Domains Transfer / Change of Registrar

Main ways to change a domain name registrar

Domains may be transferred from one registrar to another depending on operational principles and separate domain zone policies. There are several ways to transfer your domain from one registrar to another:

• Authorization code (auth-code). The most popular way to transfer a domain to another registrar is the so-called authorization code (auth-code), which a domain owner should obtain from his current registrar prior to requesting a transfer and to notify it to his new registrar. An auth-code may consist of 8 to 20 characters difficult to crack for unauthorized users, for example "f4%89[1tGbf".
  Upon obtaining this code, a new registrar makes a request to transfer a domain to its domain zone. Depending on a domain zone and registrars participating in domain transfer, a current domain owner may or may not receive an additional e-mail to an e-mail address specified in WHOIS of a domain that requires you to confirm or to cancel your domain transfer request. Sometimes you may receive e-mails both from your new registrar requesting you to confirm your domain transfer and from your previous registrar requesting you to contact him, if you intend to cancel your domain transfer request.
  Usually, registrars are changed in 5-7 days upon receipt of a domain transfer request or upon a confirmation of registrar change by domain owners (if such request was sent to a current domain owner's e-mail).
  Zones requiring such domain transfer procedure include COM, NET, ORG, BIZ etc.
• Confirmation of registrar change by a domain owner.Usually, new registrars in domain zones, which have not entered their auth-codes, receive an e-mail requesting to confirm or to cancel registrar change to e-mails of domain owners or administrative contact upon a domain transfer request.
  After a domain owner confirms a registrar change, it may take from several minutes to 7 days before a domain is actually transferred to a new registrar. This term depends on separate domain zone policies.
  Zones requiring such transfer procedure include BE, ES etc.
• Domain transfer confirmation by a current registrar. In separate domain zones, domain transfer requests are sent not to domain owners, but to current registrars upon domain transfer requests made by new registrars. In such case, a domain owner should notify a current registrar on his intention to transfer his domain to another registrar to ensure a successful domain transfer.
  After a current registrar confirms a registrar change, it may take from several minutes to 7 days before a domain is actually transferred to a new registrar. This term depends on requirements of a separate domain zone.
  Zones requiring such transfer procedure include GP, UA etc.
• Using a login and a password at a website of domain zone administration. In very rare cases, a registrar may be changed by a domain owner or a registrar in a special account at a domain zone administration website. Sometimes, domain zone administration charges extra fee for this operation. If so, a registrar is changed immediately.
  Zones requiring such domain transfer procedure include UK, BR etc.

There are also several other domain transfer policies. Such policies are established by administrators of separate domain zones upon a written request of a domain owner (sometimes such requests should be notarized), on request of a current registrar etc. In several domain zones, the possibility to change registrars is currently unavailable, therefore, domains may not be transferred in such domain zones.

Some peculiarities of a registrar change.

If you have registered a domain and for some reason wish to transfer your domain to another registrar, remember several basic requirements to follow in most domain zones:

• A transfer of domain to another registrar is possible only 60 days upon any operations on a paying basis performed at such domain (registration, renewal, transferring with renewal etc.). Registration and further transfer of a domain to another registrar is possible not earlier than 60 days after such operation. Such domain spaces include COM, NET, ORG, BIZ etc.
• Domains may be transferred to another registrars only if a domain is renewed for 1 more year. Such domain zones include COM, NET, ORG, BIZ etc.
• In separate domain zones during a registrar change, a domain registration term starts upon a registrar change regardless of any previous domain registration terms. Such domain zones include BE zone.
• Some default registrars may select domain statuses prohibiting a registrar change. If you take a look at the information in WHOIS of your domain, you may see additional fields for such domains named Status: CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED and Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED. To enable registrar change, you need to contact your current registrar with a request to remove such statuses for your domain.

Some mistakes related to domain transfer

Prior to making a domain transfer request, we recommend you to check an e-mail of a domain owner and administrative contact specified in WHOIS. If an inadequate e-mail address is specified, a current registrar should be requested to specify an adequate e-mail address before making any domain transfer requests. All requests are sent to an e-mail address specified in WHOIS. Such requests may not be sent to any other e-mail address, as it violates the rules established by domain zone administrators.

Frequently, users confuse a domain transfer with DNS server change, when a domain is purchased in one location and a hosting is purchased in another location. In fact, you do not need to change your registrar to use a purchased domain in another hosting. All you need to do is to specify an IP of a server where your website will be located in your domain settings or to make a request for DNS server change.