How to transfer my domain name away from WestHost to ETNHost?

Here at ETNHost, we recommend that you keep your domain name where you host your website. It is easier to manage, fewer passwords to worry about, better security, and last but not least this way you get a piece of mind. You will receive regular notifications from us, via e-mail, reminding you when the renewal date for your domain name is due, so you will not miss to renew it and risk your website becoming inaccessible.

Extra:

Once the domain name is transferred to us, you will get one year of a free domain name renewal as a bonus.

Transfer of domain names may take anywhere between 3 and 10 days until completion. Before initiating a domain name transfer of a domain name registered with WestHost, you will need to make sure that the following conditions apply:

• The domain must be more than 60 days old. This is not an ETNHost, nor WestHost, specific rule, but rather a rule implemented by ICANN, the organization that governs domain registrations. 
• The domain has been unlocked for transfer from WestHost. 
• The domain is showing your current e-mail for the admin contact in the Whois database as that is where the authorization email will be sent. You can find the valid administrative e-mail for your domain name by using the WHOIS lookup tool available at: http://whois.domaintools.com/
• The domain must not be too close to its expiration date, as WestHost will normally auto renew domains 15 days prior to expiration. 

Notes:

The 60-day holding period only applies to domain transfers between registrar providers when a domain is either newly registered or recently transferred. If you just ended site services with another provider (without transferring the domain to another registrar), then the 60-day hold shouldn't apply at all. If the hold did apply, it still shouldn't prevent you from pointing it to another host service to start up a new site.

To prepare your domain name to be transferred away from WestHost you must engage in the following steps:

1. Log into your WestHost Control Panel 

Notes:

To Transfer a domain, please submit an email to domainreg@westhost.com with the request to transfer the domain. In the email, please include the domain name, the domain manager password, request to unlock the domain, and request an EPP authorization transfer code. If you need to change any personal information, you will need to update the WHOIS information before the transfer takes place.

2. Unlock your domain and Obtain EPP/Authorization code

• To do that you’ll need to click on the Domains tab located on the left after which click on the transfer tab which is located towards the top of the page.
• Find the domain name which you’d like to transfer and click on the Unlock button. Your domain will become unlocked and you can proceed to obtain the EPP key.
• All you have to do is to click on the Send EPP/Auth Code button. The code will be sent to the email address noted in your contact information.

3. Disable the Whois Privacy Protection

If you have Whois privacy protection enabled for the domain which you’d like to transfer, you’d have to contact WestHost’s support team and request for it to be disabled. 

3. Update your contact information if needed

• To update your Whois contact information all you have to do is to find the Domains button on the bar and click on it.
• Choose the domain name for which you’d like to change the contact details.
• Once you have done that from the Domains section menu select the WHOIS tab. Make the necessary changes to the contact information and click on the Save Changes button once you are done. 

After completing the preparation, let some time pass (a day or so) before you initiate the transfer. You can also check the Whois info for your domain. You can do this at http://www.whois.net or http://whois.domaintools.com or similar sites, to make sure everything shows up and is correct.

Once ready, you can now submit a transfer request for the domain:

• Start within your ETNHost account .
• Proceed with posting an order for the domain name transfer by clicking on the Domains tab.
• Upon the request of the domain name transfer, you will need to enter the Authorization/EPP code. Once the code is entered then the process will begin.

Note that you will also receive a transfer approval email to the listed administrative contact for the domain. After the transfer is confirmed the losing registrar (WestHost) has 7 days to release the domain. If everything is OK, the domain will be released and added to the Domains Section in your ETNHost account.

Notes:

Once you start a domain name transfer you must remember that you can't change your DNS, Whois info, contact info and so on.