| Reseller Help: General Domain Help : Transfers | |
| How do I transfer .DE domains? | |
| Why did the domain lose a year when I transferred? | |
| What is an auth code? | |
| What factors could prevent or delay a registrar transfer? | |
| Can an expired name be transferred away from OpenSRS? | |
| Can I transfer domains already registered with another registrar (i.e. Network S | |
| How do I move a domain between OpenSRS RSPs? | |
| How do I customize the Transfer Page for my customers? | |
| How is contact information set in a transfer? | |
| Can transferring a domain to OpenSRS cause any downtime? | |
| Can I transfer multiple domains at once? | |
| Do batch transfers work in the RSP Web interface? | |
| How do batch transfers work? | |
| Are there browser limitations involved in batch transfers? | |
| How do I transfer a domain? | |
| How do I process a transfer away? | |
| Why has the transfer not completed? | |
| Why is the transfer stuck at Pending Registry Approval? | |
| Why is the .CA transfer stuck at Pending Registry Approval? | |
| Why is this transfer being handled manually? | |
Q:How do I transfer .DE domains? | |
A:DENIC is the registry for .de domains, and DENIC’s transfer policy states that transfers must be initiated by the gaining Registrar. In addition, the Registrar must receive, via fax, a written authorization of the transfer request from the domain’s Registrant (or admin contact). This authorization must be kept on record in case the Registry requests it in the case of a dispute. Therefore, gaining OpenSRS Resellers should initiate transfer requests and maintain a record of written Registrant confirmations. Unlike .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .BIZ, .NAME, .MOBI, and .US which have a sixty (60) day post-registration transfer-hold restriction for Registrar to Registrar transfers, .DE transfers in and out are not restricted to any type of hold period. This means that a transfer can be performed at any time after a domain is registered. Finally, as the Registry does not hold expiry dates (domains are renewed monthly), Registrants who transfer a registration lose any remaining time on the current registration. In order to minimize any lost time for the Registrant, OpenSRS has imposed a min/max one (1) year registration term. Note: Currently, all transfer requests for .DE are only supported through the RWI. | |
 | |
|
Q:Why did the domain lose a year when I transferred? | |
A:Unfortunately, this is a common problem. Domains that expire, are renewed and then immediately transferred lose the renewal year. There is no refund. Details available at: http://www.icann.org/announcements/advisory-06jun02.htm OpenSRS avoids the problem by simply allowing expired domains to be transferred. For future reference, OpenSRS Resellers can remove a Registrar Hold by simply locking, then unlocking the domain via "View Domain" on http://resellers.opensrs.net | |
| |
|
Q:What is an auth code? | |
A:A transfer authorization code (auth code) is required when transferring any .ORG, .INFO, .BIZ, .US, .NAME and .CN domain name from one registrar to another. The transfer authorization code is created at the time of registration and can be obtained from the current registrar for the domain. The auth code can be found in the "Domain Extra's" section of the Manage Interface - https://manage.opensrs.net Resellers can also email the auth code to the admin contact email address listed for the domain. Simply log into the Resellers Web Interface, enter the domain into the "View Domain" field and click on the Query button. On the next page you'll find a link to send out the information. | |
| |
|
Q:What factors could prevent or delay a registrar transfer? | |
A:Do you own the domain? Or have you made arrangements with the Admin Contact to approve the transfer? Is the Admin contact Email address valid? Has the domain been registered for longer than 60 days? (There is a mandatory waiting period for potential domain disputes) Is the domain expired or past due at the current Registrar? Although we allow expired domains to be transferred away, most registrars do not. Some registrars have added their own confirmation requirements for transfers away from their system. Please contact them directly for details and make sure the Admin contact is aware of what they have to do. | |
| |
|
Q:Can an expired name be transferred away from OpenSRS? | |
A:While we can't understand why anyone would want to transfer a name away from OpenSRS, it is possible to do so at any point. If your client absolutely has to transfer an expired name away, you can use the Domain Locking features in the Reseller Web Interface to remove the "Expired-hold" on the domain. Simply log into the resellers interface, enter the domain name they wish to transfer away into the "View Domain" field and click on the Query button. From the next page enable "Domain Locking" and save the changes. Follow the same steps but this time disable the locking and save the changes. This in turn will remove the expired hold and the domain will become transferrable. | |
| |
|
Q:Can I transfer domains already registered with another registrar (i.e. Network Solutions) to OpenSRS? | |
A:Yes. However, there are some conditions. We cannot do registrar transfers for domains that are On Hold or Past Due with the current registrar. To be on the safe side, you should start the registrar transfer process at least two weeks before the expiry of the domain. Please note that if a com/net/org domain does expire and you have to renew with the old registrar, you should not transfer until 45 days past the anniversary date. If you do, the year paid to the old registry will be lost and they do not give refunds. The Admin Contact Email address for the domain must be valid. Contact the current registrar to make this change if necessary. Currently, the automated system doesn't support transfers for some ccTLD domains. Transfers are supported in the latest version of the client scripts (v.2.0.1 and higher). The Web interface also has an option to manually transfer a domain. Presently, the process works like so: You can place a transfer using either reg_system.cgi or the Web interface using "Transfer a Domain". Once the transfer order is submitted to OpenSRS, an Email will be sent to the Admin Contact Email address of the domain to be transferred. Before you attempt to transfer a domain, make sure that the Admin Contact Email for the domain to be transferred is valid. If the Admin Contact Email address listed in the current whois info is no longer valid, you must contact the original registrar to request it be changed. We can't assist you in transferring the domain until we can verify who is accepting the transfer. The confirmation Email contains detailed instructions for the Admin contact. This includes a unique URL which displays an option to either accept or decline the transfer. The RSP can customise the look of this page via the "Transfer Management" section of the Resellers web page. Note that all transfers are sanity-checked to prevent high-profile domains like "aol.com" from being transferred fraudulently. Registrar transfers are sent to the Registry where it awaits approval. Unless the losing Registrar explicitly denies the transfer (for instance, if the domain is past it's expiry date), it will usually go through this step within 9 days. It can go through sooner if the losing registrar explicitly approves the transfer. This will vary from registrar to registrar. Please note that some Registrars have added confirmations of their own for transfers away from their system. Please contact them directly for details. The transfer itself doesn't cost anything, but money is deducted from your account balance to renew the domain for one year with OpenSRS. This year is added on top of whatever time is remaining on the domain. If the transfer is denied by the current Registrar, OpenSRS or by the domain owner themselves, no money is deducted from the RSP's account. An Email is sent to the RSP with the appropriate message outlining what took place. Please note that when you process a transfer, it will not show up as "Active" until the transfer has completed successfully. It usually takes 3-5 days but may take as long as 10 days. | |
| |
|
Q:How do I move a domain between OpenSRS RSPs? | |
A:Transfers between OpenSRS RSPs work almost identical to Registrar transfers. The gaining RSP can handle the transfer details and accept payment for the service. The losing RSP is not usually involved in the process unless the domain is locked. If the domain is locked, contact the losing RSP and request the lock to be removed. You also require a valid Administrative Contact email address to authorize the transfer. If the Administrative Contact is invalid on your domain, please visit http://www.adminchange.com and fill out the appropriate forms. Once these conditions are met, the gaining RSP can transfer the domain. The exception to this this rule is .tv , which are still done by hand. | |
| |
|
Q:How do I customize the Transfer Page for my customers? | |
A:Go to: http://resellers.opensrs.net/ Log in using your RSP username/password. Click on "Transfer Management" and then choose "Customize Transfer Page". | |
| |
|
Q:How is contact information set in a transfer? | |
A:When you make a request to transfer a domain, the template is similar to a registration. You set the Owner, Administrative and Billing contacts in the transfer template. You can either type them in or recall them from a previous order (by domain/username/password or the domain's order number). This info will be used when the transfer completes. .ca domains are an exception. Contact info does not change when .ca domains are transferred. This is a CIRA restriction. Please note that the nameserver entries will never change during a transfer. This is to prevent domain resolution from breaking. | |
| |
|
Q:Can transferring a domain to OpenSRS cause any downtime? | |
A:No. Changing the registrar entry for your domain on the root servers is immediate, and is not much different than changing contact information or nameserver entries (except that it can only be done by a registrar under certain circumstances). Nameserver entries are the only thing really critical to your domain pointing where it should. When you transfer a domain to us, the nameserver entries can not be changed until the transfer is completed. | |
| |
|
Q:Can I transfer multiple domains at once? | |
A:Yes. Batch Transfers are possible with the full access implementation of OpenSRS. Please be aware that some TLDs can't be transfered in this way. Please contact support@opensrs.org if you wish to registrar transfer one of those TLDs. | |
| |
|
Q:Do batch transfers work in the RSP Web interface? | |
