Domain Transfers

Categories: E-mail

In addition to registering new domains, customers may transfer existing registrations to us from other companies. You can view our list of available TLDs for transfer here. (Please note that the list of available TLDs for new registrations differs slightly from the list of available TLDs for transfer.) Domain transfers are usually a fairly painless process, and this article will help to smooth the transition further.

Pre-transfer Checklist

Before you transfer a domain registration to our company, there are a number of details that must be addressed before you begin.

DNS Service

Domain transfers do not change the nameserver delegation for a domain, so the DNS should not be affected during the transfer. However, this also means that the delegation for the domain cannot be changed while the transfer is in progress. If you are changing DNS providers as well as registrars, it is highly recommended to change the nameserver delegation before you start the transfer. If you currently have a DNS and registration "package" from a provider, they may shut down your DNS service the moment you initiate the transfer, making it doubly important to delegate the domain prior to beginning the transfer process.

If you will be using Custom DNS for the domain, you can learn more about nameserver delegation here.

Update WHOIS

When the transfer begins, a confirmation email will be delivered to the Administrative email address on file for the domain in WHOIS. If your domain uses WHOIS privacy services, you must disable the privacy services so your true email address is visible to a WHOIS query. The other contact information is not used during a domain transfer; only the Administrative contact is used.

Likewise, if the address is outdated, or you do not have direct access to the address, you should update it to a new email you can personally reach. You will also need to ensure our support@dyndns.com address is whitelisted in the spam filters for this mailbox to prevent the confirmation from being accidentally deleted.

You can view your domain's current WHOIS information using our DynDNS WHOIS Tool.

Unlock the Domain

Registrars offer a user-enabled domain locking function, which prevents the domain from being transferred until the user specifically unlocks the domain. Your domain's status in WHOIS must show "ok" or "good" before the domain can be transferred. Other values, such as "clientTransferProhibited", indicate that the domain is currently locked, and must be unlocked before a transfer can occur.

If your user-lock is disabled and the domain still shows a lock status in WHOIS, you should contact the current registrar for more information.

New Registrations, Recent Transfers and Expirations

A domain cannot or should not be transferred under the following conditions:

  • The domain has been created within the past 60 days.
  • The domain has been transferred within the past 45 days.
  • The domain expires within 10 days.
  • The domain expired and was renewed within the past 45 days.
  • The domain is currently expired.

If any of these conditions apply to your domain, you will need to wait the specified amount of time (which may vary depending on your domain's TLD) before transferring, or renew the domain before you transfer it.

Get the Authcode

At this time, all of the TLDs we offer for transfer also require the EPP authorization code as part of the transfer confirmation process. This authcode can be obtained from the domain's current registrar.

Transferring Your Domain

To begin transferring your domain, please use the Add Zone Services Wizard here. Enter your domain name (without www) and select "Transfer this domain name to DynDNS' registrar" under the Domain Registration field. The following screens will allow you to specify the new WHOIS contacts for your domain, and allow you to choose Secret Registration if you require WHOIS privacy services.

Once you have chosen your desired options and completed the Checkout process, a confirmation email will be sent to the Administrative email address for the domain currently in WHOIS. (If you do not receive the message or complete the confirmation, the transfer cannot complete!) When you follow the instructions and links in the message, you will be asked to provide a transfer key from the email itself, and the domain's EPP authorization code (obtained from the current registrar).

When you have completed the transfer authorization email, the rest of the transfer process is largely automated, and you will not need to take any further action to complete the transfer. Within the next 7-10 days, the transfer will finalize and the registration will be moved into our systems.

What to Do if the Transfer Fails

If the domain transfer fails, and you have followed the tips and instructions in the pre-transfer checklist, please contact the current registrar for the domain for more information on why the transfer did not complete. Please see our Trouble with Transfers article for a list of common problems and solutions for incomplete transfers.

The most common issue is the confirmation step. If you did not receive the confirmation email, please ensure your WHOIS is up-to-date with a valid email address, that WHOIS privacy is not enabled, and that support@dyndns.com is whitelisted in the spam filters at that mailbox. Failed domain transfers are not billed so you may simply retry the transfer as often as necessary.