How to Transfer The Ownership of a Domain Name

The term owner (registrant) is the individual/company who already owns the domain name and wants to sell it and the term buyer is the individual/company who want to purchase (register) the domain name. The person who you want to transfer the domain name to is the buyer.

BEFORE BOTH PARTIES GO THROUGH THE OWNERSHIP TRANSFER PROCEDURE THE BUYER AND SELLER MUST HAVE AGREED ON THE PRICE OF DOMAIN NAME AND THE BUYER MUST HAVE PAID OFF THE AGREED PRICE TO THE SELLER IN FULL. USUALLY EVERY METHOD OF PAYMENT LEAVES A RECEIPT (PROOF OF PAYMENT) BEHIND WHICH IS SOLID ENOUGH AS A PROOF OF PURCHASE, THE BUYER JUST HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE PAYMENT IS ISSUED TO THE NAME OF THE DOMAIN NAME OWNER, THE COMPLETE CONTACT INFORMATION OF THE OWNER (ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT) CAN BE FOUND THROUGH WHOIS (www.whois.com) WEBSITE SEARCH. THE COMPLETION OF PAYMENT PROCEDURE MOSTLY DEPENDS ON HOW BOTH PARTIES MAKE THE AGREEMENT. Please note some of the other domain seller go through the written contract/agreement that must be signed by both parties, this is usually for very high value domain names or done by corporations. At DomainDale.com because of our low pricing range we do the agreement by e-mail (under certain secure condition that will be explained while negotiating with the buyer) , except the buyer insists on the time consuming written agreement.

Step1

Usually domains are paid for one or more years in advance (term period). Since owner (seller) is selling the domain to someone else, then the buyer will take over the domain in the middle of the term period. Any remaining time on the domain will not be charged to the buyer. When the domain name comes up for renewal, the buyer must purchase another 1-year term prior to the expiration date.

Step2

If owner's domain name is registered with coolcom (owner's service provider or registrar), for example, then the buyer will need to setup an account with coolcom. It is best to transfer a domain name between account holders within the same registrar (coolcom in this example). Afterward, the buyer can transfer it to another registrar of his/her choice later, if desired.

Step3

Owner (seller) must first disable domain lock or domain protection (not required for .ca extension) or else the domain cannot be transferred. Owner (seller) must also disable domain privacy or else you will not receive the email with the authorization link. Finally, owner MUST make sure his/her email address on file is accurate and current or else the owner will not receive the email with the authorization link.

Step4

a) To transfer the domain name to a buyer, the buyer must initiate the Transfer Request through the account that is already opened by his/her request to the same service provider (registrar) as the owner's (seller's) registrar.

b) The transfer request MUST be initiated by the buyer not the current owner (assuming payment process is complete).

c) Here are the buyer instructions: Login to your account. Click on the "Transfer A Domain" link (each registrar has different format and web page design, it might be needed to ask the registrar for the instructions). Enter the domain name that you wish to acquire. It will let you know that it is available to transfer. Select the option that says you are the person requesting the domain to be transferred to your account and submit the order. There is usually no charge to transfer between accounts.

Step5

The registrar (same for both parties, now) will send an e-mail notification to the current owner (seller). It will ask for owner (seller) approval or authorization to transfer the domain name to the buyer. Owner have usually 14 days to respond otherwise the request will expire and the owner (seller) will retain the ownership of the domain name.

Step6

Once the transfer is approved (by seller), the domain name will change ownership. The domain name will be removed from seller's account and will be added to the buyer's account. Then the seller is no longer the domain owner. From that moment on, the buyer is the official account holder and owns the full rights to the domain name.

Step7

Congratulations! to both parties. Back To Home Page.

.CA Domain Name Transfer Procedure:

To transfer your domain name to another Registrant (the person/organization who the domain name is going to registered to), contact your Registrar and request a Registrant Transfer. Note that the future Registrant (the new buyer or owner) must have a Registrant Profile with CIRA—available through any CIRA Certified Registrar.

Your Registrar (hosting provider) will submit the transfer request to the CIRA systems which will automatically send an email to your Administrative Contact (usually is you) asking you to login to your user account on the CIRA website and approve the transfer request. You will need your user account number and password (sent you to the administrative e-mail). Once you approve the transfer, an email will automatically be sent to the future Registrant’s Administrative Contact asking them to login to their user account on the CIRA website and approve the transfer request. Once the transfer is approved by both Registrants and acknowledged by the Registrar, the domain name will be transferred to the future Registrant Back To Home Page.


1997 Questek Data Inc.			Mar 2009