Some Pointers On Domain Name Transfer

The process of domain name transfer can be made smoother if you keep certain factors in mind. Before you visit the home page of the registrar and make a call to the support number, you need to be absolutely sure about your decision. Be 100% sure that you want to take a domain name registered with a certain registrar and move it over to another registrar.

In the domain name transfer process, what happens is that the domain name now gets leased by a different company. The change has absolutely nothing to with your website, your email, or your DNS account. To transfer your domain, you would need to have a domain under your ownership and a registrar you want that domain transferred to. For this, you would need to apply for a transfer to the registrar you intend to move your domain to. Most registrars would be having a form or an option on their websites to facilitate the entire process. You might have to set up an account for this; you can than click on an option that says “transfer domains,” key in your domain name, and click ok.

Once this is done, the registrar you are opting for would be sending an email to the admin contact in the WHOIS database for this domain name. There is a link in that email; admin would need to click on the same and accept the transfer of the domain name. The time limit for this is usually seven days.  If admin fails to do this within the stipulated time, it would be construed as rejecting of the transfer.

Update the admin contact’s email address in the WHOIS database, which can take a while. So, it is usually a good idea to initiate a transfer well before it is due to expire.

When the admin contact approves the request for transfer, the registrar would then be sending a notification to the registry for the domain TLD. The registry would then be checking the status of the domain and give the go ahead if everything else is in place. The domain name needs to be in active status for it to be successfully transferred. It will not transfer if it is locked or inactive.

Make sure that the domain name transfer process is initiated well in advance and not when the account is about to expire or has just expired. Most registrars would deactivate a domain name just after it has expired and this in turn would block the transfer requests. To stay away from such issues, you can initiate a transfer at least 14 days in advance.

Make sure that the domain name is also registered with a particular registrar for at least 60 days.  You cannot purchase a domain name and request for transfer of domain hosting services in less than that time.  According to the dictates of ICANN, the gaining registrar would have to contact the admin person and get the explicit approval for the transfer process. The losing registrar has a time frame of five days during which it can respond to the entire proceedings. Otherwise the transfer request would be considered as approved.