Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy

A. Transfer is authorized by Holder

1. Requests to the Registrar

The holder of the registered name should have a possibility of a transfer of the domain names between Registrars provided that process of a transfer of the receiving Registrar corresponds to minimum standards of the present Order and such transfer is not forbidden by rules of Registry. Process of a transfer between Registrars should be transparent and be conducted escaping ambiguities. Also, Registrars should accept corresponding actions on informing the Holder of the registered name and having granted access to the published information of each transfer conducted by Registrars.

1.1 Authorities of a transfer

Only Administrative contact and Holder of the registered name which are indicated at the losing Registrar or (in case of a possibility) publicly accessible WHOIS service, have the right to confirmation or cancellation of inquiry of a transfer of the receiving Registrar. In case of rise of a disputable situation, the Holder has the greater right rather than Administrative contact.

Registrars can use WHOIS data from records of Registrar or Registry for the purposes of check of authenticity of a transfer inquiry.

2. Requests to the receiving Registrar

In each case when Holder of the registered name requests a registration transfer of a domain name to other Registrar, the receiving Registrar should:

2.1 Receive confirmation (authorization) of a transfer from Holder of the registered name or Administrative contact (further transfer Contact). Thus, the transfer can be made only if confirmation of a transfer from Contact of a transfer is received.

2.1.1 Authorization is carried out using the current Authorization Form (AF). There are two various kinds of AF, accessible on a site of Registry. AF named "Initial authorization of a Registrar transfer" should be used by the receiving Registrar for inquiry of authorization of a transfer from Transfer Contact. AF named "Confirmation of inquiry of a Registrar transfer" can be used by the current Registrar for inquiry of confirmation of a transfer from Transfer Contact.

2.1.2 If the receiving Registrar relies upon process of physical authorization the receiving Registrar incurs responsibilities of receiving of the reliable certificate of Contact identification of a transfer and maintaining of the corresponding records confirming that such certificate has been received. Also, the receiving Registrar is obliged to make sure, that the requested person is really authorized for the given transfer. Acceptable forms of the certificate can be:

  • Notarially certified application;
  • Passport or identification card;
  • The certificate of registration for the legal person (for Legal persons);

2.1.3 In case the receiving Registrar relies upon the electronic form of receiving of transfer authorization, acceptable forms of identification can include:

  • Electronic signature according to the current legislation of the receiving Registrar's country (in case if such legislation exists);
  • The consent of the natural or legal person who has the address of e-mail identical to the address of Contact of a transfer.

The current Registrar cannot cancel inquiry of a transfer being based on reliance, that the receiving Registrar has not received confirmation described above.

Transfer cannot be allowed to realization if the receiving Registrar has not received corresponding confirmation. Presumption in all cases will be those as though the receiving Registrar has received and has made sure of transfer inquiry, made by transfer Contact.

2.2 The inquiry of transfer by dispatch of a command "transfer", described in the program interface of Registrar makes changes in a database of the operator of the Registry (register) reflecting a new Registrar.

2.2.1 Dispatch of a command "transfer" by Registrar means, that such Registrar has necessary confirmation from transfer Contact indicated in Whois.

2.2.2 The receiving Registrar bears responsibility for check of Holder's inquiries of the registered name on a transfer of domain names between Registrars. However, it does not exclude that the current Registrar under own discretion can receive independent confirmation of Holder's intent of the registered name to carry out a transfer of a domain name to the receiving Registrar according to item 3 of the present Order.

3. Responsibilities of the current Registrar

The current Registrar can independently request confirmation of Holder's intents of the registered name at the moment of receiving notification of Registry on a transfer. The current Registrar should use the acting Authorization Form (AF) to be sure, that such inquiry is informative enough for Holder of the registered name.

AF should be deported by the current Registrar to Transfer Contact immediately within the limits of operational possibilities of the Registrar, but not later than 24 hours after receiving inquiry of a transfer from Registry.

Inability of the current Registrar to grant the answer within 5 (five) calendar days from the moment of the notification by Registry means confirmation of transfer inquiry by Registrar.

In case Transfer Contact indicated in WHOIS has not confirmed transfer inquiry to the current Registrar and the current Registrar has not forbidden obviously, action by default will be such as though the current Registrar has allowed realization of a transfer.

In case of cancellation of inquiry of a transfer for any reason, the current Registrar should grant the Holder of the registered name and the potential receiving Registrar the reason of such refusal. The current Registrar can cancel transfer inquiry in the following specific cases:

  1. Certificate of forgery is received
  2. Actions according to Dispute Resolution Policy
  3. Court decisions of the corresponding jurisdiction
  4. Dispute between Holder of the registered name and Administrative contact
  5. Non-payments of the previous period of registration (including the recall of payment on the credit card) if period of support of a domain name or a current period of registration has expired, if period of support has not expired. In all such cases Registrar should establish the status to a domain name "is suspended" ("Hold") before cancellation of inquiry of a transfer.
  6. Obvious written objection from Transfer Contact (email, fax, letter, etc.)
  7. The domain name already had the status "is blocked" ("Lock") meaning, that the Registrar has exhibited feasible and reasonable requests to the Holder of the registered name for removal of the status "is blocked".
  8. The period of 60 calendar days for again registered domain name has not expired.
  9. The period of 60 calendar days (or a smaller period if it is specially determined) after the previous transfer (except for a transfer back to the previous Registrar in a case when both Registrars came to the consent and/or when process of the decision of dispute specifies so) has not expired.

