How to transfer a domain registration

If the steps that follow overwhelm you, we are happy to perform this service for you for a one time fee of $75 + any renewal charges incurred.  If you are transferring to our domain and hosting environment we only charge the renewal and applicable hosting fees.  We can usually move a domain and hosting within 12 hours of authorization from you depending on the services and programs running on your current hosting provider.

 STEP 1: Verify the Authoritative Email address for the domain

Successful domain transfers are only possible when you have access to or control of the admin or technical email address which is on the domain record.  Sometimes due to privacy settings on a domain it is not possible to find out what the email address listed is. 

If there are no privacy settings in force you can view the domain record by visiting swhois.net or some other "whois" service.  You may also visit internic.com if you have exceeded the number of free "whois" queries allowed on the "whois" site.

If the you still have access to the email address listed on the domain record then you can safely proceed to the next step.

STEP 2: Determine who the current domain registrar is

Visit http://www.internic.net/whois.html and enter the domain name.  Use Google to search for the companies’ web site address.  In some cases large registrars like enome and opensrs deputize resellers to deal with the public directly.  When you visit their web sites during your research they will usually give you some other tools which you can use to determine who the reseller registrar is.  It is likely that they will insist upon you dealing with the reseller directly for the steps that follow. 

Sometimes the Internic registrar search returns the name of the actual registrar you will be dealing with.  Don’t count on it though.

In the case of .ca domains you can get any this information on the CIRA.CA website.

.COM .NET .ORG Domains

STEP 2: Get the EPP or Authorization Key

YOU DO NOT NEED AN EPP KEY FOR .CA DOMAINS.  IF YOU ARE TRANSFERRING A .CA SKIP TO THE NEXT SECTION

You or the customer must contact the registrar by email or phone and request the EPP key.  Use the following exact wording to avoid disappointment and aggravation:

“Please email the EPP Authorization Key to the email address listed on the domain
name (INSERT DOMAIN NAME HERE). Also please unlock the domain name”

NOTE: If the domain name is not unlock the transfer request will be automatically rejected by the current registrar.

Be sensitive to whatever bizarre authorization processes the current registrar requires.  These range from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Set the EPP code aside.  Start the transfer process with your new registrar.  This process differs from registrar to registrar.  If in doubt, call them and have them do all the heavy lifting.  NEVER DEAL WITH A REGISTRAR WHO HAS NO POSTED PHONE NUMBER. 

.CA

Start the transfer process with your registrar.  CIRA will send the login and password for the domain to the email address on the domain record.  Opensrs will send you the links to the transfer request authorization screen on the CIRA system.  When you get that fill in the login and password you received earlier from CIRA.  The transfer can take a couple of days.  If you do not put in the login and password within 48 hours of the initial transfer request the transfer will fail and will have to be restarted.

Renewal Years

When a domain is transferred to a new registrar an extra year is added to the domain name.