Familiarize yourself with the upcoming transfer policy changes by reading the Realtime Register IRTP-C newsletter and the checklist below.
How this policy will impact your business
Once the IRTP-C is in effect, the impact will be noticeable for resellers and their end users. The most important changes are:
- It will no longer be possible to change the registrant of a domain name with a simple domain modification request;
- Any Material Change of the registrant’s details of any gTLD domain will invoke a (branded) request for approval, unless the reseller acts a Designated Agent;
- After the Material Change has been completed, the affected domains cannot be transferred to a new registrar for the next 60 days (transfer lock) unless the old registrant has opted out.
- After a Material Change has been completed, the old and new registrant will receive a branded confirmation email informing them about the completed change.
Checklist
- Make sure your Terms Of Service are in line with the Realtime Registers’ Terms and Conditions;
- Update your branded email and web form templates at https://dm.realtimeregister.com/branding/ ;
- If you have integrated with our API, go to the Domain Manager to get familiar with the additional API commands and add them to your integration.
Pro’s and Cons of being a Designated Agent
A Degisnated Agent is an entity which has explicit permission from the old or new registered domain name holder (registrant) to change contact information at the registry on their behalf.
Pros
- In most cases a shorter path for updates;
- Fewer emails to the registrants;
- Less approval required from old and new registrants during the transfer or update process.
Cons
- You may need to make some changes to your Terms of Service to become compliant with the policy;
- Updating your API integration will take some time.
Whether you want to act as a Designated Agent or not, is completely up to you. Either way, Realtime Register provides the branding tools to implement the mandatory communication with your customers.
The approval process
The approval process in relation to the IRTP-C process contains a branded email with a link to the mydomainprovider.com approval page. Once both the old and new registrants have confirmed the change, the initiated operation will be executed.
To limit the number of times we need to email your customer, we combine the approval email with the FOA email (if feasible).
The approval email contains the details of the old and new registrant, your brand information and a space for your own text. With this optional text, you can add additional information to inform your customers.
The approval page contains conditionally:
- A check box to accept the terms and conditions;
- A check box for validating the new registrant information;
- An option to accept or reject the transfer and or registrant change;
- Option to opt-out for the 60-day lock;
- The affected domain names.
IRTP-C Glossary
IRTP-C
This stands for Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy extension phase C. This policy was designed to prevent domain name theft. Below you will find a short summary of this policy.
The policy in short:
If the registrant data is changed in such a way that the ownership might transfer to another person and / or organization, both old and new registered domain name holders are required to accept the changes first.
However, both old and new registrants can appoint a “Designated Agent” to act on behalf of the registrant. This consent must be given explicitly. The Designated Agent is authorized to approve a change of registrant. After this change is completed, a notification will be sent to the old and new registrant.
You will find the official policy at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/transfer-policy-2016-06-01-en
Registrant
The registered domain name holder.
Old Registrant
The registered domain name holder (according to the WHOIS information) at the moment a contact update, domain update or (internal) transfer is requested.
New Registrant
The registered domain name holder after the contact update, domain update or (internal) transfer is completed.
Material Change of the registrants’ details
Any change to the registrants’ name, organization or email. Other details, like phone, postal code or country, are NOT considered as material changes.
Designated Agent
An entity which has explicit permission from the old or new registered domain name holder (registrant) to change contact information at the registry on their behalf.
60-day lock, opt out
After a material change of the registrant information, the domain names affected by this change are under a 60-day transfer lock. During this period, the domain names cannot be transferred to another registrar. However, the old registrant can choose to not use this lock (opt out).
Notification email
An email that is sent to the new and / or old registrant to inform them about the material change of the registrant information. Realtime Register customizes this notification email in such a way that it matches the contacts’ brand.
Validation
The familiar validation of the registrant information resulting from the ICANN RAA-2013.
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a nonprofit organization that is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the Internet, ensuring the network’s stable and secure operation.
Transfer request (internal)
A transfer request for a domain that is already under the management of Realtime Register.
Transfer request
A request, initiated by the reseller to transfer one or more domains to Realtime Register.
Update Domain request
A request to attach another contact handle to the one or more domain names.
gTLD
Generic top-level domain
Form Of Authorization (FOA)
The registered domain holder is required to accept the FOA to authorize the transfer to another registrar. Realtime Register sends this branded FOA according to the contacts’ brand.