Global (gTLD) Domain Transfer Guide
Preparation is the key to a successful gTLD domain transfer
Step 1: Prepare for gTLD Domain Transfer
Check the admin email address
Ensure that you have access to the email address listed as the Admin contact for your domain on a Whois lookup. An email “ticket” requesting permission to transfer the domain will need to be accepted from this email address.
If your current host is listed as the Admin contact, they will need to accept the transfer request on your behalf.
If the email address is outdated or wrong, your current registrar can update it for you, but a waiting period applies and you’ll have to wait until this period is completed before you can submit the transfer ticket.
For most international TLDs you will need to instruct your current registrar to ‘unlock’ your domain for transfer. This needs to happen before you initiate the transfer process.
An Authorisation Code will be required to action the transfer of international TLDs (all domains except .co.za, .de, .eu). This will be generated when the domain is unlocked.
Note: A 60-day waiting period applies to new registrations or transfers – if your domain has been registered or transferred within the last 60 days, you will not be able to submit a transfer.
Release your domain name
Notify your current host that the domain will be transferred away. In order to transfer to CWD, you first need to cancel your hosting service with your current provider. To assist you in this process, refer to our guide on the procedures required by the most common hosting companies.
Ensure that you have a copy of your website content to upload to CWD’s servers.
Step 2: Transfer
Set up your hosting on CWD web server
Upload your website and set up an e-mail
To avoid any downtime to your website or email, it is best to upload your website and set up your email on our servers before the domain is transferred:
As a transfer can take up to 14 days, we recommend that you update your Domain Name Server (DNS) at your current host to point to CWD’s hosting server before you request a transfer.
Submit the transfer ticket
Submit your transfer request
Domains are updated or transferred via a voting process, with a voting ticket sent to the email address listed as the Admin Contact of the domain. This is the only email address authorised to accept the transfer.
If this address is incorrect, contact your current registrar to change it (a change period applies).
A ticket will now be submitted to the registrar to start the voting process with the current registrant
Accept the voting ticket
If you are the Admin Contact of the domain:
Check your email and accept the update request (voting ticket) that you will receive from the registrar, OpenSRS. The voting ticket is valid for 5 days, whereafter a further 7-day waiting period applies for domain updates.
You will receive an email confirmation that the domain was updated.
You’re done! It will take about 24 hours for propagation to complete so that the change is visible across the Internet.
If you are not the domain registrant:
The current registrant has 5 days to accept the transfer voting ticket, whereafter a further 7-day waiting period applies for domain updates. You will receive a notification from the registry, once the ticket has been accepted. Propagation will then start as the name servers update to CWD’s.
If the transfer update is declined, you will need to resolve any outstanding issues and resubmit the transfer request
Reasons for a Domain Transfer to fail
There are several reasons that a domain transfer request might be rejected by the current registrar. A whois lookup on your domain can help you identify the problem as it will display the current contact information and Lock status.
There are several reasons that a domain transfer request might be rejected by the current registrar. A whois lookup on your domain can help you identify the problem as it will display the current contact information and Lock status.
Common reasons for domain transfer failure
- Not accepted by the Registrant
- The current Registrant’s email address is available via a Whois lookup.
- The domain update request may not have been accepted by the Registrant if they have not seen, or have ignored, the emailed update request.
- Remind them and resubmit the transfer request.
- The Registrant email is no longer in use or is incorrect.
- You will need to contact the registrar to update the registrant’s email address.
Domain dispute
There may be a dispute and the Registrant has denied the request. If you are not the domain owner, please make contact with them to resolve any outstanding agreements or concerns.
If you have bought a domain from someone, ensure that you adhere to the arrangements of the sale and have paid any relevant fees, or they will deny the transfer request.
The domain name is in Lock status
Contact your registrar for assistance on how to unlock your domain for transfer, or alternatively, you can unlock your domain via their control panel. 60 day Transfer Lock period
Domain names are locked for 60 days after initial registration or previous transfer and can’t be transferred during this period.
After the 60-day lock has expired, contact our Admin team again and request that they resubmit the registry transfer.
Anniversary Period
If a domain is in its Anniversary period of 3 days prior to its expiration up to the 6th of the following month, it can’t be transferred.
An authorisation code or IPS TAG is needed
Some registrars require an Authorisation Code or IPS TAG for the transfer to be processed. This is mainly for .com, net, org, info or biz domains and an IPS TAG for co.uk domain extensions. Contact your current registrar for this information.
The domain has expired
Please contact your registrar immediately to renew the domain and avoid it being deleted and taken by someone else.
