New Requirements for Domain Name Transfers
To prevent illegal or unethical use of domain names, domain registrars are now required to obtain an authorization code before a domain can be transferred.
In the past, domains could be transferred from one registrar to another simply by responding to an automated email.
Since October 28, 2006, transfers of .com and .net domains require an EPP – a transfer authorization key – in order to migrate from one web host to another. These key codes are generated by the current domain registrar (often your web host). The steps to transfer a domain are:
- 1. The transfer must be announced and verified by the current registrar to the new
registrar.- 2. The domain must have been registered for at least 60 days.
- 3. The domain must maintain an ACTIVE or OK status.
- 4. ICANN’s Transfer policy states that a domain must remain with one registrar for at
least 60 days before becoming eligible for another transfer. The exception to this rule
is in cases of legal disputes involving the domain registration.- 5. Any registrar transfer will now require a transfer authorization key. A transfer authorization key is required for each distinct domain.
- 6. A transfer is not complete until the new registrar receives the transfer authorization key from the previous registrar.