How long a domain transfer takes from another registrar into your iwantmyname account depends on various factors:
- the domain extension (or TLD), e.g. the .com in mydomain.com or the .de in mydomain.de
- the domain provider (registrar) you are transferring from.
For generic top-level domain extensions (gTLDs)
These are the extensions like .com, .net, .org, .pizza, etc. Anything that's not a two-letter country code. These transfers complete within 5-7 days automatically.
For these domains to transfer to us we need to wait for the underlying registry – different from the registrar – to assign the domain to us so we can manage it for you. This happens automatically during the transfer period after the customer initiates the transfer.
Can I speed up my transfer?
Unfortunately, we can't do anything to speed up the process, because during the transfer itself we don't have access to the domain yet.
However, some registrars provide the option for you to approve an outgoing transfer from their system more quickly. You can check with your old registrar, which you are transferring from, if they offer this. If so, tell them that you want to approve the transfer for the domain and it can be completed within a few minutes.
If the old registrar does not provide this option, you will need to wait for the registry to assign the domain to us automatically, and the transfer will complete in 5-7 days.
For two-letter country code domain extensions (ccTLDs)
For ccTLDs (like .CA, .JP, .TV, etc.) transfer time can vary between minutes and days depending on the regulations of the underlying registry and degree of automation in their systems. Each country-based registry has their own rules and procedures, unlike gTLDs, which are all governed by ICANN.
Some domain extensions transfer in real-time. Some require an additional transfer confirmation email to be accepted before the transfer continues. Some require us to send information to the registry. And others work like the gTLDs described above.
We do mention the approximate transfer time on the transfer page for each domain extension. Just click on an extension in our transfer price list when you start a transfer for a particular domain name.
Website or email downtime during a transfer
If you are concerned about your website or email not being accessible during your domain transfer, we have information about that and instructions for how to prevent downtime. Just let us know and we can advise more specifically.