The term "transfer" can refer to different operations in different scenarios. This topic helps you identify your goal (changing your registrar, moving a domain name between Alibaba Cloud accounts, or changing its registrant) and guides you to the correct procedure.
Concepts
Concept | Purpose | Core Changes |
Registrar transfer | Change the registrar of your domain name. | This process migrates the domain's management platform from one registrar to another. For example, from GoDaddy to Alibaba Cloud. |
Inter-account transfer | Change the account that manages the domain name, but stay with the same registrar. | This process moves the domain name from Alibaba Cloud Account A to Account B, but the registrant remains the same. |
Change of Registrant | Change the legal registrant (owner) of the domain name. | This process changes the registrant from Person A to Person B, but the domain continues to be managed under the same account. |
Scenarios and reference
Find your scenario in the table below and follow the link to the corresponding reference.
Scenario | Description | Estimated time | Reference |
Transfer to Alibaba Cloud | Transfer a domain name from another registrar to Alibaba Cloud for centralized management. | Typically 5-7 business days. It depends on the processing time of the registry and the confirmation time of your current registrar. | |
Transfer out from Alibaba Cloud | Transfer a domain name registered with Alibaba Cloud to another registrar. | ||
Transfer between Alibaba Cloud accounts | Move a domain name from one Alibaba Cloud account to another. | Effective immediately. | |
Change the registrant | Change the domain name's registrant (owner) or update the registrant's contact information. | Typically 3-5 business days. | Modify registrant contact information or transfer domain name ownership |
Alibaba Cloud does not support directly transferring a domain name between China Site accounts and International Site accounts.
To transfer a domain name from an International Site account to a China Site account, you must perform a standard registrar transfer: Initiate a Transfer Out in the current account to get its authorization code. Then, start a Transfer In process in the destination account.
Billing
Scenario | Billing |
Transfer to Alibaba Cloud | Charged. The transfer itself is free. However, you are charged a one-year renewal fee for the domain, because ICANN requires a one-year extension of registration period upon transfer. |
Transfer between Alibaba Cloud accounts | Free. |
Transfer out from Alibaba Cloud | Free. Alibaba Cloud does not charge a fee. However, the new registrar charges a one-year renewal fee for the transfer. |
Change the registrant | Free. |
FAQ
Will my website experience downtime during the domain transfer?
Inter-account transfer: No, this does not affect DNS resolution.
Registrar transfer: If you only transfer the domain name and do not change the DNS servers, your website access and DNS resolution are not affected. If you also need to migrate your DNS service, perform a smooth DNS migration before you transfer the domain name.
Why did my domain name transfer fail?
Common reasons include the following:
The domain is within the 60-day lock period after a new registration or a previous transfer.
You did not obtain the correct authorization code (Auth Code) from the current registrar.
The domain is in the
clientTransferProhibitedstate, indicating it is locked by the current registrar. Disable the transfer lock at the registrar's platform.The domain has expired or is involved in a legal dispute.