Transfer of UK domain names

At Profitengineers we take a clear and professional approach to transferring domains upon request, provided the owner has settled all outstanding debts owed to us.

Here is a breakdown of the steps any agent should take to make a requested transfer:

If we did not register your domain for you and your domain is not being managed by us:

1. Prepare for the Transfer

  • Check Domain Eligibility: Ensure the domain is eligible for transfer. The domain should be unlocked, and you (or the current owner) should have access to the domain’s registrar account.

  • Obtain New Owner’s Details: Gather the new owner’s contact details, including name, address, and email, as this information will be required by the registrar.

2. Initiate Transfer with Nominet

  • Nominet, the official registry for .uk domains, manages ownership changes for .co.uk domains.

  • Login to Nominet: The current owner must log in to their Nominet account. If they don’t have a Nominet account, they can create one on Nominet’s website.

  • Transfer the Domain: Within the Nominet account, go to the “Domain Management” section and select the option to transfer the domain to a new registrant.

3. Pay the Transfer Fee

  • Nominet charges a transfer fee (usually around £10 + VAT) for changing ownership of .co.uk domains. This fee is paid by the current owner initiating the transfer.

4. Enter New Owner’s Details

  • During the transfer process, you will be prompted to enter the new owner’s contact information. Ensure all details are accurate, as this will update the ownership records.

5. New Owner Accepts the Transfer

  • Nominet will send an email to the new owner with instructions to accept the transfer. The new owner must follow the link in the email and accept the domain transfer in their own Nominet account.

  • If the new owner does not have a Nominet account, they’ll need to create one to accept the transfer.

6. Update Registrar Information (if necessary)

  • After the transfer is complete, the new owner may need to update the domain’s registrar (hosting company) information. This step may involve contacting the hosting provider to ensure the domain is pointing to the correct servers, if applicable.

7. Update WHOIS Information

  • Once the transfer is complete, the new owner’s details will be updated in the WHOIS database to reflect the change in ownership.

8. Verify the Transfer

  • Both the original and new owners should verify that the transfer was successful by checking the WHOIS information and ensuring the domain is accessible under the new owner’s account with the domain registrar.

If we registered your domain and we are managing it for you, provided all outstanding debts have been settled, there will be no further charge made by us. Here is how it works:

  1. Obtain the New Registrar’s IPS TAG:

    • Each UK domain registrar has a unique IPS TAG (Internet Provider Security TAG) registered with Nominet. Ask the new owner or their preferred registrar for their IPS TAG.

  2. Change the IPS TAG in Your Registrar Account:

    • Log in to your current registrar account where the domain is registered.
    • Locate the option to change the IPS TAG for the domain. This option is typically found in the domain management settings.
    • Enter the new IPS TAG provided by the new owner’s registrar.

  3. Confirm the Transfer:

    • Once we update the IPS TAG, the domain transfer will proceed. Changing the IPS TAG effectively transfers the domain to the new registrar, where the new owner can then take full control.
    • In most cases, the change is instantaneous, though the new registrar may require the new owner to accept the transfer on their end.

  4. Complete Ownership Transfer with Nominet (if needed):

    • Changing the IPS TAG transfers the domain to a different registrar but does not change the legal owner in Nominet’s records.
    • If you’re also transferring ownership (not just the registrar), the current registrant still needs to initiate the transfer through Nominet’s account to update the registrant details. This is where the transfer fee applies, as mentioned before.
    • Please note that if we are managing the domain name, we would normally try to add the new owner’s details before making the transfer in which case this may avoid the new owner having to pay any other fees but this odes depend entirely on the new owner’s registrar. At Profitengneers we do not charge transfer fees but we might be unusual.

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