Understanding the Status of a Domain Name Transfer

Upon successfully executing a Transfer for a domain name, your domain name's Transfer action will initiate. You may easily track the status of your domain name's Transfer by following these steps:

1. Login to your Control Panel. See details

2. Search for the domain name for which a Transfer request has been placed and proceed to the Order Information view. See details

3. Note the Action Requested and the Status of the Action. There may only be the following statuses of a domain name, that has not yet been Transferred to BlueHost China:

   • Trying to fetch Admin Contact Email Address ^{(Anchor: fetch)}: In order to ensure that an authorized person is placing this Transfer request, we send an email to the Administrative Contact of the domain name for approving the Transfer. Our system automatically fetches the Admin Contact Email Address by contacting the Whois server of the Current Registrar. However, sometimes the Current Registrar's Whois server does not respond to our request.

     BlueHost China would attempt to contact the Current Registrar's Whois server for the Administrative Contact details every hour for upto 24, and then even try to manually fetch the same. In almost all cases, we will be able to send an email to the Administrative Contact within 48 hours.

   • Transfer waiting for Admin Contact Approval ^{(Anchor: waiting)}: Upon initiating a Transfer, our system sends an email to the Admin Contact of the domain name as appearing in the Whois server of the Current Registrar. You can verify the email address we fetched from their Whois server at the time you initiated the Transfer, within the Order Information view itself.

     In case the Admin Contact does not receive the authorization email after placing a Transfer, you may resend it by clicking the Resend Transfer Authorization Email link.

     Note

     There might be instances where the Admin Contact email address was changed after the Transfer request was placed. In such a case, click the Resend Transfer Authorization Email link. This would cause our system to:

     • invalidate the previous request,

     • query the Current Registrar's Whois server again for the Administrative Contact email address, and

     • mail him/her a fresh authorization request.

     Each time the Resend Transfer Authorization Email link is clicked, the system would repeat the above mentioned process.

     Sometimes, it may be possible that the Admin Contact has still not received an email sent by our system, due to any of several problems including network blockages, spam filters, etc.. To circumvent such a situation, you may click the Send Transfer Approval Via Fax link (from within the Customer Control Panel) and follow the instruction therein, to send us your consent to Transfer your domain name to BlueHost China.

     Note

     The system waits for 5 days for the Administrative Contact to approve the Transfer. If the Administrative Contact remains silent (neither approves or disapproves the Transfer), it is assumed that the Administrative Contact does not wish to Transfer his domain name and we delete this Order in our system.

   • Action waiting for domain to be unlocked ^{(Anchor: unlocked)}: After receiving approval from the Admin Contact, our system checks whether any lock exists on the domain name. If the domain name is locked, the Transfer request displays Action waiting for domain to be unlocked status. This may happen due to either:

     • a 60-day Transfer lock post Registration or previous Transfer, or

     • a lock placed at the Current Registrar.

     In case of a 60-day Transfer lock, you will have to cancel the Transfer and wait for the lock period to elapse. In the latter case, you need to have the domain name unlocked with the Current Registrar.

     The system automatically checks every hour if the domain name has been unlocked, and processes the Transfer (once the domain name is unlocked).

     While the domain name displays this status, you may click either the:

     • Retry button: if you have unlocked your domain name and immediately want the Transfer to proceed, or

     • Cancel Order link: if you choose to fail this Transfer.

     Note

     The Transfer order would automatically fail if the domain name is not unlocked within 7 days (from the moment its corresponding Invoice is settled).

   • Transfer waiting for Losing Registrar Approval ^{(Anchor: approval)}: You may see this status when the Administrative Contact has approved the Transfer request sent by BlueHost China and now the Transfer is awaiting the Current Registrar's approval. Ideally, your domain name should Transfer in 5 days, from the time this status is displayed.