Domain eligibility for .com.au, .net.au, and direct .au has always required an active connection to an Australian entity — usually an ABN or ACN — matched to the business or service the domain relates to. That requirement hasn't changed. What's changed is how often it gets checked.
Previously, a lapsed or cancelled ABN sitting behind a domain could easily go unnoticed for years — auDA's compliance checks happened occasionally, more like a spot-audit than a routine gate. From 20 May 2026, that check runs automatically as part of every renewal, within the 90-day window before the domain expires. If the ABN or ACN linked to the registration is no longer current and active, the renewal simply won't go through.
Why this catches more businesses than you'd expect
An ABN doesn't usually lapse because a business closes. It's often something much more mundane:
- A business restructures — sole trader to company, or a merger — and the old ABN is cancelled, but nobody thinks to update the domain registration to match
- A dormant or seasonal ABN gets automatically cancelled by the ATO for inactivity
- A business name registered under the ABN lapses at ASIC without the ABN itself being touched, quietly breaking the "match" the domain relies on
- A domain was registered years ago against an entity that's since changed structure entirely, and the paperwork was never reconciled
None of these look like a domain problem until renewal day, when the domain simply won't renew and the business only finds out because their website and email stop working.
What happens if a renewal gets blocked
If the compliance check fails, the practical path is a Registrant Name Change (RNC) — updating the registration to match a current, active ABN or ACN. An RNC effectively re-registers the domain for a fresh two-year term against the corrected details, which resets the expiry date. There's no fee for the compliance check itself; a fee only applies if the RNC process is actually required.
Left unresolved, the consequences are the same as any failed renewal: the domain eventually goes offline, email stops working, and — if it runs all the way to expiry without being fixed — the domain re-enters the standard .au expiry and grace-period cycle.
Getting ahead of it
- List every .au domain you hold and note which ABN or ACN each one is registered against.
- Check each of those entities is still active. An ABN lookup takes seconds, and it's worth doing for every domain, not just the ones you think might be at risk.
- Check the registered business name still matches, where the domain relies on a business-name match rather than a trade mark or service-name basis. A cancelled or lapsed business name is just as much a problem as a cancelled ABN.
- Don't wait for the 90-day window to find out. If something's going to need fixing, it's much easier to sort out calmly in advance than as an emergency RNC while a domain is actively failing to renew.
- Keep contact details current so any compliance notice from your registrar actually reaches you, rather than landing in an inbox nobody checks anymore.
A note on scams while you're at it
Renewal-related emails are also a well-established phishing vector — auDA has previously had to issue public warnings about scam emails impersonating official renewal notices. If you get an email asking you to "confirm your details to retain your domain," verify it through your actual registrar account directly rather than clicking through, especially while this compliance change means more legitimate renewal-related emails than usual will be landing in inboxes at the same time.
If your registration details are already accurate and up to date, this change is a non-event for you — the check will simply pass. The businesses this actually affects are the ones with old paperwork sitting quietly behind a domain that nobody's looked at in years.
Frequently asked questions
What changed with .au domain renewals on 20 May 2026?
Compliance checks confirming the ABN or ACN behind a .au domain is active now run automatically at every renewal, within the 90-day renewal window, instead of as an occasional spot-check.
What happens if my ABN has lapsed when my domain tries to renew?
The renewal is blocked until the registration is corrected, typically through a Registrant Name Change that re-registers the domain against a current ABN or ACN and resets the term.
Is there a fee for the compliance check itself?
No. A fee only applies if a Registrant Name Change is required to fix the registration.
How do I check whether my ABN is still active?
An Australian Business Register lookup takes seconds and shows current status. Worth checking for every domain you hold, not just ones you suspect are at risk.
Not sure where your domains stand? Get in touch and we'll go through your registrations and flag anything that needs fixing before it becomes a renewal problem.
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