Knowledgebase

Before you intiate a domain transfer, PERFORM THESE IMPORTANT STEPS with your current registrar:

1. Make sure your domain has been registered to you for AT LEAST 60 days. Make sure you have not completed any registrar transfers on your domain within the past 60 days - ICANN only allows transfer activity ONCE every 60 days.

2. Make sure that you start your domain transfer AT LEAST 30 days before the domain expiration at your current registrar. Different registrars have different policies here, but essentially it's to simply billing - Most registrars will bill for renewal 15 to 45 days before the expiration date listed on whois so check with your registrar but 30 days is generally a good rule.

3. Make sure that your domain is UNLOCKED at your current registrar.

4. Make sure that any anonymous registration services (sometimes called ID protect or Domains by Proxy) is disabled. To complete a transfer, the admin contact must be able to receive an ICANN required email and respond to it giving his blessing for the transfer to take place.

5. Request the Domain Transfer Code (sometimes called "transfer key" or "EPP code" or "domain secret" depending on your registrar. Again, make sure that your admin contact is a valid, current email address you check because this code is usually emailed to the admin contact.

If you follow these steps, starting a transfer is a pretty simple and painless process. If *any* one of these 5 issues isn't addressed BEFORE you initiate a transfer, your transfer will most likely not go through.