Web designer holds your domain? Get it back, step by step

Your business's .au domain is in your web designer's name, or you think it might be, and you want it back. Here's how to check, what to send, and what to do if they say no.

Who holds my domain right now?

Look the name up on the .au WHOIS, read the Registrant and Registrar lines, and save a dated copy. Our post on who owns a website domain walks you through it.

• Your business is the registrant, but the developer has the login. You don't need a transfer. You need the registrar login or the authorisation code, the password for moving the name. Ask the registrar for the code in writing. They send it to the registrant's contact email, so if that's the developer's address, get it changed first.
• The developer or their company is the registrant. You need a change of registrant. The rest of this page is about that.

Check the expiry date too. An expired name can't be transferred, and you have 30 calendar days to renew it before anyone else can register it. Your registrar or auDA's recovery tool shows the date.

How do I get my domain back?

Ask in writing. Under auDA's rules, the move starts with a written request from the registrant to the registrar. If your developer is the registrant, that request has to come from them. Once they've sent it, the registrar has two calendar days to transfer the licence (.au Licensing Rules, version approved 22 June 2026, read 7 October 2026). Your business signs a new licence agreement and pays the licence fee.

You've got a fair point to make, too. Since 12 April 2021, auDA has said you or your organisation must be the registrant, not the developer who registers the name for you.

Send it to the email you've always used and to the contact email on the WHOIS. Adapt the sample below.

Subject: Moving yourbusiness.com.au into [Your business name]'s name

Hi [Name],

The .au WHOIS shows [you / your company] as the registrant of yourbusiness.com.au. I'd like to move it into my business's name. Since April 2021, auDA has said the business should be the registrant, not the developer.

Could you please:

1. Send [registrar or reseller on the WHOIS] a written request to move the licence to [Your business name], ABN [number].
2. Let me know when you've sent it, and what they need from me.
3. Leave the website, email and DNS settings as they are until we've both checked the move.

I'll sign the new licence agreement and pay the licence fee. Could you reply by [date]?

Thanks, [Your name], [business], [phone]

Leave out threats. A calm paper trail helps if this becomes a dispute, and a law firm's guide says emails, invoices and agreements can matter as evidence (Sprintlaw, 24 June 2026).

If your business is already the registrant, swap point 1. Ask for the authorisation code and the registrar login instead.

What if they refuse or go silent?

Work through these in order.

1. Follow up once, in writing, after your date. Then ask your registrar or reseller, named on the WHOIS, what they need. auDA says to start with your provider.
2. Find out why. If you owe money for the work, expect to pay it. That's fair, and our own quote terms say the same of our work: "You own what we build for you once it's paid for." A disputed bill is a contract matter, and auDA's rules don't mention invoices. If they say they're leasing the name to you, auDA's rules don't allow renting or leasing a .au name.
3. Ask about a correction if the name is brand new. If a developer was recorded as the registrant by mistake, auDA allows a correction. The request has to come within 14 calendar days of the registration being recorded, so it's usually too late.
4. Know what an auDA complaint can and can't do. Lodge it with the registrar first, then with auDA if you're not happy. auDA only looks at breaches of its rules, and says an upheld complaint won't transfer the name to you.
5. Consider the auDRP if the name matches your business name or trade mark. auDA's .au Dispute Resolution Policy needs you to show three things. The name is identical or confusingly similar to a name or mark you have rights in. The holder has no legitimate interest in it. It was registered or used in bad faith. It's up to you to prove it. If you win, the name is cancelled or transferred. You pay the provider's fee.

A name can't be transferred while a complaint, an internal review or an auDRP dispute is open (auDA, Transfer your .au domain name). So if your developer is willing, finish the hand-over before you file anything.

Spoken to your provider and still stuck? auDA has a general enquiry form, though it isn't for complaints.

How do I keep my email and website running?

Your domain's registration, its DNS and your hosting or email can each sit with a different company. So move one piece at a time.

• Copy the DNS records first. Take a screenshot of every record in the DNS panel. The MX records matter most, because they say where your email is delivered (ICANN FAQs, read 7 October 2026).
• Get your own copies. Ask for the site files, a backup, the hosting login and the email admin login. auDA advises backing up your website and customer data regularly (auDA, Keep your .au secure).
• Change the registrant first, and leave the name servers alone. Moving to a new registrar is a separate step, and auDA's rules say there's no fee for it. auDA says it can take up to three days after approval, so avoid your busiest days.
• Keep the old host running until the site and email work somewhere else. After each step, send yourself an email from another account and load the site on your phone. You can choose your own DNS provider at any time (auDA, How to use the .au WHOIS tool), so leave that till last.

What do I do once the name is mine?

1. Look it up again. The Registrant should show your business, and the Registrant ID your ABN or ACN. Save a copy.
2. Open your own account at the registrar or reseller, with a business email you control. Turn on two-step sign-in, as auDA recommends for your website's admin pages.
3. Change the authorisation code and keep it in a password manager. You can change it at any time. If you've also moved registrar, auDA's rules say to change it within two calendar days.
4. Turn on auto-renew if it's offered, and send renewal notices to a shared business mailbox. auDA says up-to-date contact details are how you get them.
5. Put the hand-over in writing. If the developer still looks after the site, add them as a user on your accounts. Our earlier post has five questions to ask any developer.

Your next step

Open the .au WHOIS today and read the Registrant line. Then send the request and set a date. If you're choosing who looks after the site next, our website service page shows what we set up in your name from day one.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute, check with auDA or a lawyer.

Common questions

Can my web designer refuse to give me my domain?

The move starts with the registrant's written request, and auDA says the client must be the registrant, not the developer. If they won't act, talk to your registrar, or look at an auDA complaint or the .au Dispute Resolution Policy.

How long does it take to transfer a .au domain?

auDA's rules give the registrar two calendar days from the registrant's request. A move to a different registrar can take up to three days after approval, auDA says, so check with yours.

Does it cost anything to move my domain?

Moving to a different registrar is free under auDA's rules. To change the registrant, the new registrant pays the licence fee, and auDA says some providers also charge to carry out the transfer.

What if my web designer registered the domain years ago?

A correction only works within 14 calendar days of the registration being recorded, so it's almost certainly too late. Use a change of registrant instead.

Can I use the .au Dispute Resolution Policy to get my domain back?

Only if the name is identical or confusingly similar to a name or trade mark you have rights in, the holder has no legitimate interest in it, and it was registered or used in bad faith. It's up to you to prove it. If you win, the name is cancelled or transferred.