Transferring Domain Names
1. What do you mean by transferring a domain name?
2. What is required to do a transfer? Are there any restrictions?
3. How do I know my domain meets the requirements?
4. Are there any transfer fees? What is my cost?
5. What are the steps of transfer process?
6. Does it affect the functioning of my web page?
7. How do I transfer my domain to my hosting company?
8. How do I transfer ownership of my domain?
9. My current admin contact email is wrong. How can I submit a transfer request?
 

Transferring Domain Names

What do you mean by transferring a domain name?
Transferring means changing the registrars. If you have domains that were registered with other registrars such as Network Solutions, you do not have to renew your domain with them. You can transfer the domain to us and renew at our low rates. Transfer needs to be done before the domain name expires. Please see the restrictions below.
Transferring registrars does not mean transfer of ownership or changing hosting company.

What is required to do a transfer? What are the restrictions?
In order to transfer a domain successfully, certain criterias should be met:

- A domain that was registered less than 60 days ago cannot be transferred to us. Just wait 60 days and transfer afterwards.
- Domains that are on HOLD cannot be transferred. Registrars can place a domain on hold, such as domains that are in dispute between two parties. Until the ownership issue is solved and domain is taken out of hold it cannot be transferred.
- If the current registrar has the domain name locked for either non-payment or at the user's request domain cannot be transferred. If you have purchased but not paid for a domain name, existing registrar will not permit it to be transferred.
- Expired domains cannot be transferred. Original registrar has the right to refuse the transfer of an expired and unpaid domain. Just to be on the safe side, we recommend that you should allow at least 14 days prior to expiration date to do the transfer.
- If you don't have access to the current Admin Contact e-mail of the domain, transfer cannot be done. The Admin Contact's approval via e-mail is required. If your domain's Admin Contact e-mail is not valid anymore, first you should update it with your current registrar, and then apply for transfer. Most of our transfer failures occur due to this reason. You can use WHOIS to find out the current admin contact email address in your domain record.

If your transfer request is rejected due to any of the above reasons we will charge you a $10.00 processing fee (to cover our cost). Same fee will apply if transfer gets cancelled by Admin Contact either by rejecting or by not replying in 7 days. You will not pay any processing fee for successful transfers.

How do I know my domain meets the requirements?
Do a WHOIS search for the domain in question. It will show you the date it was registered (created), the date it will expire, whether it is on HOLD or not, and the Admin Contact e-mail.

Are there any transfer fees? What is my cost?
Unless your transfer fails due to one of the above given reasons there are no additional costs. Only amount you will be charged is $15.00 one year registration fee. This registration will add one year to the current expiration date of the domain no matter how early you do the transfer.

What are the steps in transfer process?
1- You submit a transfer request from our transfer page. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to the new Admin Contact e-mail.
2- An e-mail for each domain name will be sent from transfers@opensrs.org to the current Admin Contact e-mail address. Follow the instructions in that e-mail and submit a phone number to indicate your approval.
3- Then the request will be sent to "losing" registrar for their approval. This registrar has to approve or reject normally within 7 days. They usually don't wait that long. Your domain will be renewed for one year and the new expiration date will be one year from the last expiration date. The "losing" registrar may or may not send a confirmation e-mail, indicating whether they approved or rejected the transfer (Network Solutions does send e-mails). If you don't receive an e-mail, using WHOIS you can check the new expiration date of the domain name.

Does it affect the functioning of my web page?
No, transfer process doesn't change your name servers. Functionality of your web page will not be affected.

How do I transfer my domain to my hosting company?
Transferring to a hosting company is not same as transferring from a registrar. All you need to do is changing the name servers of your domain to the name servers of your hosting company. Please refer to How do I change my name servers? section below.

My current admin contact email is wrong. How can I submit a transfer request?
Contact your current registrar and have them correct your admin contact email address. Before submitting the transfer request, using our WHOIS search please make sure the updated email address appears in your domain record. Even after your registrar says it is updated, it can take 48 hours for the new email address to appear in the domain record.