directNIC Guides: Domain Transfers

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Table of Contents

1. Ownership Transfer
2. Registrar Transfer
   1. Transfer From Other Registrars
   2. What domains Can be Transferred to directNIC?
   3. Transfer Failure Notices

Ownership Transfer

You can use online Ownership Transfer or file ownership change agreement (paperwork). Currently, .TV, .CN, .WS and .NAME domains cannot use online ownership transfer. You will need to file paperwork. In addition, domains on registrar lock (High Transfer Security) cannot use online transfer either. You will need to unlock the domain first.

I. To transfer a domain to your directNIC account from another directNIC account while adding one additional year of registration time:

1. Log into the receiving account at http://directnic.com/myaccount/.

2. Click on Transfer Manager, or the "Domain Transfers" link on the left

3. Enter in the names of the domains you would like to transfer in the first box. Then click on the "Start transfer" button.

4. There will be a US$15 charge for each domain, which will add one additional year to the domain's current registration (except for .eu domains, which will begin a new one-year registration only once the domain is successfully transferred). Click on the "Continue Purchase" button.

5. If you are presented with a page to modify your contacts, select the appropriate contacts and click on "Continue Purchase."

6. Verify that all of your information is correct and click on the "Purchase" button.

7. Please note that after the request is submitted, the owner (administrative contact) of each domain to be transferred will receive an email with instructions on how to authorize the transfer. Please note that for .EU domains, the confirmation email is sent to the registrant contact instead of the administrative contact. Upon the owner's approval, it may take up to one (1) hour for the transfer to be completed.

II. To transfer a domain TO another directNIC account from your current directNIC account without adding one additional year of registration time:

1. Log into the current account at http://directnic.com/myaccount/.

2. Click on Transfer Manager, or the "Domain Transfers" link on the left

3. Click on the "unlock domains" link to make sure the domain is on normal security.

4. Then enter in the names of the domains you would like to transfer in the second box, enter the receiving account customer number and email address, then click on the "Check domains for transfer" button.

The domain will be sent to the selected account immediately. The contact information will be set to the receiving account default.

III. If you do not have direct access to the domain and need to file ownership change agreement paperwork, please download a form located at:

http://www.directnic.com/help/docs/DN_DomainTransferAgreement.pdf.

Then, have both parties fill it out, get it notarized and mail it to directNIC together with the copies of the documents used by the notary to confirm the information in the form.

We need to receive documentation that is filed with the state and shows the person signing the paperwork as the Current Registrant is the Owner of that company. Please note that any and all documentation needs to be within this or the last year. Here is a non-all-inclusive list of the documents that we will accept:

Annual Reports

Tax Exempt Forms

Articles of Incorporation

Annual Franchise Tax Forms

Non-Profit Organization Documents

LLC Formation Documents

Corporation Documents

Business Licenses

Limited Partnership Documents

Amendments and Clauses for the Registrant

All accompanying documentation must be in English in order to be processed. Any documentation not in English will not be considered and may stall the transfer of your domain name.

If the domains are from the same account, you can put all the domains in one form or attach a list of the domains to the form.

Our mailing address is:

DirectNIC, LTD

PO Box 11207 Grand Cayman, KY1-1008 Cayman Islands

Registrar Transfer

This section explains the steps of transferring a domain from another registrar to directNIC, what types of TLDs are transferrable, and the meaning of the transfer failure notices.

Transfer From Other Registrars

When a domain is currently registered with any other registrar, the procedure to transfer that domain to directNIC is as follows:

1. Before attempting the transfer, make certain of the following:

1.1. The domain has been registered with the current registrar for at least 60 days.

1.2. The domain has not yet expired and has at least 10 days remaining before expiration.

1.3. The existing registrar does not have the domain locked for either non-payment or at the end user's (your) request. If it is locked, you, as the requesting party, need to contact the current registrar to resolve the issue and clear the name.

1.4. The domain is NOT in dispute.

1.5. The domain has NOT been deleted.

1.6. The current administrative or registrant contact email address of the domain, as per a WHOIS lookup under http://www.directnic.com/whois, is valid and accessible.

2. The OWNER of the domain requests the transfer through his/her directNIC account under the "Domain Transfers" link or, if directNIC dollars have been pre-purchased, under the "Quantity Discounts" menu through the "Domain Transfers" link.

2.1. Log into your account at http://directnic.com/myaccount/.

2.2. Click on the "Domain Transfers" link under the Basic Options section.

2.3. Enter the domains you would like to transfer to directNIC. You can enter up to 50 at a time.

2.4. Choose a contact you would like to use. If you do not have the contact set up yet, you need to add a new contact. Please refer to the FAQ "how do I add a new contact in my account."

At this time, your transferred domains can only be registered for one year. At the time of renewal you can change the number of years you have your domains registered. This US$15 charge, for one year's registration, will be added to the amount of time you have left with the current registrar(except for .eu domains, which will begin a new one-year registration only once the domain is successfully transferred). . Click on the "Submit" button.

