Transferring a domain is a relatively simple process, though there are a few steps involved.
First thing to note, due to ICANN regulations, a domain is unable to be transferred within 60 days of it being registered or renewed. If a domain is within this 60 day window, then the transfer will simply fail from the get-go.
You will also want to make sure that you note when your Domain Expiration date is if you are attempting to transfer a domain near the time it is set to expire. Domain transfers, while usually fairly quick, can take five days or more to complete in certain circumstances. So, you will want to give yourself plenty of time to allow the transfer to go through to ensure the transfer isn't cancelled due to the domain expiring.
Now, in order to make sure that the transfer goes as smoothly as possible, please follow these five steps:
- Ensure that the domain is currently Unlocked. Domain locking prevents transfers from one registrar to another so, natually, this is will need to be disabled.
- Make sure that any Whois Domain protection has been turned off. This is required to ensure that you receive delivery of the Domain Transfer Authorization Email from our registrar. With Whois protection, the email will be sent to a 'black hole' mailbox, and the transfer will fail before it begins.
- Set the Administrative Contact Email is set to an address that you can currently access. The Administrative Contact Email is where the Authorization Email is sent. If it is an out of date, or inaccessible email address, then you will not be able to approve the transfer.
- Obtain the Authorization (EPP) code from your current registrar. This is the secret passkey that we send to the current registrar to show them that the owner of the domain has requested a transfer to our services. It is a completely random sequence of letters, numbers, and symbols. Please make sure to provide us with the entire code.
- Initiate the transfer here. While going through the checkout process you will be asked for the EPP Code, whether you want to enable ID Protection for your domain after the transfer is complete, and to specify your nameservers. You can leave these as is, or set them to point to your hosting account with NixiHost (your nameserver details will be in the Welcome Email that was initially emailed to you).
Once the Checkout process is complete, and all of the above steps have been completed, an Authorization Email will be sent to the Administrative Contact Email Address to verify the transfer. As soon as you approve the transfer, the losing registrar will get notification of your intention to transfer the domain away. At that point they can choose to either accept the transfer, in which case it will go through immediately, or they can simply wait, in which case the domain will be automatically transferred after a five day wait period.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact our sales staff at Sales@NixiHost.com.
