Domain Transfers
At Opal, we appreciate that your domain is a valuable commodity to your business and can be very important in the day to day running of your business. We therefore ask you to note that prior to initiating the transfer of any domain to or from Opal, you inform your account manager of the intended transfer.
We ask this to ensure that your website and email continue to function as normal. Also, when bringing in a domain to Opal, please ensure you have specified your requirements for www and email along with any other sub-domains you may wish to have set up. We have provided a document specifically for this as part of these instructions.
Various aspects of domain transfers can be beyond Opal's control and may cause transfer delays. To help avoid these delays, please ensure when bringing your domain to Opal that you have informed all those concerned of your intentions, e.g. the current ISP/registrar and the current listed administration contact for all domains you are transferring. Failure to do so may delay the transfers.
Where required, please also ensure that your domain is in a state for transfer i.e. the domain is unlocked.
Transfer in to Opal
Foreign domains e.g. those that end in .au, .fr etc should have their DNS set to ours as follows:
NS1.ALTOHIWAY.COM - 195.12.4.220
NS0.ALTOHIWAY.COM - 195.12.1.1
We do not take over all control for these domains (billing, technical, administration), as it can be very complicated conforming to domain registry demands of other countries.
Nominet domains (all .xx.uk domains with the exception of .gov.uk and .ac.uk) - The current ISP the domain is tagged to must request that Nominet changes the ‘IPS TAG’ for the domain to OPAL. Nominet will then advise us once the change has been made.
Please note that there is no charge for the transfer of Nominet domains. Pricing for the registration of new Nominet domains is available on request from sales@opal-solutions.com.
Any complaints relating to our domain registration and transfer services should be forwarded to support@opal-solutions.com.
Top level domains** (com - net - org - biz - info - us - eu) - You must obtain and supply the ‘Auth’ or ‘EPP’ code for us to be able to initiate any transfer in domains of this type. Once in possession of the Auth/EPP code, we will initiate the transfer of your chosen domain/s. However, the current host and the current listed administration contact will need to agree the transfer once they receive an email notification from our registrar. Opal uses Network Solutions for the transfers of this type of domain. All transfers to Opal’s Network Solutions account include a one-year extension to the current expiry date of the domain unless the current registrar is also Network Solutions. In this case, the domain will be renewed in the normal manner.
Alternatively, it is possible to change all contacts and name servers for a domain. This must be done via the domain management console of the current registrar/ISP your domain is currently held with.
**The domain must be unlocked/active and have been registered more than 60 days ago. It should not have been previously transferred within the last 60 days either. The administrative email address listed on the domain must be one that is accessible to either you or your current hosting provider. The transfer process will involve confirmatory emails being sent to this address to which a reply must be received within a limited period in order for the transfer to succeed.
Janet domains (.gov.uk & .ac.uk) - We submit a domain transfer request via our Janet partner portal which, if approved, transfers the domain in.
CentralNic domains (.ltd.com, .uk.com etc) - We submit a domain transfer request via CentralNic partner portal which, if approved, transfers the domain in.
Transfer out from Opal
Nominet domains (all .xx.uk domains with the exception of .gov.uk and .ac.uk) - We will request that Nominet changes the 'IPS TAG' for the domain to that of your new ISP. Please note you must supply us with this before your domain can be transferred out. Nominet will then advise your new ISP once the change has been made.
Please note that there is no charge for the transfer of Nominet domains. Pricing for the registration of new Nominet domains is available on request from sales@opal-solutions.com.
Any complaints relating to our domain registration and transfer services should be forwarded to support@opal-solutions.com.
Top level domains (com - net - org - biz - info - us - eu) - Your new ISP must initiate the transfer of these domains. However, Opal and the current listed administration contact need to acknowledge the transfer once they receive an email notification from the new or current registrar. You will first need to request that we unlock any domain and provide you with the auth/EPP code assigned by the registry for each domain you wish to transfer. Once you have this code you will then need to ask your new ISP to start the transfer process for you, quoting the auth/EPP code.
Janet domains (.gov.uk & .ac.uk) - Your new ISP must submit a domain transfer request via their JA.NET (www.ja.net) partner portal which, if approved, transfers the domain over to them.
CentralNic domains (.ltd.com, .uk.com etc) - Your new ISP submits a domain transfer request via their CentralNic partner portal which, if approved, transfers the domain over to them.
Please note: When transferring a domain away from Opal, we will automatically remove the domain from our name servers three working days after the transfer has completed unless otherwise advised by you. It is advised that you inform your new domain host/ISP of your requirements with regard to the domain prior to the transfer to ensure an uninterrupted service.
Definitions
Auth’ or ‘EPP’ code
The auth/EPP code is a six to 16-character code assigned by the registry at the time of domain name registration. Its purpose is to aid in the identification of a domain registrant for a particular domain name and is required to transfer your domain. Auth/EPP codes are case sensitive and can be obtained from your current registrar.
IPS TAG
Each Nominet member ISP has its own unique IPS TAG, normally viewable in the WHOIS output for your domain name (TAG = *****). Opal’s IPS TAG is OPAL.
