Absolutely not. The ownership of the domain name will remain the same after the transfer, as it was before the transfer. You register it, you own it - 100%.

A domain transfer is more accurately described as a domain registrar transfer, because it involves the transfer of the name from one ICANN registrar to another, at the request of the domain owner. ICANN created the domain transfer scheme to enable domain registrants to easily move their domain names between different ICANN registrars. So even after your register your name, you are not locked in to the registrar you selected at time of registration.

No, everything on your domain name record will remain the same when you transfer it, including your current Hosting company, and DNS record information. The expiration date is the only thing that will change, which will have an automatic extension of one year from the previous registration date with the losing registrar.

If you want to change Hosting companies, or update your domain name contact information, you will be able to make changes to your domain name by using our Domain Manager. You will need your username and password to make any changes.

Make sure that the email address on your current domain record is correct. One of the most common reasons for domain transfer to fail, is an old or incorrect email address for the administrative contact of your domain name on the Whois record with the current registrar.

It is the gaining registrar that is responsible for the transfer operation, so you need to apply to perform the transfer with them, not the losing registrar. Once you have made the application, the gaining registrar is responsible for ensuring that the transfer request is a valid request from the domain's owner. This validation normally comes in the form of an e-mail sent to the admin contact which requires a reply, though some registrars use signed faxes as an alternative. In addition, some losing registrars have decided that 'double-checking' is a good idea, so when you request a transfer away from them, they will perform additional security checks. They may require you to answer an e-mail within a short time period, or even send a notarized letter. After the transfer is complete, a year is always added to the end of the domain registration period.

Use a WHOIS tool. Type in your domain name and look for the line which reads something like this (the exact format depends on which ICANN registrar the name is registered with):

Record expires on 19-Oct-2005.

This depends on which ICANN registrar your name is registered with, but the trend is definitely moving towards transfers failing once the expiry date has passed. The registrar will place your name "on hold" for non-payment as soon as the expiry date is reached. You will then need to pay to renew the name before you can get it transferred to a different registrar.

No, you should not be charged by the losing registrar, provided the name is in a "paid status". However some registrars may refuse the transfer. If you registered the name free of charge using a special offer for instance.

Most transfers are done and dusted within ten working days, some are even completed after a couple of days. But there are many reasons for possible hold-ups. Ideally you should allow a full calendar month to complete a transfer.

1) If the name hasn't yet been registered for 60 days.
2) If the name has a "registrar lock" on it i.e. is "on-hold".
3) If the gaining registrar is not satisfied the transfer request is genuine.
4) If the losing registrar is not satisfied the transfer request is genuine.

Although this varies from ICANN registrar to ICANN registrar, in general, it is always best to be listed as the admin contact for your name. With many registrars, the admin contact, or more precisely the person receiving the e-mail of the admin contact, is the "de facto" owner of the domain name. However, if you are not listed as the admin contact, you may still indeed be able to transfer your name. But in that case you will need to be listed as the domain registrant, and use a signed fax to authorize the transfer request. If in any doubt, contact your registrar's support department before initiating a transfer request.

Yes, many do. It is an increasing trend in the domain industry, particularly from the expensive registrars which are losing out. They are doing everything possible to make transferring names out of their system as difficult as possible in order to protect their market share.

The gaining registrar should inform you. Also, you can check the WHOIS regularly to see which registrar is listed as having the name in their database. Look for a line such as:

Registrar: ENOM, INC.

When this has updated to become the gaining registrar, the transfer is essentially complete, though it may take a day or two more before you can being managing your name.

It should be, but occassionally administration errors creep in. So always check the expiry date in the WHOIS information a couple of days after the transfer has been completed to make sure a year has actually been added. Look out for a line such as:

DOMAIN EXPIRES : 2003-03-19 06:40:44

The exact format of this line varies according to the ICANN registrar in question.

Most domain hijacking is carried out using the domain transfer system. Domain hijackers attempt to locate gaining registrars that have relatively weak security checks when validating incoming transfer requests. And if your name gets transferred away to a different registrar by a hijacker, they are in total control of the name.