The operation of changing your domain name’s original registrar to a new one is called “domain transfer”. You might want this for a variety of reasons, but usually, people worry about whether it is possible and think it might be too complicated. In fact, it’s a linear process with most domain registrants, such as Hostens, that is not difficult at all as long as you know the right steps.
What are the Right Steps?
There are some steps that you should comply with in the process of changing your domain’s registrant. For instance, according to the conditions of replacing a registrar of a domain, which are issued by the USA-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), you could change your domain registrant at least 60 days after your domain’s initial registration. Though this is a well-known rule, people often forget about it as they do not transfer domains every day. But apart from this deterrent principle of regulation, there are a few more conditions that must be followed as well. We will help you find them in this useful blog article. But, first, let us answer some commonly asked questions concerning domains.
What do DNS Registrar and Domain Name Mean?
DNS is the short form for “domain name server”, which is synonymous with “domain registrar”. It might be a hosting company or a DNS registrar only that sells and registers domain names, which are part of the URL addresses that people type in their browsers to access a website.
An URL starts with http://www., followed by the domain name and the suffix like .EU, .COM, .NET, etc. It is the most important part as it represents your business or your other type of initiative’s identity. In addition, it is quite important for your website’s decent SEO recognition and appearance on search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
What is Hostens?
Hostens is a Lithuanian domain registrar and web hosting company, popular worldwide for its great affordable web hosting packages that do not compromise the quality of the services because of being cheap. No wonder their performance is evaluated as “excellent” with 4.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot – a popular international platform for real reviews by customers around the globe.
The affable team of Hostens offers domain transfers at reasonable prices, and in addition to the new domain registration itself, customers get DNS management, theft protection, and much more.
Why do People do Domain Transfers?
As choosing a decent domain name is among the first things you must complete before making a new website, it is recommended that people choose their DNS registrars carefully right from the start. But sometimes this is not possible, and one needs to proceed with a domain transfer.
There might be several reasons and hypotheses why someone would like to change their domain’s registrar, i.e., to conduct a domain transfer:
- They accidentally noticed a domain they liked and bought it from a random registrar: Since the best domain names sell out speedily, many people prefer to buy their preferred one as soon as they see it on a domain registration website, especially if the price is promotional or decent enough to make them buy it instantly. Later on, some people might want to change their domain registrar for various factors.
- They bought a domain that was initially registered by someone else: Sometimes it happens so that a person who is looking for a particular domain name notices that the domain they want to possess has already been purchased by someone else. That is why they usually buy it from the first buyer at a higher price and later wish to change the registrar company to a new one, which could also be your trusted hosting provider company.
- Current registrar has high prices: People may notice that the registrar their domain is registered with offers the service at much higher prices than other similar competitors. Sometimes the reason might be that your present registrar might have unexpectedly raised the prices of their services.
- The loading speed has worsened: Sometimes the loading speed of your website could deteriorate, and the company you rely on might not make the necessary efforts to solve the problem. At such moments, you have no other reasonable choice but to change the registrar.
- They revealed a better deal or more affordable web hosting packages: As with any other service we use nowadays, with domain registrars we can come across a better offer as well. And sometimes to a much better overall hosting package, which might require the performance of a domain transfer.
What Should I do Before Conducting the Domain Transfer to Hostens?
Regardless of your reason for wanting to do a domain transfer to Hostens, we would like to ensure you that you will unlikely want to change your DNS provider again anytime soon, as they offer reasonable prices, professional service, and extras that many premium packages offer for a much higher fee. But there are a few things you need to check off before proceeding with this switch. Here is what they are:
1. Make sure you did not register your domain less than 60 days ago
As we already mentioned above, you are not allowed to transfer a domain name 60 days before its first registration. That is what the terms of ICANN say. We recommend that you calculate the number of days precisely, so you do not waste your time before the 60-day period expires.
2. Check if your previous transfer was conducted in less than 60 days either
Sometimes it happens that a person makes a domain transfer, but later it turns out that they are disappointed with the change. According to the rules of ICANN, it is not only mandatory that 2 months have passed since the initial registration of the domain, but you must also make sure that 60 days have passed since its last transfer. Therefore, sitting in the waiting room is required even if the domain was transferred less than 2 months ago.
3. Check your contact information
As both the new registrar and the one you are leaving behind must contact you during the transfer operation, you have to check in advance if your contact details in your current domain registrar’s system are correct. While checking, pay special attention to the following personal information to avoid a transfer rejection:
- Your personal or company name
- Your phone number and email address
- Your personal or business address
4. Back up your domain-related emails
Many businesses and non-profit initiatives use domain-related emails to look quite more credible. And, yes, it really matters for your authenticity if your email address is a GMAIL one or related to your own website.
You should know that by transferring a domain to another registrar your email history could be lost as email communications are being deleted. So, you must back up your important email-related data before transferring the domain.
5. Unlock your domain name
To prevent accidental removals, unwanted changes, and domain thefts, domain names are usually locked in the registrar’s control panel. Make sure you have unlocked your domain name before you start the transferring process. In most cases, you could do it on your own. But in case it is not possible to do it on your own, then you should not hesitate to ask your registrar for unlocking your domain name.
6. Request an auth-code
Authentication code is needed to make the transferring parties sure that it is really you who wants to conduct the domain transfer process. Of course, the transferring parties are your old domain provider and your new registrar.
Most registrars nowadays offer an opportunity for an automatic generation of authentication codes from their menus. But if it is not the case with your current domain registrar, then an auth-code must be requested by you via email, and you must receive it back in no more than 5 working days.
7. Sign up on the website of Hostens
Your next step is launching the website of Hostens and creating a new account. Once you complete the procedure, open this link and type in the domain name that you want to transfer as shown in the screenshot below.
8. Enter the auth-code
Once you enter the authentication code, make sure you entered it right and confirm it. In a few days, you must be contacted by both the old and the new registrars, and you should reconfirm your domain transfer request. Usually, old registrants want feedback on why you decided to leave them. So get ready to answer their questions.
9. Complete the final steps of your domain transfer request
Once you pay for the service of transferring your domain, you should wait a few days before your new registrar finishes the procedure of setting up your domain name. They will let you know by email once they are ready with their fixes. By then, your domain name will continue being operated by your old registrar.
10. Do not forget to scratch off your old registrant
Once you receive the confirmation that you are already a client of your new registrar, for example, Hostens, and you are informed that your new contract is running, you should manually cancel your old service. Thus, you could prevent being charged for services you no longer use. Even though it’s obvious that their service is no longer being used by you, some registrants wait for a formal termination before they stop billing you.
Why Should I Choose Hostens over Others?
Famous for their great affordable web hosting prices, the team members of Hostens are always there for you. They work willingly and proactively to ensure secure and excellent hosting for their customers, including when it comes to registering or transferring domains. And you could contact them 24/7 by live chat and email.
With the services of Hostens, you could benefit from the following wonderful domain advantages:
- Fast domain creation and transfer: Domains at Hostens are registered in just a few minutes and are transferred faster when compared to other rival companies.
- Cheap domains: Besides cheap web hosting prices, there are always affordable domain opportunities and regular promotions at Hostens, so you could anytime enjoy the possibility to get a nice domain.
- Free domains: With an annual contract, you could get .Online, .Store, .Website, .Tech, or .Site domains for absolutely free!
- Flexible plans and packages: With Hostens, you could pay only for what you really need as the plans could be upgraded anytime. New additional services can be added to your plan anytime as well.
- Many free extras: All web hosting plans by Hostens include a free Let’s encrypt certificate, additional security measures, a professional mail filter, daily backups, a DNS manager, and more.
Nearly all customers have a great experience with Hostens. You could be one of their thousands of clients around the globe, who are enjoying their affordable web hosting packages and premium-quality services.