How to Transfer Domains: Complete Guide by Nexcess

Overview

There are a few of reasons why you might consider transferring your domain to another Domain Registrar. It could be due to the convenience of using the same company for all your web services. Or it could be because you are unhappy with the current Domain Registrar’s service. Perhaps your current Domain Registrar suddenly raised their fees, changed their terms, or you simply found a better deal.

Regardless of the reason, we will provide you with an overview of the steps needed to transfer your domain.

How to Transfer a Domain to Nexcess

1. Open A Support Ticket

Please open a New ticket with our Support Team to request a Domain Transfer. We need the following information so we can begin the transfer progress:

Domain Name(s)
First Name
Last Name
Organization Name
Street Address
City
State/Province
Country
Postal Code
Phone Number (with the # in the +[Country Code].[Phone Number] format as per the +1.866.639.2377 example)
Email Address

2. Review Domain Transfer Prerequisites

Unlock Domain

By default, generic TLD domains like .com, .org, .net, etc., are locked at the Domain Registrar account to protect the domain from accidental changes or transfers. To unlock the domain, you must log in to the current Domain Registrar account. This process may differ depending on the Domain Registrar, so you may need to contact the Domain Registrar’s support team for assistance. Please ensure you unlock your domain for each domain you want to transfer.

You can find your domain provider’s transfer policy by searching their help center for transfer domain:

Get the Domain Transfer Authorization Code

To transfer your domain, you must have a Transfer Authorization Code (also known as the Extensible Provisioning Protocol Code, EPP Code, Auth-Code, Auth Info Code, or Domain Auth Code) for each domain you wish to transfer. This can be obtained from the current Domain Registrar account, or you can contact the Domain Registrar.

The Transfer Authorization Code protects your domain from being transferred by an unauthorized person. Please ensure you get the authorization code for each domain you want to transfer.

The OpenSRS Login: Nexcess Registered OpenSRS Domains article documents the nuances of Auth-Codes and related topics in more detail.

Disable Domain Privacy or WHOIS Privacy

A WHOIS Privacy protection service protects your contact information for a domain. This service replaces the public information provided by the domain registrant with an anonymous proxy identity. By disabling WHOIS Privacy, all of your domain’s contact information will be visible to the public.

Confirm Domain Registrant Admin Email Address is Active

Verify that you have access to the admin email address associated with the domain to complete the authorization code entry and domain transfer verification.

60-Day Registration Policy

Confirm that more than 60 days have passed since you registered, renewed, or transferred your domain. ICANN prohibits changes of registrants for 60 days, so you must be with your current Domain Registrar for at least 60 days to qualify for transfer.

14-Day Expiration Policy

Confirm that you have enough days left to perform the domain transfer. It is recommended that you have at least 14 days or more before beginning the domain transfer process. This is a safety precaution because the transfer process can take around as long to complete, and an expired domain cannot be transferred.

3. Verify the Transfer

The next step is for you to confirm the transfer. Once the Domain Transfer is in progress, you will receive an authorization email that will be sent to the contact email address. Keep your Transfer Authorization Code handy, as you need it to confirm the transfer. This email will be sent from noreply@opensrs.com.

You may receive an email from your previous/old Domain Registrar as well confirming the Domain Transfer away process. Follow the steps outlined in their email. The Domain Registrar will take a number of business days to complete the transfer based on several variables. There is nothing Nexcess can do to speed up this Step 3 as the current Domain Registrar controls it.

Domain Transfer Precautions: Nameservers, DNS, & DNS Zone

By default, Nexcess leaves the nameservers untouched when performing a Domain Transfer. This means that you will need to ensure that the nameservers are still accessible after the transfer. For instance, if you are transferring from GoDaddy and have been using their nameservers, your previous records will likely be deleted upon canceling the service, and your domain will stop working.

If you are unsure that your DNS will be accessible, we highly suggest creating a DNS Zone with Nexcess and adding all of the records you have at your current Domain Registrar by following these instructions provided in the following article:

How to create and edit DNS zones in the Client Portal.

When the zone is created, you want to update your current nameserver configuration to Nexcess nameservers. Please use the nameservers provided below:

ns1.nexcess.net
ns2.nexcess.net
ns3.nexcess.net
ns4.nexcess.net

Completing this step before transferring the domain over will ensure no downtime during the Domain Transfer process.

The Process for Transferring Domain from Nexcess

The process of moving your domain away from Nexcess is pretty simple. You need to make the corresponding domain transfer-in request with the Gaining Registrar. And you will need to log into your OpenSRS Control Panel, unlock the domain, and get the Transfer Authorization Code/EPP Code/Auth-Code/Domain Auth Code.

With your Auth-Code available, follow these steps to transfer a domain away from Nexcess:

Support for Transferring Domain from Nexcess

You can also contact us by chat or by opening a ticket, and our Support Team can disable the domain lock and/or send you the EPP Code/Domain Auth Code. You will have to follow your new Domain Registrar’s instructions for using that code to request the domain transfer.

Frequently asked questions

The purpose of domain registration services is to allow you to reserve a name on the Internet for a set period of time, usually one year. Registering a domain name is necessary when creating a website, an email address, or other web services. Still, it is important to note that domain registration is considered a separate service from web hosting — you do not need to register your domain with Nexcess or transfer it to us to use our hosting services.

The Domain Registrar holds the domain name for you and allows you to choose where you want the website and email to be hosted. However, it is vital to realize that a domain name belongs to you for only as long as you renew it and there is no permanent registration option.

Domain Transfer is the transferring a domain name from the current Domain Registrar, referred to as the Losing Registrar — where it is currently administered — to another Domain Registrar, referred to as the Gaining Registrar.

A Domain Registrant is considered the “owner” of the domain. Tucows/OpenSRS is a Domain Registrar. A Domain Registrar works with a Domain Registrant, or the owner of a domain, and a Domain Name Registry.

Nexcess is a Domain Provider (Domain Reseller) working with Tucows as the Domain Registrar:

“Also referred to as the Domain Provider, a Domain Reseller is a company which sells domain name registrations to the public. Your Domain Provider, or Domain Reseller, is the last company you paid money to for your domain name registration. Your most recent payment may have been for the renewal, transfer, or initial purchase of your domain.”

Tucows is one of the five largest domain registrars in the world. A Domain Registrar is a company that manages the reservation of Internet domain names.

Suppose you have registered your domain with GoDaddy. And now, you are transferring your domain from GoDaddy to Nexcess. In this case, GoDaddy is the Losing Registrar. And Nexcess is the Gaining Registrar, although technically Nexcess is the Gaining Domain Provider (Domain Reseller), with Tucows serving as the Gaining Registrar, behind the scenes.

The time depends on the cooperation of the prior registrar and ensuring the domain is unlocked by the domain owner with the correct Transfer Authorization Code provided. Timeframes for each transfer will vary based on several variables.

The full name when spelled out is Open Shared Registration System (abbreviated as OpenSRS), and you use your OpenSRS Login to sign on to the platform. With the OpenSRS Control Panel, you can easily manage your domains registered with Nexcess. You can configure the nameserver records, get the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)/Transfer Authorization Code, lock or unlock the domain, update the WHOIS information, and much more. In addition, you can log into the OpenSRS Control Panel l by using the username and password in the Welcome Email when you registered the domain.