A Domain Transfer is to transfer a domain from being managed by one registrar to a new registrar. The registrar is only responsible for the management of your domain records and this transfer will not affect your website, email addresses at the website or the DNS.
To process a transfer of a domain it is necessary to already have possession of the domain and also a registrar that you are going to transfer the domain to. The process of the domain transfer is very straight forward but it is useful to understand the steps in the process so you don’t over complicate it or find that it can’t be done.
To put the domain that you want to transfer in the transfer process you need to apply for a transfer to the registrar that that you want to transfer it to via you registrar. Normally the registrar that you are using will require you to either complete a form or alternatively there will be an option on their website where you select ‘transfer domain’. When you have selected the ‘transfer domain’ option with the registrar that you want to move the domain to, the registrar will probably contact you, probably by email, and send you a contract by email – they are known as the ‘administrator’ of the domain at this point.
The administrators contact details are usually supplied to you when you register a domain and they are accordingly updated if the contact details have changed. Once the ‘administrator’ of the domain receives the notification email they have to agree to accept the transfer. This part of the process is a validation step to verify that the request for transfer is authentic. If within 5 days the ‘administrator’ doesn’t accept the transfer then the registrar will make an assumption that the transfer for some reason has been rejected. This is why it’s essential to make sure that all of the registered contact details in the records of a domain are up-to-date.
Assuming that the email is accepted then the transfer process is progressing. Another thing to consider is that a domain must be active for the transfer process to be successful. If this is not the case and the domain is inactive, locked or is in the process of being redeemed or deleted then the required criteria of a transfer will not be met. Another reason why a transfer might not be able to be done is if has not been registered for more than 60 days prior to the application to transfer the registrars. Also if the domain is in a legal dispute or the retained by an owner who is in the process of bankruptcy this will prevent the transfer from taking place as well.
As long as all of the criteria has been met and the process is followed then the transfer of a domain should not take more than about 10 days – the exact time will vary depending on how quickly the registrars and everyone involved in the process take. There is normally a cost associated with the process and the cost varies from registrar to registrar. Different registrars will have different incentives to entice you to transfer to them. They could offer a free domain transfer service if you agree to register the domain with them for a period of 12 months or more. By shopping around and checking the deals that different registrars offer you should be able to find one that will do the transfer free of charge as long as you agree to use them for a period of time.
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