How to Transfer a Domain from Register.com to GoDaddy.com

Go Daddy can accept transfers from any registrar, and the transfers can often be completed in as little as five days or less. Some transfers may take up to seven days to complete. To transfer a domain from Register.com to Go Daddy, you will need to be aware of the following information about the domain:

Domain status will currently be locked or active.
Administrative contact email for the registered domain, and must be current.
Authorization or EPP code for the domain (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .us, .name, and .info TLDs only).

If you do not have the above information on hand, you can obtain it from Register.com.

Note: A domain transfer cannot succeed unless the domain name is unlocked, the administrative e-mail address is valid, and the correct authorization code is provided (for .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us., .name, and .info domains).

Unlocking the Domain

By default, all domains registered with Register.com are placed under DOMAIN LOCK protection. Domain locking serves to prevent unauthorized transfers of your domain. Before Godaddy can send a domain transfer request, the lock must be removed at Register.com and the registry status verified as "Active".

How to Unlock a Domain at Register.com

Log in to your Register.com Account Manager.
From the main menu, select the domain you want to unlock. The domain details display.
In the "Enable/Disable Domain Lock" section, click "Disable Domain Lock" (If the domain is unlocked, the link displays as "Enable Domain Lock").
Click "Continue" to view the Register.com confirmation page.

You can then initiate the domain transfer through Godaddy, but it may take up to 24 hours before Go Daddy's system recognizes the status change to unlocked.

Domain Administrative Contact

The administrative contact is one of the four contacts listed in the Whois database for a registered domain. The contact information is defined by the registrant when the domain was initially purchased through Register.com.

As part of the domain transfer process, Go Daddy will send a transfer-approval e-mail message to the domain's administrative contact listed in the Whois database. The e-mail message will contain the Transaction ID and Security Code that enable the administrative contact to approve the transfer. The Transaction ID and Security Code will be generated when the transfer request is made through Godaddy and you have paid the new registration fee.

If you have just removed the lock from a domain registered with Register.com (using the "unlock" procedure as described above), 24 hours should elapse before the administrative contact responds to the transfer approval e-mail message from Godaddy, as it can take up to 24 hours before Go Daddy recognizes changes to the domain's Whois information. Any attempt to respond to the transfer approval message before the status change has been completed will result in a transfer failure. You will receive an instant e-mail notification of the failed transfer.

Changing the Domain Administrative Contact

If you need to alter the contact information for your domain's administrative contact, follow these steps:

Log in to your Register.com Account Manager.
Select the domain name for which you want to update contact information.
In the "Domain Contacts" section, click "Edit Registrant, Administrative Contact and Technical Contact".
Select the contact for which you want to update contact information, and then click "Edit".
Edit the displayed contact information as needed.
Click "Continue".
Verify the revised contact information; then click "Continue".

The updated contact information displays. Note that it may take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect.

Authorization Code

In order to transfer a .com, .net, .biz, .info, .name, . org, or .us domain name you will need an authorization code. An authorization code is a unique code assigned by registrars to .com, .net, .biz, .us, .info, .name, and .org domain names at the time of registration. To obtain the authorization code for your domain, contact Register.com at one of the following numbers:

Toll free within the U.S. and Canada: (877) 866-0045.
Outside the U.S. and Canada: (902) 749-2056.

Transferring Domain

Assuming that the above issues are in order, the domain transfer to Godaddy proceeds like this:

Advise the domain's administrative contact that the domain name is being transferred.
Go Daddy will e-mail the administrative contact by the next business day with instructions on how to approve the transfer.
Once the administrative contact has approved the domain transfer, Go Daddy will send a transfer request to the registry. If the domain's administrative contact does not have access to the Go Daddy account from which the transfer request was purchased, the recipient of the e-mail request must forward the Transaction ID and Security Code to someone who does. These codes must be entered on the Pending Domain Transfer screen in your Go Daddy account in order to approve the transfer. Once the Transaction ID and Security Code are successfully entered, Go Daddy will request the transfer at the registry. The registrar of record then has five (5) calendar days to deny the transfer. If the registrar of record does not deny the transfer, the transfer is automatically approved.
The registry will contact Register.com via e-mail.
Register.com will notify the administrative contact of the transfer via e-mail.
Register.com will send an acceptance or rejection notice to the registry. If the registrar fails to deny the transfer within five days, the registry will move the domain registration to Go Daddy.
The registry will notify Go Daddy of the acceptance or rejection.
Go Daddy will inform you via e-mail that the transfer is complete.

Should the domain transfer fail, Go Daddy will notify you via e-mail. You may resubmit your transfer request if the transfer fails. However, to ensure that the information listed in your transfer request remains valid, you will have only 30 days from the time of your purchase to complete the transfer at Go Daddy.

Orangetree Internet Service LLC, located in Santa Cruz, CA., provides technical assistance to small and medium sized businesses with Domain Registration Services, including domain portfolio management. Contact us at 830-212-1884 for more information.