What is ICANN’s new Transfer Policy and when does it come into effect?
ICANN announced changes to the former “Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy” in 2016 to offer registrants greater security when transferring names between registrants and registrars.
The new “Transfer Policy” came into effect December 1st, 2016 and outlines the regulations for domain name updates and transfers. You may view the complete policy here: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/transfer-policy-2016-06-01-en
As of December 1st, 2016, the new policy governs registrant changes and allows registrants to choose whether a 60-day lock on subsequent transfers and registrant updates is imposed after that change or not.
KEEP THE CHECKBOX SELECTED to OPT-OUT of the 60-day Transfer lock. Unchecking the box will apply the 60-day lock.
Important Terms
Change of Registrant
Any change to the Registrant contact data for a domain including Name, Organization and/or Email address. This is independent of changes to the Admin, Billing or Technical contacts.
Prior Registrant
The Registered Name Holder at the time a Change of Registrant is initiated
New Registrant
The entity or person to whom the Prior Registrant proposes to transfer its domain name registration.
Transfer Lock
Prohibits transfers between registrars, accounts or any Change of Registrant contact data
Designated Agent
An individual or entity that the Prior Registrant or New Registrant explicitly authorizes to approve a Change of Registrant on its behalf.
How does ICANN’s new Transfer Policy affect updates to the contact data of my domains at Uniregistry?
As of December 1st, 2016, whenever you submit a Change of Registrant for a domain name in your account, you will be advised that the change could impose a 60-day Transfer lock and be prompted to:
- Approve the Change of Registrant
- Confirm via the checkbox that you agree to opt-out of the 60-day lock or not
- Verify the change via password
Notice of the Change of Registrant will be emailed to the prior and new registrant, advising of the Transfer lock status where appropriate and the domain names effected.
How does ICANN’s new Transfer Policy affect transfers from another registrar to Uniregistry?
If the domain is eligible for transfer, the FOA (form of transfer authorization email sent to the Registrant contact as listed in the WHOIS at the time of the request) will include a unique, coded link to the FOA approval page at Uniregistry.com. The FOA approval page will:
- Indicate that a Change of Registrant may occur during transfer and this change could impose a 60-day Transfer lock
- Provide a checkbox to confirm you agree to opt-out of the transfer lock
- Indicate that opting into the 60-day lock cannot be undone
- Acknowledge approval of the transfer and Change of Registrant
Notice of the Change of Registrant will be emailed to the prior and new registrant, advising of the Transfer lock status where appropriate and the domain names effected.
A transfer may be denied due to an existing lock or other valid restriction at the prior (losing) registrar and should be contacted to confirm why a domain is not eligible for transfer.
How does ICANN’s new Transfer Policy affect transfers between Uniregistry accounts?
Where a transfer to another Uniregistry account is initiated, the Transfer page of the initiating (losing) account will:
- Indicate that a Change of Registrant may occur during transfer and this change could impose a 60-day Transfer lock
- Provide a checkbox to confirm you agree to opt-out of the Transfer lock
- Indicate that opting into the 60-day lock cannot be undone
- Verify the transfer and Change of Registrant using the account password
The accepting (gaining) account holder will:
- Be advised if the Transfer lock was chosen or not by the transferor
- Have the option to accept or deny the incoming transfer
- Verify acceptance of the transfer and Change of Registrant using the account password
How does ICANN’s new Transfer Policy affect my Uniregistry Market transactions?
For domain names registered at Uniregistry, the new policy should have no effect. If a transfer from another registrar is required to conclude a transaction, then the domain registrant should carefully review the policies of the other registrar, to avoid having a transfer lock applied to a domain name for which a transfer is intended.
Remember, if you are making changes prior to a sale, or transferring a domain name to a buyer who might want to make further changes or transfers, then you want to be sure you have opted out of the 60-day lock before the change or transfer, to avoid locking the domain name.
The Uniregistry Marketplace Terms, which you agreed to when enabling your Market account, already designate Uniregistry as your agent to effect the terms of transfer of a domain. This means that when your domain sale is being processed through our Secure Exchange system, we have the authority to approve the Change of Registrant, and opt-out of the 60-day Transfer lock on your behalf to facilitate the transfer of ownership. You can view the complete Uniregistry Marketplace Terms here: https://uniregistry.com/legal/marketplace-agreement
Can I opt-out of the 60-day Transfer lock after the contact has been updated?
Unfortunately no. The policy currently states that the opt-in/out must occur before the Change of Registrant data. If the prior registrant decides to opt-in when verifying the change, the 60-day Transfer lock will apply. If the 60-day lock was mistakenly enabled, we may require additional security procedures in order to correct the situation.
When moving domain names from my old registrar to Uniregistry, will there be a 60-day Transfer lock on them when they arrive?
As long as you do not opt-in to the Transfer lock in the FOA, your domains will only be subject to our standard 10-day lock on new transfers. The checkbox in the FOA approval page is defaulted to opt-out, so unless you choose to opt-in, you don’t need to change anything.
What is a Designated Agent?
A Designated Agent is an individual or entity that the Prior Registrant or New Registrant explicitly authorizes to approve a Change of Registrant on its behalf. When you agree to our Registration and Service Agreement, the account holder is designated as the agent to approve any and all changes to the Registrant contact data.
You can view our complete Registration and Service Agreement here: