Each inbound domain transfer from another registrar has the following steps:
- Verify that you have an account with sufficient funds available to make the transfer.
- Make sure the domain is eligible for transfer. (I.e. that it has not changed ownership or been registered, renewed, or transferred in the past 60 days.)
- Unlock the domain at the current registrar.
- Obtain the transfer code (also known as "auth info code" or "EPP code" or "transfer secret") from the current registrar.
- Make sure that the current registrar has a valid email address for the domain's administrative contact and that you know what that address is.
- If you will be switching to our DNS service:
- set that up first, then
- update your name server settings at your current registrar to match those shown on the DNS information page for your domain.
- Place the transfer order from the Domains panel.
- The info panel for your domain will show that it has an Action Status of "Transfer waiting for Admin Contact Approval."
- Check the email for the domain's administrative contact for a message with a link to a web page where you can approve the transfer.
- Approve the transfer on that page.
- The "Registration Details" page for your domain will show that it has an Action Status of "Transfer waiting for Losing Registrar Approval."
- Wait up to seven days for the current registrar to release the domain.
- When the transfer is finished, the Action Status and Transfer Status entries will disappear and be replaced by one Status entry that says "Active."
- If the transfer fails, it may linger in our system for a bit, but it will ultimately be refunded and the "Registration Details" page for that domain will be completely removed so you can try the transfer again.
These are the high-level steps. This section of the FAQ contains many other entries that provide detailed information for the various steps.