Registering a Domain Name

The registration process

When you apply for a domain name through the Webcentral website, our system will attempt to validate and approve your application automatically. However, some domain applications require manual approval, where our domain administration team will ensure your application meets the eligibility criteria defined by the regulatory body for the associated domain space (e.g. auDA - the regulatory body for .au domains). Some examples of manual approval are if it's a .org.au registration or if the ABN/ABR details you entered don't exactly match those in the Australian Business Registar. Once your application has been approved, your domain will be registered officially and an account will be set up for you.

Your account is managed through The Console, Webcentral's online services management system. You will receive the following important notifications via email:

TheConsole Account login details
Receipt for payment

From here, you can set up web hosting for your newly registered domain name.

What is a domain name?

A domain name is a text based representation of an internet protocol (IP) resource used to navigate the internet.

Originally the internet was comprised only of IP addresses, which looked like this: 202.124.241.200. Domain names were introduced to make the internet easier to navigate by the average user - because it's easier to remember words than it is to remember long number sequences.

Domain names are comprised of 2 or more parts, separated by periods. For example, the domain icann.org has 2 parts - "icann" and "org". "org" is the top level domain, or the end of the name, and "icann" is the second level domain. The domain name "netregistry.com.au" has 3 parts - "netregistry", "com" and "au".

The "au" in com.au domains is the top level, which is short for Australia. The "com" is the second level, which means that the domain name is a commercial business operating in Australia, and "Netregistry" is the name that Netregistry chose for our website. For Australian domains, you can register domains at the third level only - like "netregistry.com.au", or "mybusiness.net.au".

For worldwide domains, such as .com, .net, .org, .info & .biz, you can register domains at the second level - such as "icann.org".

If you would like to register a domain name, follow this link to register your own domain name today.

History of domain names

Domain names were created because they are easier to remember than numerical IP addresses. Every domain name is unique and is mapped to an IP address through the domain name system (or DNS for short).

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There are 13 servers throughout the world called Root Servers, which act as a directory for all top level domain names (.com, .info, .org, .au, .jp, .uk, etc). The top level domain names include universal names such as .com and .info, as well as country-based names such as .au and .uk.

Every top level domain has its own database where information concerning the location of 2nd level domains are held. For example, the .com database would contain the information about the whereabouts of the Netregistry.com domain name, while the .au database would contain information about the whereabouts of the .com.au domain.

Some countries, such as Australia, sell domain names in the third level only - ie - domain.com.au. The information for domain.com.au would be stored in the .com.au database (or registry).

If you would like to register a domain name, follow this link to register your own domain name today.

Domain name pricing and registration periods

There are private regulation bodies that set the guidelines for different types of domain names. These bodies have differing rules for registrations and registration periods. For example, auDA (Australian Domains) will only allow 2 year registration periods, whereas ICANN (com/net/org/info/biz) permits up to 10 years of registration for a domain. To view our entire listing, pricing and registration periods, click here.

How long does it take to register a domain name?

Once applications for a domain name are submitted to Netregistry, our domain administration team will process your request straight away. During business hours, you will rarely have to wait longer than 60 minutes for your registration to be processed.

NOTE: If your registration application requires manual approval, the registration time could be longer. If you have not been contacted within 24 hours - please contact Netregistry's domain administration team who will update you on the progress of your application. Simply email [email protected] or call us (details on the Contact Us page).