FAQs on Domain Name Transfer

Q) How do I transfer my domain name to Active-Domain from another registrar?
A) Click here for our transfer procedures and requirements.

Q) I have just made payment for my transfer order, what should I do next?
A) We will send you a verification email to the email address listed as the Administrative Contact of your domain, to confirm that you are the legitimate person to transfer the domain. You must reply to this email which will contain a verification code before we will submit your transfer request. Please contact us if you do not receive our verification email within 48 hours.

Q) Is there a fee for transferring a domain name to Active-Domain?
A) Yes, it will be the same fee as if you were registering a new name. However, your domain name will also be extended for another year, on top of the existing valid period you have. For example, if your existing domain has six more months to expiry, the expiry date will extend to 1 year and 6 months later when it is transferred to us.

Q) Once I transfer my name to you, does my time of renewal change?
A) Yes, it simply adds one more year to the time you have left on your original registration.

Q) When should I initiate the transfer process before my domain expire?
A) We recommend that you begin the transfer process by sending us your transfer order at least 2 months before your domain expiry. This is to avoid any unforeseen complication or delay during the transfer process. Do not try to wait until the last week before your domain expire as it creates unnecessary risk for your domain.

Q) How long will it take to transfer my domain to Active-Domain?
A) If your domain has met all the necessary requirements, it can take as short as 3 business days for the transfer to complete. However, this is not a guarantee that it will happen to your domain transfer all the time. It also depends very much on your registrar's response to our transfer request. If they failed to respond or delayed the process it will be something beyond our control.

Q) If I transfer my name to Active-Domain, does the Whois information stay the same?
A) No, the Whois information will need to be re-entered, because this information is not transferred. However, the name server information will remain the same. In the case of multiple domains transfer, your domain contact information for those domains that are transferred earlier may be filled in with our company's information. This is done automatically by our server and it is only temporary. The contact information will be updated to the information provided by you when all the domains are transferred.

Q) Under what circumstances will my domain transfer be rejected?
A) There are a few very important conditions that must be met in order for your transfer request to be approved by your registrar:

• Your domain is required to be with the current registrar for at least 60 days. If you have just registered or transferred your domain within the last 60 days, your transfer request will not be accepted.

• Your domain cannot have an expired status. You are no longer the legitimate owner of your domain once it is expired. You must renew your domain with your registrar before sending us your transfer order.

• Your domain's Administrative Contact information must be valid or updated. You must be the person listed in the admin contact of your domain and the email address listed in the admin contact must be valid or updated.

• You need to reply to our verification email before we will submit your transfer request.

• You must reply to your registrar's confirmation email within 48 hours. Your registrar will send you a confirmation email to confirm your intention to transfer your domain. It will be sent to the email address listed as the Administrative Contact of your domain. Your transfer request will be rejected by your registrar if you fail to reply to their email promptly.

Please DO NOT send us your transfer order if your domain do not meet the first 3 conditions. Your transfer request will certainly fail if either of these 3 conditions are not met.

Q) Why is my domain still not transferred after more than 10 business days?
A) The most common reason for a delayed domain transfer is caused by your failure to respond to your current registrar's confirmation email. If you do not reply to this email within 48 hours, your transfer request will be rejected. The problem is, sometimes it's very difficult to understand the instructions in the confirmation email. You need to read it carefully and reply appropriate to the instructions given.

Q) What happened if my transfer is rejected or delayed?
A) We can re-submit the transfer request for you after you have carried out necessary actions such as contacting your registrar to request for the release of your domain, update the email address for the Admin contact of your domain, or provide us the correct admin contact information. We may cancel the transfer order if our repeated attempts to transfer your domain is still not successful.

Q) What should I do if my domain has expired but it is still not transferred?
A) This often happens when you try to transfer your domain within the last few days of your domain's expiry. The normal transfer process will take about 5-7 business days to complete so your domain may have expired before it is transferred. In such cases, you will have to renew your domain with your registrar before we can re-submit the transfer request for you again. Our advice is, do not wait till last minute before sending us your transfer order.

Q) I have received the confirmation email from my registrar but I failed to reply on time
A) If you missed the 48 hours timeframe given by your registrar to reply to their confirmation email, your transfer request will be rejected by them. You can try to contact them and request that they accept your late reply. However, in most cases they will require you to re-submit the transfer request again. Please inform us when such situation occur.

Q) Is there a charge by Active-Domain if I decide to transfer away to another registrar at a later date?
A) No, we do not charge you to move away from us. However, you will have to submit the transfer request to your new registrar. Furthermore, you must send us a request to unlock your domain name or the transfer will not be successful. Your new registrar will also have to update you on the status of the transfer. We do not process domains that are transferring away from us.

Q) My web hosting company asked me to transfer my domain to them, what should I do?
A) There's a big difference between transferring a domain versus transferring a nameserver. The first case refers to transferring your domain to your web host and letting them become your domain registrar. This is not a necessity. If your web host insists then it is questionable about their intent. They might be coercing you to accept them as your registrar and charge you a much higher domain price. In most situation, what they are asking you to do is to transfer your domain to their DNS servers. You can find out about how to change your DNS server by clicking here.

Q) My domain name has just expired but when I try to register it as a new name, it says that the domain is not available. How can I register my domain again?
A) Typically, most registrar will hold on to their expired domain for some time. They may keep them for as long as 90 days. You can only register your expired domain again after it has been released by your registrar. The problem is, you can't tell when this will take place since each registrar has it's own policy on this.
We have provided the Domain Watch service for the purpose of monitoring the status of your expired domain. It will notify us as soon as your domain is released for registration again. Please contact us if you are interested in the Domain Watch service.