What is a domain transfer?
A domain is your website's name, like example.com. A registrar is the company where the domain is registered, a bit like the office that holds the paper for your name. A transfer moves that paper from one registrar to another.
The usual time
Many common domains, such as .com, .net and .org, take up to about 5 to 7 days. Some finish sooner. Other endings, such as country domains, can have their own rules and may be faster or slower. Ask Hostvento support if you are not sure about yours.
Why does it take days? The old registrar has a waiting window to let the owner cancel an unwanted transfer. This protects you from theft.
What happens during the transfer
- You unlock the domain at the old registrar.
- You get an authorization code. It is also called an EPP code or auth code. It is like a password for the transfer.
- You start the transfer at the new registrar and give the code.
- An email goes to the contact address of the domain. You may need to approve it.
- The old registrar approves, or the waiting window ends.
- The transfer completes and the domain shows in your new account.
Ways to make it faster
- Unlock the domain before you start.
- Make sure the contact email of the domain is correct and you can read it.
- Approve the transfer email as soon as it arrives.
- Start the transfer well before the domain expires.
- Some old registrars let you approve the transfer in their panel. Do this if you can.
Things that can delay a transfer
- The domain is locked.
- The auth code is wrong.
- The domain was registered or transferred in the last 60 days. Many domain types do not allow a move so soon.
- The contact email is old and nobody reads it.
Will my website go down?
Usually no. The name servers stay the same during a transfer, so your site and email keep working. Do not change the name servers while the transfer is running.
Check the status
Log in to the client area, open Domains and My Domains. If it is stuck for more than a week, open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.
Quick recap
- Many transfers take up to about 5 to 7 days.
- You need the domain unlocked and the auth code.
- Approve the email fast to save time.
- Your site normally stays online during the move.