Tag Archives: transfering your domain to new registrar

how to transfer your domain to new registrar

Throughout the course of your web site for various reasons you may want to change your domain registrar.

Transferring your domain or a domain transfer is, in effect, to transfer domain name from the management under one registrar to another registrar. As a registrar is only responsible for the management of your domain records, this transfer should in no way affect your website, relevant email or DNS.

First and foremost you will need to have the domain already under your ownership.  Secondly you will need to know what registrar you want to transfer that domain to.

The process if fairly a simple procedure – but you need to understand the workings of the domain registars so that things do not get more complicated. In order to put your domain name transfer into effect, you need to apply for a transfer to the registrar that you intend to move your domain over to. Most registrars will have a form or an option on their website that you can select to ‘transfer domain’. Once you select this option, the registrar (that you are transferring your domain to) will have to contact – usually via email – the administrator of your domain.

The contact details of this administrator should have been supplied by you when you registered your domain name and updated accordingly, if that contact has since been changed. Upon receiving the email notification, the administrator of your domain has to agree to accept the transfer. This step generally helps to validate the authenticity of the request for a transfer of domain name. If the administrator does not accept the transfer within a given period of time (within 5 days) then the registrar will assume that the transfer has been rejected. For this reason, it is important to ensure that all the contact information in your domain records is updated and valid.

If the email has been accepted, on the other hand, then your transfer is effectively in progress. Bear in mind that in order for the transfer of a domain name to be successful, that domain must be active. If, the domain is locked, inactive or in the process of being deleted or redeemed, then this does not meet the criteria for a transfer.

A domain must also have been registered for more than 60 days before you are allowed to transfer registrars. If, however, your domain happens to be involved in a legal dispute or if you are facing bankruptcy then the transfer of a domain name will not take effect.

If successful, the transfer of your domain name generally takes at least ten working days to complete – this can be shorter or longer depending on the registrar you choose. The cost of transfer will also vary depending on the registrar. Some registrars may be more willing than others to work out a package deal for you. For example, they might offer to provide you with free domain transfer service if you agree to register your domain with them for a period of more than a year. Again, the deal you score will depend on the registrar and on the amount of time you put into finding a package that is most suited to your needs.