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Transfer Domain

Domain Transfers should be quite a straight forward process, however there can be quite a few obstacles that get in the way of a painless experience. Firstly we need to identify what TLD (or Top Level Domain) is being transferred? In other words what type of domain do you have? E.g. a .com, a .net, a .com.au, or any other domain. This will determine what tools you have at hand to assist you with the process. The Australian Domain system is very transparent and very simple to deal with, whereas the .com and other domain systems have a few additional things to look out for. Once you know which system you are dealing with, i.e. Australian or other, you can then start gathering the necessary information. This sounds complex, but I assure you, if you follow these steps, it is actually quite simple. Simply put, you need:

  1. First and foremost, the authority to move the domain name in question. If you don’t own it, you can’t move it!
  2. A Transfer Key, Domain Password, AuthCode or EPP Key. These are just different terms for the same thing. This is a password for your domain that only the authorised person will have. Simply put, if you don’t have the password, you can’t move the domain. Please Note: This is not the password you use to login to “manage” your domain, it is a separate password that only has one purpose – to stop other people stealing or moving your domain. Also, you usually won’t set this password, it will be automatically created for your domain by the Registrar.
  3. You need to make sure your domain name is UnLocked. This is a tricky one. Most domain providers of .com (and similar) addresses recommend you Lock your domain to protect it, or they may lock it by default. However, we’ve always thought of this as a bit sneaky and a bad business practise to suggest this. The domain providers try and get you to lock your domain because it makes it harder to move away from them. Mostly it is fairly innocent and easy to unlock, however some providers can make it a nightmare to gain back control of your domain. * Please Note: .au domain names don’t have a Lock function. So no need to worry about it if you have a .au domain.
  4. Access to the email address listed as the contact for the domain. This is why it is important you have the authority to move it. Also this is why it is important to keep these details up to date.
  5. After the transfer application has been completed, you need to accept the transfer by clicking on a link in an email (to the email address listed as the domain contact). You also have an option of faxing this acceptance if there is a problem with the email address.

That’s it!

After accepting the transfer it can take up to 48 hours for the .au domain to complete the transfer and it can take up to 5 days for a GTLD domain (e.g. a .com or other) to complete the transfer. There are a few things to help you gather the above information:

For .au Domains:

If you don’t have the Domain Password, for .au domains you can go to ausregistry dot com dot au. There is a “Tools” link that will allow you to “Recover Password”. As simple as that! The only catch is that your domain has an accessible email. The ausregistry site will actually tell you the email address that is currently listed before sending out the password. If the email address listed as the domain contact address isn’t accessible because it is an old address, you have 2 options:

  1. You can update your email address at your current Registrar (they should have a domain management section where you can login and edit your details), or
  2. If that is not possible, you can fax the confirmation. Don’t worry, we’ve made it easy for you, just let us know and we will send you the info required to fax the confirmation. This confirmation is necessary to make sure it is you that requires the transfer to happen and not someone trying to get their hands on your domain.

Other Domains:

If you can’t unlock your domain or if you don’t have the Domain Password, you will need to speak to your current registrar and request these changes, and also request the password details. This should be possible for them to do immediately. They can unlock the domain while you are on the phone with them and email off your password to you right away. If they don’t want to co-operate, it’s in your best interests to persist. It is still the easiest method to resolve this. However, even after persisting, if you still aren’t winning, then you may need to take it further by following the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy with ICANN dot org (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), they are the international domain authority who handle disputes. Please note, this will not be a quick solution, so view this as a last resort! A special mention must go out to Expired Domains. It’s always best to transfer a domain while it is still active. Expired domains can cause problems. If your domain name has already expired it may be easier and safer to renew the domain for one more year with the current registrar and then do the transfer.

Ready to do that transfer:

If you have your password/transfer key, then great. Go for it! You can transfer your domain on our site quite easily. Simply type it into the Domain Search above, or alternately you can include the transfer as part of a Web Hosting Package. It’s up to you. Once you’ve completed the order, you will receive an email that asks you to accept the transfer, click on the link to accept it…and that is it! Don’t worry, nothing will change during this time, your site and email will still be available. However, before you change the Name Servers or DNS (Domain Name System) Servers to ours, please ensure:

  1. Your website is uploaded to the new location
  2. All of your existing email accounts are setup in the new location