How to transfer your domains out of RegisterFly

Out of the more than 2 million domain names held by RegisterFly, four of them are owned by me (Not a lot compared to what you have, I know!). But just like you, I don’t want my domains held hostaged by Registerfly due to the current fiasco they are in (What fiasco? It’s here: Your domains with RegisterFly.com may be in danger).

Last weekend, I tested the waters by moving only one domain from RegisterFly and to GoDaddy. After its successful transfer, I decided to move all remaining three.

The transfer process is easy, but you need to read the fine lines and follow the procedure correctly. Otherwise your domains can end up stucked with RegisterFly, expired and unusable.

Here’s a step-by-step guide I made to help you swiftly and securely transfer your domains out of Registerfly.

1. Start by determining who the “real” registrar of your domain names is. You can use any WHOIS service to do this, but I prefer to use whois.sc. Using WHOIS, check which one appears as the ICANN registrar.

Registry Data
ICANN Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Created: xxx
Expires: xxx

If the ICANN registrar shows “eNom”, you’re in luck because the transfer process will be really easy. However, if the recorded ICANN Registrar is “RegisterFly.com”, domain transfer is still possible but more steps are needed to finish the process. Jump to #4 if your domain’s ICANN Registrar is RegisterFly.

2. If your domain’s WHOIS shows eNom as the ICANN Registrar, go to http://www.enomcentral.com/ and create an account. Then email customersupport@enom.com with a screenshot of the domains within your RegisterFly account, a list of your domains, a photo ID, and the login ID of your enomcentral.com account.

3. Wait for correspondences from eNom regarding the next steps or contact them directly using the phone number at their site. Your domains will be transferred to eNom and you will gain control of your domains in no time.

4. If your domain’s ICANN Registrar is RegisterFly, transfer is still possible but it may take a longer time. To transfer domains to a new registrar, normally you need to have:

• A domain status of Unlocked or Active
• A transfer authorization code (for .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us, .name, and .info TLDs)
• Final transfer approval from the losing registrar

Getting these from your registrar should be easy, but given the current chaos in RegisterFly, you can’t rely on them right now. Support tickets seem to be left unanswered (reports say RegisterFly merely deletes tickets without responding) and you will be kept on hold for hours if you try calling them. Don’t fret, though, you can still proceed with the transfer.

5. Start by logging in to your RegisterFly.com account. Disable ProtectFly if you are using it (Update: If you have difficulties removing ProtectFly, refer to the article How to disable ProtectFly in your RegisterFly domains). Then check whether the status of your domains is “Locked” or “Unlocked”. Do this by going to “Manage Domains” and clicking the appropriate domain to access the Domain Control Panel. In the Control Panel, if the “Domain Status” is “Unlocked”, you can proceed to the next step. If it is “Locked”, click the “Locked” link, uncheck the check box then click “Update”. The domain should now show an “Unlocked” status.

6. Access the “Domain Contact Information” of the domain. Input a valid email in the email address field. This is important because this is where the Transaction ID and Security Code associated with the transfer will be sent. Once this has been properly updated, choose the new registrar where you want your domains transferred to. You can use eNom or some other registrar. In my case (and will apply to the examples below), I used GoDaddy.com.

7. Go to GoDaddy.com account, then go to “Domains > Transfer a Domain.” Follow the instructions on how to complete the transfer. BEWARE! Even though you have paid, it doesn’t mean the transfer is complete. You need to do a few things to finish the process.

8. Login to your GoDaddy account and go to “Manage Domains”. In the “Pending Transfers” section, you will find the domains you are planning to transfer. Check your email to view the Transaction ID and Security Code associated with this transfer. If you did not receive one, request to resend it via the “Resend Email” button.

9. Click “Authorization > Begin Transfer Authorization” and input the Transaction ID and Security Code. You will then be asked to authorize or reject the transfer.

10. After authorizing the transfer, you will be asked the domain’s Authorization Code. Now this is tricky. Normally, you will have to request this from RegisterFly, but there’s a way to get this without having to contact them. Access “Manage Domains” in your RegisterFly.com account, click the appropriate domain and go to “Domain Contact Information”. Click “Configure”. At the very bottom, right below “Billing Information”, is… voila! your Authorization Code. Copy and put this in the “Authorization Code” field in GoDaddy.

11. Your domain status will now change to “Pending Current Registrar Approval”. This means you need one final approval from the losing registrar to complete the transfer. Two days after my request, I received a “Transfer Away Request” email from RegisterFly (I requested on Saturday, got the email on Monday). In the email, click the link that confirms the transfer and input the “Transfer Key” included in the email. If, after waiting for several days however, the Transfer Away Request email did not come, don’t fret! According to ICANN’s rules, if the losing registrar did not act on a transfer request within 5 days, the transfer is automatically completed.

12. Double-check if the transfer did materialize by checking your domain’s WHOIS information.

Hope this helps! Good luck flying away from RegisterFly!