How Does the Domain Name Transfer Process Work?

Posted on August 17th, 2009
A blog post by DN (1 Comment)

In a perfect world, you choose a domain name and build a credible web presence all while encountering no troubles along the way.  In the real world however, you may hit a few roadblocks and actually find that you are no longer satisfied with the level of service provided by your current registrar.  When this is the case, it usually indicates that you need to transfer your domain name to new registrar.  This can be a complicated task or an easy process when you know what to expect.

Initiating the Process

Transferring a domain simply means that you want to switch registrars and not change anything about the actual name.  In order to get started, the transfer process must first be initiated.  Although you will certainly play a role in the process, the transfer can only be initiated by registrar you are transferring the domain to.  After purchasing an account, the registrar will usually walk you through the transfer process or provide comprehensive tools that allow you to easily get things rolling yourself

The Role of WHOIS and The TLD Registry

What you don’t see behind the scenes is interaction between your new registrar and the administrator of the WHOIS database responsible for maintaining the domain name.  From there, the administrative contact must accept the transfer in order to further the process.  Once the transfer has been approved, the new registrar notifies the TLD registry for further approval.  It is important to note that only active domain names can be transferred.  If the name is inactive, locked, pending deletion or in the redemption stage, the transfer process will conclude here once the registry determines that it is not eligible.  If your domain name is eligible and has been active more than 60 days, the registry notifies the new register and the transfer process continues.  At this point, the registry informs your old register that a request has been made to transfer the domain.

Action by the Losing Registrar

In the typical transfer, the old or losing domain name registrar has about five days to respond to the TLD registry.  If no response is given in that time frame, the registry automatically approves the transfer by default.  This standard policy makes domain name theft a very scary reality, a major reason why it is strongly recommended to choose a registrar that offers security features such as domain locking to protect your online identity.  If the transfer is actively approved, the old registrar must do so by notifying the TLD registry.  The registry then notifies the new registrar and transfers the domain to their account, thus completing the procedure.

Conclusion

That is basically the domain name process in a nutshell.  It is all a simple process for the most part, but the support team of your new registrar should be more than happy to lend a hand.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case, so it is best to know what to expect for yourself, just in case you have to get more involved in the process.