Information Centre

The following are some miscellaneous frequently asked questions concerning Australian domain names and registration. For more FAQ's see our Infocentre main page. 

What can I do if I purchased a business but the domain name details are still registered to the previous owner of the business? 

Prior to a transfer of registrant taking place, our transfer of registrant procedure must be followed. Please contact our office for the relevant forms. 

If the former owner of the business (the legal registrant) isn't co-operative and you have a deed of sale that explicitly mentions the domain name and that the registration was to be transferred to you, as the new owner of the business, you can submit a complaint via auDA, the regulator of the Australian .AU space.

On a related note, it's very important that if you're considering buying a business to ensure any website address connected to the business is  part of the sale and properly documented as such - it can save many legal headaches down the track.

If my company has been de-registered, can I retain my domain name registration?

If documentary evidence exists stating prior to the demise of the registrant company an agreement was made to transfer the domain name licence to a new entity and the new entity is eligible under the allocation policy; then yes you can. Please contact our office for further details. 

Does Domain Registration Services auto renew domain names?

No we don't. Security is paramount to us, so we don't store customers credit card details. We also feel it is unethical to auto renew when perhaps a customer may not want to renew. 

We send renewal notices to registrants so they may choose if they want to renew. We prefer an 'opt in' process rather than an 'opt out'. With opt out, many people end up paying companies for things they don't need anymore (and often without even realising it).

Why does the WHOIS output state that my domain name is inactive? 

This is because your domain name has not yet been delegated to a server. Learn more about domain name delegation.

Can I pay for my domain name licence monthly? 

Domain Registration Services does not store customer credit card details, so we do not offer this service.

We do not have our association number OR non profit Australian Business Number (ABN) status as yet, can we register an .org.au or .asn.au domain name under the name of our commercial company and change it later? 

Unfortunately not - allocation policy rules applying to .org.au and .asn.au do not allow for this.

What is a Registrar of Record? 

A registrar of record is the accredited registrar responsible for managing a particular domain name. Only the registrar of record is able to renew, modify or re-delegate the domain name.

For more domain name FAQ's see our Infocentre main page.