Today we’re going to talk about the .au priority decline tool, explaining what it is, reasons for its use and how it works.
What is the .au priority decline tool?
To put it simply, the .au priority decline tool is designed so that you can decline to apply for a matching .au direct name, if you don't wish to register it. The priority decline tool is available when there are matching .au registrations across different zones (i.e. .com.au and .net.au). Sometimes these registrations will be held by the same party, for example in our case, both afilias.com.au and afilias.net.au were registered by us prior to the launch of .au direct, which made us eligible to apply for the matching .au direct name.
Reasons you might use the .au priority decline tool
The main reasons for using the priority decline tool are:
- You hold more than one matching domain name (example.com.au and example.net.au) and you would like to register the matching .au direct domain name (as in our case above).
In this scenario, you can decline priority status associated with one of the licences, e.g. example.com.au, and proceed with your priority application for the other, example.net.au.
- You hold a .au domain name in a particular zone and you do not wish to apply for priority status to register the matching .au direct domain name.
How does it work?
If you fit into one of the above categories and would like to decline your offer to apply for the matching .au domain name head to the priority token page on auDA’s website and follow the below steps:
- Click on the Decline to Apply tab.
- Enter in your Domain Name and Requestor Name, click on the captcha and then ‘Submit’ so that a confirmation action email will be sent to the Admin contact of the domain name (if you are not the Admin contact, you will not be sent the email)
- The Admin contact will receive an email from .au Technical Support with the subject line: ‘[Domainadmin] Verification email – decline to apply for priority status’ and there will be a button to decline your application for .au direct
- After you have clicked the decline button a confirmation message will appear.
It is important to note that this process is not reversible, and as auDA states, “Once you have confirmed your decline or withdrawal, you will no longer be able to use the domain name you entered as the basis for a priority status application.”
If you do not register for priority status or decline to apply before the end of the Priority Allocation Process period, the .au direct domain name will become available for registration by the general public on 20 September 2022.
If you need any assistance, please contact your .au registrar directly and they can guide you through the process.