Published July 2, 2011
Most Australians would be familiar with .com.au, net.au and .org.au; but not so much .id.au domain names - even though they've been available since 1995.
Unlike .com and .net names, which can be registered by anyone, Australia's .com.au domain extension is reserved for commercial enterprises only. The .org.au extension can only be registered by charities operating in Australia.
The id.au extension has a special place in the .au namespace - it's purely for individuals. While the name of the person who originally proposed the .id.au name is not known; in October 1994 an Australian online pioneer by the name of Robert Elz again floated the idea of an extension for Australians for personal use - and by early 1995 the domain was created.
The .id.au extension has only the following eligibility criteria - registrants must either be an Australian citizen or resident.
However, there are some limits as to the type of name that can be chosen. For example, generic terms usually won't be permitted. The following name selection guidelines apply:
- it must exactly match the registrant’s name, or be an abbreviation or acronym of the name.
In order to keep the .id.au name space purely geared towards individuals, the extension can't be used for commercial purposes to represent a community group. One of the other benefits of the .id.au extension is that it's cheaper to register.
If you would like to register your name as a domain name and want it to have a distinct Aussie flavour, consider registering an .id.au - as its accompanying slogan says; "it's all about you."
Have a web site or blog? Get our free domain news widget.
How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.
AUSTRALIAN OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1996
1300 863 436