Transferring a domain to somebody else
Two different moves are both called a transfer. Confusing them, or doing them in the wrong order, can lock a name for weeks.
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Two moves that get the same name
Changing who holds a domain and changing which company administers it are separate operations. A name can change hands without leaving its registrar, and it can move to a new registrar while the holder stays the same. Committees usually want both: the name should belong to the association rather than a former secretary, and it should sit at a provider the association can deal with directly. Doing them one at a time, in a deliberate order, is far less painful than attempting both at once.
Changing the registrant of record
This is the change that matters legally, since it alters the party the registrar recognises. It is initiated by the current registrant, from the account holding the name, and it involves entering the new holder's details. Most registrars then send a confirmation to both the outgoing and the incoming contact, and both have to agree within a set window. If either message goes to an unread mailbox, the change fails quietly and has to be started again, which is why confirming that both addresses are being watched is the first step rather than an afterthought.
Two consequences follow a change of registrant. Many registrars apply a lock afterwards, typically preventing a move to another registrar for a period measured in weeks. And where the outgoing holder is a person and the incoming one an organisation, the record may need supporting documentation before it will be accepted, particularly under an extension with eligibility rules.
Moving between registrars
The move to another company follows a well established sequence. The name is unlocked at the current registrar, an authorisation code is issued to the registrant contact, and that code is presented at the new registrar along with a request to take over the registration. The current registrar then either approves or lets the request run to its automatic conclusion, and the registry moves the entry. Most transfers complete within a few days.
Three things stop a transfer more often than anything else. The name is still locked. The authorisation code has expired or was mistyped, since these codes are long and case sensitive. Or the confirmation email went to a contact address that nobody reads, which is the same failure that breaks a change of registrant and the same reason the registrant contact deserves care.
The waiting periods
Restrictions exist to make stolen names hard to move quickly, and they apply to honest parties as well.
| Situation | Usual effect |
|---|---|
| Name registered very recently | Cannot be transferred to another registrar for an initial period |
| Registrant details recently changed | A lock may be applied for a set number of days |
| Transfer completed recently | A further period before it can be transferred again |
| Expiry date very close | Transfers may be refused until the name is renewed |
None of these are negotiable, and none of them are visible until a transfer is attempted, so a group working to a deadline should start early. A club that decides in October to have everything in order before the annual meeting has time. A club that decides three days before does not.
The order that works
The sequence that causes the least disruption runs like this. First, confirm that both the outgoing and incoming contact mailboxes are read daily, and write down the current nameservers and every DNS record before touching anything. Second, change the registrant to the organisation while the outgoing holder is still willing and available. Third, wait out any lock. Fourth, move the name to the chosen registrar. Fifth, check that the records survived the move intact and that the site and the email still behave.
Leaving the change of holder until after a registrar move is the common mistake. It puts the name in a new account still legally held by a departing volunteer, and if that person becomes unreachable during the wait, the group is worse off than before.
What actually breaks
A registrar transfer does not move a website and does not move email. It moves the registration. In most cases the nameservers are carried across unchanged and nothing visible happens at all. The exception is where the losing registrar was also providing the DNS service, in which case that service can stop when the name leaves, and the records vanish with it. Copying the records beforehand turns that into a ten minute repair, and the reasoning is in DNS in plain English and keeping email working.