"Transfer" can mean changing your registrar, moving a domain between Alibaba Cloud accounts, or changing its registrant. Identify your goal below and follow the correct procedure.
Concepts
Concept | Purpose | Core Changes |
Registrar transfer | Change your domain's registrar. | The domain moves from one registrar to another, such as from GoDaddy to Alibaba Cloud. |
Inter-account transfer | Move the domain to a different account under the same registrar. | The domain moves from Alibaba Cloud Account A to Account B. The registrant stays the same. |
Change of Registrant | Change the domain's legal owner. | The registrant changes from Person A to Person B. The domain stays under the same account. |
Scenarios and references
Find your scenario below.
Scenario | Description | Estimated time | Reference |
Transfer to Alibaba Cloud | Transfer a domain from another registrar to Alibaba Cloud. | Typically 5-7 business days. Depends on registry and registrar processing time. | |
Transfer out from Alibaba Cloud | Transfer a domain from Alibaba Cloud to another registrar. | ||
Transfer between Alibaba Cloud accounts | Move a domain from one Alibaba Cloud account to another. | Effective immediately. | |
Change the registrant | Change the domain's registrant (owner) or update registrant contact information. | Typically 3-5 business days. |
Direct inter-account transfers between China Site accounts and International Site accounts are not supported.
To move a domain from an International Site account to a China Site account, perform a standard registrar transfer: Use the account where the domain is currently registered to initiate a Transfer Out and obtain the authorization code, then start a Transfer In in the destination account.
Billing
Scenario | Billing |
Transfer to Alibaba Cloud | Charged. The transfer is free, but ICANN requires a one-year registration extension, so you pay a one-year renewal fee. |
Transfer between Alibaba Cloud accounts | Free. |
Transfer out from Alibaba Cloud | Free from Alibaba Cloud. The new registrar charges a one-year renewal fee. |
Change the registrant | Free. |
FAQ
Will my website go down during a domain transfer?
Inter-account transfer: No. DNS resolution is unaffected.
Registrar transfer: No impact if you keep the same DNS servers. If you also migrate DNS, perform a smooth DNS migration before transferring the domain.
Why did my domain name transfer fail?
Common reasons:
The domain is within the 60-day lock period after registration or a previous transfer.
The authorization code (Auth Code) from the current registrar is incorrect or missing.
The domain is in
clientTransferProhibitedstate. Disable the transfer lock at your current registrar.The domain has expired or is involved in a legal dispute.