domains - https://www.auda.org.au/news-insights/blog/changes-rules-au-sub-domains/
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