Cases when the requested change of Registrar cannot be dismissed, include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Non-payment for the future (unaccrued) period of a support
  • The answer from the Holder of the registered name or Administrative contact is not received;
  • The domain name has the status "is blocked", with the exception if the possibility to unblock domain name before inquiry of a transfer is given to Holder of the registered name;
  • Limitations of a registration period of a domain name other, rather than the first 60 days at initial registration or the first 60 days after the previous transfer

The current Registrar has other mechanisms, allowing to receive payment from Holder of the registered name which do not depend on a transfer process. So, in case of dispute on the payment, the current Registrar should not use transfer procedure as the mechanism of the insurance of payment from Holder of the registered name. Exceptions for these requests are the following:

  • (1) In case of the non-payment of the previous period of registration if the transfer is requested after completion of this period,
  • (2) In case of the non-payment of a current period of registration if the transfer is requested before the expiration of a registration period.

4. Coordination of Registrars

Each Registrar bears responsibility for a storage of copies of documents, including Forms of authorization and answers of Transfer Contacts to them which can require for submission and a support of disputes according to Dispute Resolution Policy.

The receiving Registrar should keep copies of Authorization Forms in that kind as they were received from Transfer Contact. Copies of reliable certificate of identification should remain deposited together with Authorization Forms.

Both, the receiving Registrar and the current Registrar should grant certificate on a transfer in continuation and after corresponding transaction of a transfer. Such information should be given only on inquiry and only to Registrar who is the party in transaction of a transfer. Also, the operator of Registry, court or other authorized body of the corresponding jurisdiction or the third party of Dispute Resolution Policy can also demand such information which should be given within 5 days from the moment of inquiry.

The receiving Registrar should keep and grant on inquiry of the former Registrar a written or electronic copy of the Authorization Form. In cases when the current Registrar has requested copies AF, the receiving Registrar should satisfy inquiry of the current Registrar (including granting of the accompanying documentation) within 5 (five) calendar days. Inability to grant such documentation at the indicated period of time is the basis for cancellation by the operator of Registry in a case if the protest is sent to a transfer according to requests of the present Order.

If the current Registrar or the receiving Registrar is not sure, that inquiry of a transfer has been sent according to provisions of the present Order such Registrar can initiate a procedure of dispute as it is indicated in section C of the present order.

For the purposes of simplification of inquiries of a transfer, Registrars should grant and maintain a unique and individual e-mail address (further the address) for use by other Registrars and Registry:

  • (1) This address is intended for questions concerning to inquiries of a transfer and procedures installed by the present order.
  • (2) Management of such address should guarantee, that messages will be received by the person responsible for questions of a transfer.
  • (3) All messages received on this address should be answered within a reasonable term, but not later than 7 (seven) calendar days.

5. Requests for Registrars interacting with the Registry on EPP

Registrars realizing interaction with Registry by means of EPP protocol, should follow the requests which are mentioned below.

Registrar should grant Holder of the registered name a unique code ("AuthInfo") within 5 (five) days from the moment of initial inquiry if Registrar has not granted a possibility to Holder of the registered name to generate and administer own unique code "AuthInfo".

Registrar should not use any mechanisms compelling Holder of the registered name to receive necessary code "AuthInfo" which are more limited than mechanisms used for change of any aspect of the information on contacts or servers of domain names of Holder of the registered name.

The current Registrar should not prevent from receiving of a code "AuthInfo" by Holder of the registered name only on the basis of that there is a dispute based on payments between Holder and Registrar.

The code "AuthInfo" generated by the Registrar should be unique for each domain name.

The code "AuthInfo" should be used only for identification of Holder of the registered name while the Authorization Form is necessary for authorization or confirmation of inquiry of a transfer as it is described in Section 2 and Section 4 of the present Order.

6. Requests to the Registry

At receiving "transfer" command from the receiving Registrar, the operator of Registry should send the electronic advice to both Registrars. In case Registry uses for these purposes email the notification should be sent to the unique e-mail address, appointed by each Registrar with the purpose of simplification of transfer procedures.

The operator of Registry should execute the requested transfer, except for as if within 5 (five) calendar days the operator of Registry will receive the command of cancellation of a transfer inquiry from the current Registrar.

After realization of changes in a database on the receiving Registrar, the operator of Registry should send the electronic notification to both Registrars. Such notification should be sent to the unique e-mail address, installed by each Registrar for the purposes of simplification of a transfer procedures or other address under the agreement of parties.

The operator of Registry is obliged to cancel the made transfer if after transfer has been made, the operator of Registry will receive one of notifications mentioned below. In that case, the transfer will be conducted in the opposite order and domain name is installed in an initial status. The operator of Registry is obliged to cancel the made transfer within 5 (five) calendar days from receiving of the notification, excepting a case of the decision of dispute by Registry, and only if the claim has not been sent to degrees of jurisdiction. The required notification should be one of the listed:

  • (1) The agreement between receiving and giving Registrars, sent by email, mail or by fax that the transfer has been made by error or has not been made according to requests of the present Order;
  • (2) The final determination under the decision of dispute by body having the corresponding jurisdiction on a transfer, or
  • (3) A court decision of the corresponding jurisdiction on such transfer.

7. Registration Records

Each Registrar should require from the users, Holders of the registered names, to keep own copies of corresponding documents and proofs of initial date of registration of domain names.

8. Influence on Registration

Fulfilment by the operator of Registry of a transfer procedure authorized by Holder according to the present order leads to a result of extension of a period of existing registration by 1 (one) year on conditions that the current period of registration will not exceed a period of 10 (ten) years.