This guide fully prepares you for domain transfer to our registrar in a step-by-step manner for before, during, and after the domain name registration transfer is purchased. A domain name transfer is not a transfer of ownership.
BEFORE THE TRANSFER
Note: The following steps must be completed before any domain name can transfer from one registrar to another registrar.
- Check that the domain name is at least 60 days old by performing a WHOIS search.
- Check that the domain name has a status of "OK" or "Active" as opposed to "registrar-lock" or "transfer prohibited" by performing a WHOIS search.
- Check that the administrative contact email address listed in the WHOIS record is an email address you have access to by performing a WHOIS search.
- Contact your registrar to obtain the EPP authorization code for your domain and to correct steps 2 and 3 if necessary.
- At this point, we are ready to start the transfer process.
Note: If your domain name is not yet 60 days old you may still host with us. You need only to order hosting, publish your website, setup any email accounts, and then change the nameservers to point to us. If you have already ordered both domain name transfer and hosting, and the domain name is not yet 60 days old you will need to contact us to put the transfer process on hold to proceeed with hosting.
DURING THE TRANSFER
The Domain Registration Transfer Process:
- Administrative contact confirms the transfer.
Within 1 hour of purchase our registrar will send an email to the administrative contact email address listed in the WHOIS record. Follow the directions in the e-mail or fax the printed e-mail along with a copy of the administrative contact's photo-id, signature, and EPP authorization code. - Our registrar then initiates the transfer request with the appropriate registry.
- That registry will begin a 5 calendar day period after notifying the current registrar of the transfer request.
- After the 5 calendar days the registry will notify our registrar of it's new registrar status.
This process normally takes 5-7 days, but if the steps listed in the BEFORE section above are not completed the process may take longer. If corrective action was taken after placing your transfer order, you will need to contact us to restart the transfer process. There is no additional charge for restarting this process.
AFTER THE TRANSFER
After the Domain Registration Transfer is Successful:
- Setup email accounts and publish your website if applicable.
- We will update your nameservers if required to point to the new name servers.
There should be no downtime since we do not automatically change the nameservers after the domain is transferred to us. Emails, however, might fluctuate during the move and might either be received at the new servers (our servers) or at the old servers (your previous hosting company). You must keep checking your emails on both servers for 48 hours after the DNS change is made.