2.5. Verify that all of your information is correct and click on the "Submit" button.

2.6. Enter your payment information and click on the "Purchase" button.

3. Follow the steps in the request process completely. Please read all pertinent instructions completely. If the transfer is unsuccessful due to not following the correct procedures, a refund cannot be credited to your credit card. You will only receive the corresponding in directNIC Dollars in your directNIC account.

4. After purchase of the transfer request you will receive several emails.

4.1. The billing receipt and the transfer instruction will be sent to the email address listed in your directNIC account.

4.2. An authorization request email will be sent from transfers@directnic.com to the email address listed at the time of request by your current registrar as the administrative contact in the WHOIS records for the domain being transferred. This email includes a URL with verification codes. Go to the URL and enter the codes. After completing this, the transfer process can take up to 10 days. If you do not confirm the transfer through the confirmation email within 7 days, Step 7. in the transfer process applies.

(Please note that for .EU domains, the confirmation email is sent from the .eu registry to the registrant contact instead of the administrative contact.)

(Note: You need to obtain the authinfo code for your domain from your current registrar and then enter it in the proper field when you approve the transfer as the administrative contact.)

5. After owner confirmation, the domain transfer request is reviewed by directNIC.com. At that stage, the request is checked for the following (also mentioned in Step 1. of the Transfer Process):

- The domain must be 60 days old.

- The existing registrar cannot have the name locked for either non-payment or at the end users request. Otherwise, the requesting party needs to contact the existing registrar to resolve the problem.

- The domain cannot be in dispute.

- The domain cannot be deleted.

- The domain registration cannot be expired.

If none of the above is problematic, the transfer request is forwarded to the current registrar. Otherwise, the transfer is cancelled and Step 7 of the transfer process applies.

6. Current Registrar Review and Approval

The review by the current registrar can take up to 10 days. If the current registrar approves the transfer request, the domain will be transferred into your directNIC account. If the transfer is not approved after ten days, Step 7. in the transfer process applies.

7. Procedure for unsuccessful transfers due to cancellation and timing-out:

If an initial transfer request is cancelled or times out, directNIC automatically resubmits the transfer request a second time. If the second request is cancelled or times out, directNIC credits the account of the person attempting the transfer in directNIC Dollars for the amount of the transfer price. This credit can be used to resubmit the transfer request, register, transfer or renew a domain for one year of registration time, as well as for other directNIC services. The credited directNIC Dollars can be used within the "Quantity Options" menu in the respective directNIC account.

What domains Can be Transferred to directNIC?

Currently: .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .US, .BIZ, .NAME, .EU domains can be transferred to directNIC.

Transfer Failure Notices

1. Failure notice: timed out waiting for owner approval:

Your transfer request for yourdomain.com was cancelled because it timed out waiting for owner approval. We sent the transfer request to the administrative contact of the domain but never received his/her confirmation. Please check the WHOIS information of the domain at http://www.directnic.com/whois and make sure the administrative email contact information is correct. If not, you need to change it immediately with your current registrar company.

We have credited your directNIC account with 15 directNIC Dollars. You may check your directNIC Dollars balance in your account under the "Quantity Options" tab. You may use these credits to pay for the next transfer or any other directNIC service. You may resubmit the transfer after you have changed the administrative contact information and have verified the change at http://www.directnic.com/whois.

2. Failure notice: timed out waiting for registry approval:

Your transfer request for yourdomain.com was cancelled because it timed out waiting for the registry approval. We sent the transfer request to your current registrar but never received their approval . Please contact your current registrar in regard to this transfer request as soon as possible.

We have credited your directNIC account with 15 directNIC Dollars. You may check your directNIC Dollars balance in your account under the "Quantity Options" tab. You may use these credits to pay for the next transfer or any other directNIC service. You may resubmit the transfer after you have met all the demands of your current registrar.

3. Failure notice:552 registry error:

The transfer of yourdomainname.com has been cancelled due to a 552 registry error. This error can result from any of the following:

1) Domain is not yet 60 days old

2) Domain is expired

3) Domain is not in Paid Status with your current registrar or is in dispute. Please contact your current registrar to resolve this type of issue.

We have credited your directNIC account with 15 directNIC Dollars. You may check your directNIC Dollars balance in your account under the "Quantity Options" tab. You may use these credits to pay for the next transfer or any other directNIC service. You may resubmit the transfer after the domain is older than 60 days old or you have met all the demands of your current registrar.

NOTES:

Before you transfer the domain, please check the following at http://www.directnic.com/whois:

1. Administrative or the registrant contact email address: The autorization email is sent to the administrative contact (for .EU domains, is the registrant contact). If the contact information is incorrect, you need to change it immediately with your current registrar company.

2. Creation date: Domains created less than 60 days ago cannot be transferred. You need to wait till the 60 days waiting period is over and then resubmit the transfer.

3. Expiration date: Expired domains cannot be transferred. You need to renew with your current registrar for another year first, and then transfer the domain to us. The time you left with your current registrar will be added to your directNIC account.

4. The registry status: The domain must be active. If the domain is on registry lock, you need to unlock the domain before submitting the transfer.

Please constantly check your transfer status in your account at https://secure.directnic.com/myaccount/transfers/pending.php Please read the explanations carefully.

If you have any questions, please contact directNIC at support@directnic.com.

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