The renewal or Registration fee is outstanding
If a renewal or registration fee is still outstanding, the domain cannot be transferred. Please contact your current provider to arrange payment.
Domain ‘Whois’ Privacy
If a domain was registered using the Domain Privacy feature, the domain contact information will not be publicly visible. This could be preventing you from seeing outdated contact information. Please contact the relevant Registrar. If you are a listed contact or know a listed contact, you should be able to gain access to the account to make any changes required.
Evidence of fraud or court order
Contact your current registrar to establish possible reasons.
60-day Domain Transfer Lock period
Domains are locked at registrars for 60 days after initial registration or previous transfer and can’t be transferred from one registrar to another during this period.
Domain Renewals
Domain names are automatically renewed on your behalf, and you are billed in the next billing cycle. You will receive a renewal email, or you can view the date that your domains are due for renewal
If I cancel my domain, will registration or renewal fees be refunded to me?
Domain name registration and renewal fees are not refundable. If a domain is cancelled and there is an associated hosting account, the account will be downgraded to Domain Name Registration Only.
CWD will not post a renewal request when the renewal is due. Instead, a deletion request will be sent to the registrar to release the domain name for others to register.
You will receive a copy of the deletion ticket (only if it is a .co.za domain) as a reminder that the domain name will be deleted. If you do decide to renew at this point, you should contact CWD immediately so we can attempt to renew the domain name for you. Do keep in mind, however, there is no guarantee that we can renew a deactivated domain name.
Domain redemption periods in the gTLD life cycle
gTLD domains that are registered through CWD are renewed on an annual basis. If a domain is not renewed, it will be set to expire with the Registrar. However, a 30 day Auto-Renew Grace Period follows which provides customers with the option to renew the domain and avoid deletion.
Should a domain not be renewed during this time, it will proceed to a stage that ICANN refers to as the Redemption Grace Period. The domain remains in this stage for a further 30 days. ICANN has required that registries implement this facility to allow the original registrants to redeem a deleted name. The Redemption Grace Period process is to provide additional time to catch erroneous deletions before the name is made available for re-registration.
When a name enters this period, it is removed from the zone file (a file on a nameserver that defines a domain name with its associated sub-domains, IP addresses and mail server). As a result, any Internet services for the domain name will be disabled (e.g. email or website facility). The registrant must act immediately if they want to keep the name. It is possible to renew a gTLD up until this point, although redemption fees may apply.
If no action is taken, no further grace periods are offered and the domain moves into a 5-day Pending Delete stage before deletion follows and the domain is released for public registration.
What are the key differences between domains on the legacy system versus a domain using the EPP system?
Billing
The legacy system only invoices for domains at the end of the month that registration occurred. The EPP system is a real-time billing system. This means that all domain renewals that took place will have to be paid for. This would also include all domain registrations that were not cancelled within the 7 day grace period.
Voting
The legacy system allows for 3 contacts to vote for a ‘WHOIS update’ i.e. the admin, registrant and technical contacts. The EPP system only sends an authorisation token for a Registrar change request to the Registrant (i.e. the person or entity in whose name the domain has been registered) and the current Registrar (i.e. Hetzner). An authorisation token for a Registrant change will only be sent to the current Registrant for their approval. It is therefore very important to keep the current Registrant email address up to date, reflecting the existing person or entity who is regarded as the rightful ‘owner’ of the domain.
Registrant vs Admin contact
The Registrant on the EPP system replaces the Admin contact of the legacy system. It is vital that the Registrant and Registrant email addresses are correct as the Registrant will be responsible for voting and acting on any notice of changes that are received.
Update period
The voting ticket for a Registrant update on the Legacy system was valid for 24 hours. With the introduction of EPP, a Registrant update will take 5 days to complete. This change brings CO.ZA domain administration in line with international best practices. DNS details are updated immediately.
How long will it take to transfer a domain on the legacy system to the EPP system with CWD?
All CO.ZA domains administered by Hetzner have been migrated to the new Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), which is an internationally accepted system that has proven to be a simpler and more effective way of administering domains.
CO.ZA domain names that are transferred to CWD will be transferred to the EPP system.
The transfer of a domain name on the legacy system to the EPP system can take up to 6 days from the initial request. The first 24 hours are allocated to the voting on the transfer request. At the end of the 24 hours, the votes are counted. If the transfer is approved, the next 24 hours will be used to transfer the domain from UniForum’s legacy system to the new EPP system and then the 5 day waiting period commences whereafter the domain will be in Hetzner’s registrar account.