ICANN domain transfer policies have changed as of December 2016. Updates to whois information are considered a change of ownership and may warrant a 60-day transfer lock.
Please be aware that if you do not complete the steps for transferring your domain away from OpenSRS then the domain will remain under the management of InMotion Hosting.
Completing a domain transfer away from InMotion Hosting requires that the domain is unlocked and meets all of the conditions required for transfer. InMotion Hosting is a reseller of domain registrations using a domain registrar named OpenSRS. We will walk you through the steps of transferring a domain away from our registrar below.
In this guide:
Don’t have time to read our full article? Watch our walk-through video.
Requirements for Transferring a Domain to another Domain Registrar
A domain transfer will only process when all of the requirements have been met. A common need that is often forgotten is the access to the administrator email address. Insure that you can see the emails sent to this email address before transferring a domain. Here is the list of requirements for transferring a domain away from our domain registration:
- A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of initial registration
- A domain cannot be transferred within 14 days of its expiration date
- Domain privacy must be removed before the transfer can be processed
- You must have access to the administrator address listed with the domain’s WHOIS information
See the official documentation from ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) for more details.
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Steps for a Domain Transfer away from InMotion Hosting
After you confirm that you meet the above requirements, please go through the following steps for your domain transfer:
- Contact our live Customer Service team to unlock your domain for a domain transfer to another domain registrar.
- Customer Service verifies the customer credentials and also checks to make sure that the domain meets all the necessary requirements for release.
- Once the verifications are complete an authorization code is emailed. The code will be needed by the new domain registrar in order to complete the transfer of the domain.
Please note that any DNS changes that had not been completed will not be saved if the transfer occurs before propagation completes. Changes to DNS include A records, CNAME, or other TXT changes (basically any record change within the DNS). Typically, changes in DNS require up to 24 hours for propagation to complete
The new registrar will then use the code to transfer the domain to their service. Please note that domain transfers may take 7-10 business days to complete. This completes the process of transferring a domain away from InMotion Hosting.
Disputes with a Domain Transfer
If your domain was transferred accidentally or by someone who was not supposed to have access to your domain, then you may need to issue a dispute with ICANN through your domain registrar. You should speak with your registrar if you are unable to get the transfer reversed through conversation with the new domain registrar. The registrar is the entity that must file the complaint with ICANN.
Generally, disputes only occur when a domain is transferred without the owner’s permission. It is therefore very important that you discuss a domain transfer if you are working with more than one person in the management of your website.
For more details on the policy, please make sure to thoroughly read the ICANN document on Registrar Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy. One of the most important things to know is that you should file a dispute within 6 months of the transfer.
For more tips and tricks on domain management, see our knowledge base for Domain Names.