.org

.org is the namespace associated with non-profits, community groups and open-source projects. It is run by Public Interest Registry, itself a non-profit.

Registration is open to anyone — the association with charitable work is convention rather than rule. Australian charities should weigh it against .org.au, which carries a genuine eligibility test and reads as local.

• Anyone can register, anywhere in the world. There is no business number, residency or trade mark requirement.
• Names are allocated first come, first served.
• Your contact details must be accurate and kept up to date. A domain with false details can be suspended under ICANN policy.

• You can renew at any time before expiry, for a new term of one to ten years.
• If the domain expires there is a 45 day grace period in which it can be renewed at the normal price. The domain usually stops resolving during this window, so the website and email go down.
• After that it enters a 30 day redemption period. It can still be recovered, but only by paying a redemption fee on top of the renewal.
• After redemption the domain sits in a five day pending delete state and cannot be recovered at all. It is then released for anyone to register.

• You need the authorisation code (also called the EPP or auth code) from your current registrar, and the domain must be unlocked.
• A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of being registered, or within 60 days of a previous transfer.
• The registrant is emailed to approve the transfer. Without a response it completes automatically after five days.
• A transfer adds one year to the registration term, so no time is lost.

• The registrant can be changed at any time through your registrar.
• ICANN policy requires both the outgoing and incoming registrant to confirm the change by email.
• After the change the domain is locked against registrar transfers for 60 days, unless that lock is declined at the time.
• Changing the registrant does not change the expiry date.

• Contact details and dispute policies are published on the registry website linked above.
• Disputes are handled under ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP).