This topic answers frequently asked questions about transferring domain names to and from Alibaba Cloud.
Question navigation
Transfer-in
What is a domain name transfer-in?
A domain name transfer-in is the process of moving the registration of a domain name from another registrar to Alibaba Cloud. After a successful transfer, Alibaba Cloud becomes your new registrar and provides all domain management services, including renewal, information management, and security settings.
How do I transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud?
For more information about the transfer-in procedure, see Transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.
How can I check if my domain name is eligible for transfer?
On the Domain Prices page, check if your domain name's TLD is listed and has a price in the Transfer column. If the TLD is not listed or the price is a hyphen (-), the domain name cannot be transferred to Alibaba Cloud.
What are the rules for a domain name transfer-in?
Supported TLDs: Go to the Domain Prices page and confirm that your TLD is listed with a price in the Transfer column.
NoteAlibaba Cloud currently supports the transfer-in of domain names with English and Chinese TLDs. Domain names with TLDs in other languages, such as Russian or Japanese, are not supported.
Registration time: The domain name must have been registered for more than 60 days.
Time to expiration: The domain name must be more than 15 days from its expiration date.
Domain name status: The domain name cannot be in an abnormal state, such as
clientTransferProhibited,serverTransferProhibited, orclientHold.Dispute status: The domain name cannot be involved in any dispute, arbitration, or court-ordered transfer restriction.
Registration period: The total registration period after the transfer cannot exceed 10 years. If a transfer would extend the registration beyond this limit, it will fail.
If you transfer a domain name within 45 days of renewing it with your current registrar, the renewal year you just paid for might be voided by ICANN policy. To avoid this, we recommend waiting at least 45 days after a renewal before initiating a transfer.
Contact information: Make sure that the administrative contact information for the domain name is correct. All subsequent confirmation emails related to the transfer-in will be sent to the administrative contact's email address.
Is there a fee for a domain name transfer-in?
Yes. While the transfer itself is free, ICANN regulations require a one-year renewal when transferring a domain name to a new registrar. Therefore, the transfer fee is equivalent to a one-year renewal. You can view the transfer-in prices for various domain names in the Transfer column on the Domain Prices page.
For example, if the original expiration date of a domain name is August 1, 2016, you must pay a one-year fee for the transfer-in. After the transfer is successful, the expiration date of the domain name is extended by one year to August 1, 2017.
The prices listed are for standard domain names. For premium domain names, the price is determined in real time and may be higher. The final price is shown at checkout.
How long does a domain name transfer-in take?
A domain name transfer typically takes five to seven business days. The exact duration depends on how quickly your current registrar processes the transfer-out request.
Can I transfer in a domain name that I just renewed?
Yes, but we strongly recommend waiting at least 45 days after the renewal. If you transfer a domain name within 45 days of renewing it, ICANN policy may void the renewal year that you just paid for. Although the transfer itself adds one year of registration, you risk losing the renewal year. Contact your original registrar to understand their refund policy for this scenario.
How do I transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud if it was registered less than 60 days ago?
You cannot. Per ICANN policy, a domain name cannot be transferred to a new registrar within 60 days of its initial registration. You must wait for this 60-day period to pass before initiating a transfer.
Can I transfer in a domain name that is about to expire?
Yes, as long as the domain name is more than 15 days from its expiration date.
How do I transfer an expired domain name to Alibaba Cloud?
You must first renew or redeem the domain name with your current registrar. Once the domain name is active again, you can initiate the transfer. To avoid losing the renewal year you just paid for, we strongly recommend waiting at least 45 days after the renewal or redemption before you start the transfer.
Are DNS records transferred along with the domain name?
No. A domain name transfer only moves the registration from one registrar to another. It does not migrate your DNS records (such as A, CNAME, and MX records). These records remain with your current DNS provider. To avoid downtime, you must migrate your DNS records to Alibaba Cloud DNS before you initiate the domain name transfer. For more information about how to migrate DNS resolution, see Smoothly migrate domain name resolution to Alibaba Cloud DNS.
Does a domain name transfer-in affect DNS resolution?
Yes, a transfer can affect DNS resolution if not managed correctly. For more information, see How to avoid DNS resolution issues when you transfer a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.
Does a domain name transfer-in affect ICP filing information?
No, a domain name transfer does not affect your ICP filing. The filing remains valid unless you cancel it or your service provider cancels it.
What information should I use for the gaining registrar during a transfer?
If your current registrar requires you to specify the gaining registrar's information to approve a transfer, use the following details for Alibaba Cloud.
Full name: Alibaba Cloud Computing Ltd. (d/b/a HiChina)
Registrar contact: 4008013260
What should I do if the original registrar does not approve the transfer-out?
If your current registrar rejects or improperly restricts the transfer, you can file a complaint directly with them. If they do not cooperate, you can escalate the issue to the registry.
For international domain names: File a complaint at Complaint regarding international domain names.
Why was the expiration date of my domain name not extended by one year after the transfer-in?
A domain name transfer includes a one-year registration extension. If your domain name's expiration date was not extended after a successful transfer, it is likely due to one of the following causes:
Cause 1: The domain name was transferred within 45 days of renewal. Per ICANN policy, if you transfer a domain name within 45 days of its renewal, the registry voids that renewal year and refunds the fee to the original registrar. Although the transfer adds one year, the net result is no change to the expiration date.
Solution: Contact the original registrar to request a refund of the renewal fee.
NoteTo avoid this issue, always wait at least 45 days after renewing a domain name before initiating a transfer.
Cause 2: The previous registrar had not processed your renewal. You may have paid for a renewal with your previous registrar, but they did not submit it to the registry before you initiated the transfer. In this scenario, only the one-year extension from the transfer is applied.
Solution: Use a WHOIS lookup tool to verify the domain name's official expiration date. You must contact your previous registrar to request a refund for the renewal fee they failed to process.
A successful transfer to Alibaba Cloud confirms that your transfer fee was processed. If you also paid a renewal fee to your previous registrar that was not applied to the domain name's registration period, you must contact them directly for a refund.
Is my domain name's remaining validity period preserved after a transfer?
Yes. The transfer process adds one year to your domain name's existing expiration date. However, per ICANN policy, a domain name's total registration period cannot exceed 10 years.
For example, if your domain name has two years remaining, it will have three years after a successful transfer. If your domain name has 9.5 years remaining, the transfer will extend its validity to the 10-year maximum, resulting in only a 6-month extension. You are still charged the full transfer fee in this case.
Transfer-out
How long does a domain name transfer-out take?
A transfer-out is the process of moving a domain name from Alibaba Cloud to another registrar. This process typically takes five to seven business days. After the transfer is complete, Alibaba Cloud no longer manages your domain registration.
What are the rules for a domain name transfer-out?
If your domain name uses Alibaba Cloud DNS, you must migrate your DNS records and change the authoritative name servers to your new provider before initiating the transfer to avoid service interruptions.
If your domain name was registered or last transferred before 2016, its contact information may be incomplete. You must update this information before you can obtain an authorization code, which may require you to complete an ownership change process first.
Transfer-out rule | Description |
The registrar must be Alibaba Cloud. | None |
The domain name must be registered for more than 60 days. | None |
The domain name must be more than 15 days away from expiration. | We recommend initiating the transfer at least 30 days before expiration to prevent potential issues. |
The domain name must be more than 60 days since the last registrar transfer. | None |
The domain name status must be Normal. |
|
The domain name must be more than 45 days since the last renewal. | To ensure the transfer's one-year extension is applied correctly, initiate the transfer more than 45 days after the last renewal. |
Concurrent transfers are not allowed. | You cannot perform multiple transfers on the same domain name at the same time. Wait for the current transfer to complete before starting a new one. |
How do I transfer a domain name out of Alibaba Cloud?
For more information about the transfer-out procedure, see Transfer out from Alibaba Cloud.
Can a domain name transfer-out be canceled?
Yes, you can cancel a pending transfer-out request before it is approved by following these steps:
Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console and click the domain name that you want to transfer out to go to the Basic Information page.
In the left-side pane, click .
ImportantIf the Cancel Transfer-out button is not available, the transfer is already complete and cannot be canceled. You can initiate a transfer back to Alibaba Cloud after 60 days. For the transfer-in procedure, see Transfer to Alibaba Cloud.
How do I check the status of a domain name transfer-out?
Perform a WHOIS lookup on the domain name. The transfer is complete when the registrar information is updated to your new registrar.
Go to the WHOIS lookup page.
Enter the domain name to be checked and click Search.
If the registrar listed is no longer Alibaba Cloud, the transfer-out was successful.
Is the validity period of a domain name affected by a transfer-out?
Yes. A transfer-out adds one year to your domain name's current expiration date. For example, if a domain name set to expire on March 1, 2024, is successfully transferred in December 2023, its new expiration date will be March 1, 2025.
However, if you renew a domain name shortly before transferring it, we recommend waiting at least 45 days after the renewal to begin the transfer. This helps ensure that both the renewal year and the transfer year are correctly applied by the registry.
Authorization code
What is an authorization code?
An authorization code, also known as an Auth Code or an Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) key, is a unique password for a domain name. It is required to authorize the transfer of a domain name between registrars.
To transfer a domain name, you must obtain the code from your current registrar and provide it to the new registrar. For instructions on how to get your authorization code from Alibaba Cloud, see Obtain the authorization code for a domain name.
What should I do if the reseller does not provide the authorization code?
File a complaint directly with the registrar.
If the registrar does not cooperate, file a complaint with ICANN.
According to ICANN's transfer policy, your current registrar cannot unreasonably deny a transfer request or charge a fee for providing an authorization code.
If your registrar is obstructing the transfer or demanding a fee, you can file a complaint with ICANN by submitting a Transfer Complaint Form.
After I obtain the authorization code, how long do I have to submit a transfer-in request to the new registrar?
Authorization codes have a limited validity period, often 15 days. You should initiate the transfer with your new registrar as soon as you receive the code. If the code expires, you must request a new one.
Transfer-in failures
If a domain name transfer-in fails or is canceled, will the fee be refunded?
Yes. If a domain name transfer fails or is canceled, the transfer fee will be refunded to your original payment method. Please note that vouchers are non-refundable.
What should I do if a transfer-in fails because the domain name is in the transfer-prohibited status?
Cause 1: The domain name has a transfer lock.
Solution: Contact your current registrar and ask them to remove the transfer lock (also known as a registrar lock). You can check your domain name's status by using a WHOIS lookup tool.
Cause 2: The domain name is at its maximum 10-year registration limit. A transfer adds one year to the domain name's registration. If this extension would cause the total registration period to exceed 10 years, the transfer will fail.
Solution: Wait until the domain name's registration period is less than nine years, then re-initiate the transfer.
What should I do if a transfer-in fails due to incorrect domain name format?
Cause: Alibaba Cloud does not support the transfer-in of domain names with the specified TLD.
Solution: To view the TLDs that can be transferred to Alibaba Cloud, see the Domain Prices page.
What should I do if a transfer-in fails due to rejection from the original registrar?
Cause: The original registrar rejected the transfer, or you canceled the transfer through the original registrar.
Solution: You must contact the original registrar to resolve the issue.
What should I do if a transfer-in fails due to invalid naming?
Cause: Your domain name does not comply with naming conventions.
Solution: If your domain name fails the naming audit, it cannot be transferred to Alibaba Cloud. For more information about domain name naming conventions and transfer-in rules, see Domain name naming conventions and Rules for transferring a domain name to Alibaba Cloud.