Domain transfer is the change of registrar of a domain. All ICANN-accredited registrars must follow the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, which means that domain name holders must be able to transfer their domain name registrations between registrars.
In order to transfer a domain you should
- Make sure that your domain is eligible for transfer (e.g. the 60 day lock is over, so your domain was registered or transferred to the current registrar more than 60 days ago).
- Before starting the transfer you should check:
– the Whois contact. Privacy should be removed. In the Whois administrative contact the email address should be correct and you should have access to the specified email address.
– If the domain status is locked, it should be unlocked. - Obtain an EPP code from the current (losing) registrar. Usually an interface is provided for that. The EPP code is sometimes sent by email to the administrative contact.
- Start the transfer by logging in to your new (gaining) registrar. Enter your domain name and EPP code to start the transfer. In addition, some registrars, like GoDaddy, require further codes for verification. GoDaddy asks for a transaction ID and security code which is emailed to the administrative contact.
- An approval email is sent to the administrative contact.
- The transfer process usually takes 3-7 days.
- The transfer itself is usually free of charge, but you do have to pay 1-year renewal fee (and of course your domain is renewed then by one year)
The DNS records and nameserver do not change during the transfer. Therefore, you should make sure to set the nameservers to the new registrar’s nameservers once the transfer is completed, otherwise your webpage might go down.