A:No. You can only view and track your batch transfers using the RSP Web interface. | |
| |
|
Q:How do batch transfers work? | |
A:From the Full Access client ONLY this is done using reg_system.cgi. The CGI command to invoke this functionality is: The interface will look familiar to RSPs who've used the Full Access Transfer Interface, but with a large text box to copy-and-paste a list of domains to be transfered. Remember, you're submitting a batch, so sanity-check each domain on your list as carefully as you would an individual registrar transfer. This will save you headaches later! You will notice that all batch transfered domains will end up with exactly the same contact info. For this reason, you domains owned by the same person/company can be batch transfered. Please be aware that some TLDs can't be transfered in this way. Please contact support@opensrs.org if you wish to registrar transfer one of those TLDs. | |
| |
|
Q:Are there browser limitations involved in batch transfers? | |
A:Yes. Our testing indicates that because of time-out limitations of many browsers, it may only be possible to submit 300-500 domains at a time, and each batch order may take 3 minutes or more to process. Some browsers may enforce a time-out at 2 minutes and be unable to process the theoretical maximum (500) batch. While 6 minutes or so is fantastic time to process 500 domains, most Web users are not used to waiting 3 minutes for a response from a browser (or Web application). RSPs must bear this in mind, and communicate this fact to their end-users if they are to have access to this function. | |
| |
|
Q:How do I transfer a domain? | |
A:You can transfer domains to your own Reseller account via the client code or by using "Place Transfer Manually" at: http://resellers.opensrs.net. All that is required is a valid Admin Email address. The domain's manage login/password is not required. Reseller-to-Reseller transfers work almost exactly the same as registrar transfers. The Reseller is charged one domain year and the domain is renewed after the transfer completes. For more detail, see the OpenSRS Support FAQ: http://rrc.tucows.com/opensrs/faq/support_faq#Live_registrar_transfer | |
| |
|
Q:How do I process a transfer away? | |
A:Whenever a domain is requested transferred away from your RSP account, it is recorded in "Transfer Management" under "Search Away Transfers". Unless the transfer is specifically denied by the Admin contact, it will be transferred in 5 days. You are free to contact your customer and try to keep the business. However, domain owners are free to move their domains wherever they wish and RSPs cannot interfere. | |
| |
|
Q:Why has the transfer not completed? | |
A:You can always see the status of a transfer using "View Orders in Progress" on http://resellers.opensrs.net . The first step is Pending Owner Approval. The Admin Email address must be valid for a transfer to succeed. If the Email is not correct, cancel the transfer and contact the current registration provider to fix the problem. You can re-submit the transfer as soon as the whois shows the new info. The Reseller can re-send the Email if it was not been received. Please ensure that any Spam filters on the Admin Email address are turned off. Once the Admin has confirmed, the request is sent to the current registrar. You may want to contact them directly as every registrar has a different transfer away procedure. | |
| |
|
Q:Why is the transfer stuck at Pending Registry Approval? | |
A:You can always see the status of a transfer using "View Orders in Progress" on http://resellers.opensrs.net . When a registrar transfer is Pending Registry Approval, we are waiting for the current registrar to respond. If no response is received after one week from the registry request date, the transfer will succeed by default. Because of this, there is never any need to cancel or re-send a transfer at this stage. If the current registrar declines the request, that is recorded in "View Order Notes" under "View Declined Orders". Please contact the registrar directly to resolve any issues and then re-submit. | |
| |
|
Q:Why is the .CA transfer stuck at Pending Registry Approval? | |
A:You can always see the status of a transfer using "View Orders in Progress" on http://resellers.opensrs.net . When a .ca registrar transfer is Pending Registry Approval, CIRA (the .ca registry) is waiting for the Admin contact to respond. If no response is received after one week from the registry request date, the transfer will be declined by CIRA. Unfortunately, CIRA does not work in real-time so there may be some delay. All the details are included in the Email sent to the Admin contact by CIRA. The Account Number and Password must be obtained from the current registration provider. | |
| |
|
Q:Why is this transfer being handled manually? | |
A:This error occurs when we are unable to parse the whois info from the losing registrar. We will continue to try to get that info from them for several days. You can track the progress of this transfer via ""View Orders in Progress"" on the Resellers web page. The transfer confirmation can only come from the listed Admin contact. Only the current registrar can provide this info. We must wait until we can get a proper response from them. You may want to check with the current registrar to ensure that the domain is active and in good standing. | |
| |