Domain Name Transfer and Owner Change FAQ

Cross-account transfer procedure

Effective time of transfers

• Online transfer: An online cross-account transfer takes effect in real time.

• Offline transfer: Alibaba Cloud reviews the submitted materials within 5 business days. You can check the review progress and result on the Other Domain Name Tools page.

  • If the review is approved and no objection is received within five business days, the system transfers the domain name. A notification is then sent to the email address associated with the destination Alibaba Cloud account.

  • If the review is not approved, you can find the reason for the failure on the Other Domain Name Tools page.

Batch cross-account transfers

Overview

An ownership transfer changes the registrant or registrant type of a domain name within the same Alibaba Cloud account. An ownership transfer applies to the following scenarios:

• Change the registrant from "Individual A" to "Individual B"

• Change the registrant from "Organization A" to "Organization B"

• Change the registrant from an individual to an organization

• Change the registrant from an organization to an individual

• Correct an error in the registrant name or registrant type

• Associate the domain name with a specific information template

For detailed instructions, see Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer).

Transfer duration

The identity verification for an ownership transfer typically takes three to five business days. Alibaba Cloud sends your submitted materials directly to the review authority and cannot interfere with the process. Please wait for the review result.

Ownership transfer between different accounts

In Alibaba Cloud, an ownership transfer refers to modifying the registrant's information, and it is performed within the account that holds the domain name. To move a domain name to a different account, see Transfer a domain name between Alibaba Cloud accounts.

Impact on website access

• If you use a server outside the Chinese mainland and identity verification is complete for both the current and new registrants, the ownership transfer does not affect website access.

• If you use a server in the Chinese mainland and both identity verification and ICP filing are complete, the ownership transfer does not affect website access, provided that the domain name registration information matches the ICP filing information. If the information does not match, the ownership transfer will not immediately affect website access, but you must update the ICP filing information as soon as possible to comply with policy requirements.

Impact on ICP filing

• If the new registrant information matches the entity information in the ICP filing, the successful ICP filing is not affected.

• If the new registrant information does not match the entity information in the ICP filing, the ownership transfer will not immediately affect website access. However, you must update the ICP filing information as soon as possible to comply with policy requirements. Otherwise, your ICP filing may be flagged and deleted during an inspection for shell websites. To update your ICP filing, see Update an ICP filing.

Impact on domain name certificates

After a successful ownership transfer, the registrant information on the domain name certificate is updated accordingly. If you need to perform an ICP filing, confirm the registrant information before you download the domain name certificate. For information about how to download a domain name certificate, see Download a domain name certificate.

Transferring registry-reserved domain names

For more information, see Modify registrant information for a CNNIC-reserved domain name.

Transferring .gov.cn or .hk domain names

For more information, see:

• Modify registrant information for a .gov.cn domain name

• Modify registrant information for a .hk domain name

Ownership transfer in the Alibaba Cloud app

Yes. For more information, see ownership transfer.

Cannot click Next during an ownership transfer

• Issue:

  When you perform a registrant ownership transfer to a company, the Next button may be grayed out after you enter the new company name in the Registrant Organization (Chinese) field, which prevents you from proceeding to the next step.

• Cause:

  The organization name is too long. For .cn and .中国 domain names, the Registrant Organization (Chinese) field cannot exceed 64 characters. For other domain names, the Registrant Organization (Chinese) field cannot exceed 128 characters. This issue may occur if the organization name exceeds 64 or 128 characters.

• Solution:

  • If the registrant name for a ".cn" or ".中国" domain name exceeds 64 characters, enter the first 64 characters from left to right in the Registrant Organization (Chinese) field. The Registrant Organization (English) field is automatically translated by the system. If this translation exceeds the character limit, remove any content in parentheses. Then, submit a ticket to ask Alibaba Cloud to contact the review authority for a manual review.

    Note

    Some public institutions and government agencies use an organization code certificate or Unified Social Credit Code certificate for submission. If the organization name is too long and includes parentheses, you must enter the first 64 characters of the registrant name from left to right for the review, as required by the review authority.

  • If the registrant name for other domain names exceeds 128 characters, enter the first 128 characters from left to right in the Registrant Organization (Chinese) field. The Registrant Organization (English) field is automatically translated by the system. If this translation exceeds the character limit, remove any content in parentheses. Then, submit a ticket to ask Alibaba Cloud to contact the review authority for a manual review.

Redirection failure after verification

• If you are transferring a domain name with completed identity verification and the page does not redirect after you enter the registrant information, click Next, and enter the verification code, do not press Enter. Instead, try clicking a blank area on the page or using a different browser.

• If you are transferring a domain name that has not completed identity verification, you can submit the information after you enter the registrant information and upload the identity verification materials. You will not be redirected to another page.

Cannot receive verification code

The mobile number used for verification during an ownership transfer is associated with the account that you use to log on to the console. If you cannot receive the verification code, click Modify to change the number.

Application form generation failure

• Method 1: Do not refresh the page while the Domain Name Information Modification Application Form is being generated. When you transfer the ownership of a .gov.cn domain name, you must manually enter the transfer information. Do not select an information template that has already passed identity verification.

• Method 2: Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console. On the Domain Names page, click the target domain name to go to the Basic Information page. In the navigation pane on the left, click Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer). On the Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer) page, select the Region again.

Repeated verification prompts during submission

This issue occurs because you have already successfully submitted the materials for the ownership transfer. You only need to submit the materials once. If you try to submit them again, you will be repeatedly prompted for verification.

Repeated confirmation prompts

This issue occurs because your confirmation was successful. You only need to confirm once. If you click Confirm multiple times, you will be repeatedly prompted for confirmation.

Incorrect certificate type selected

• Error message: If the identity verification for the ownership transfer fails, the system displays the Incorrect Certificate Type Selected message.

• Cause: The certificate type that you selected does not match the type of the certificate that you uploaded.

• Solution: From the Certificate Type drop-down list, select the type that matches the certificate image that you uploaded.

Incorrect registrant contact information

• Error message: If the identity verification for the ownership transfer fails, the system displays the Registrant contact field information is incorrect message.

• Solution: Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Domain Names console. On the Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer) page, check the following information to make sure that it is authentic and complete.

  • On the Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer) page, select the Region again, for example, Zhejiang, China/Hangzhou.

  • On the Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer) page, find the Contact Number field and select the correct country code, such as 86 for China. The field next to Contact Number is for an extension number. If you do not have an extension number, leave the field empty. Do not enter any special characters.

    Note

    Do not enter a domestic area code in the country code field. The country code for China is 86. You can use the default value provided by the system.

Identity document verification failure

• Error message: If the identity verification for an ownership transfer fails, the system displays the Certificate electronic information verification failed. Electronic information not passed, direct rejection. message.

• Cause: The registrant name you entered does not match the name on the individual or organization certificate.

• Solution: If the individual or organization name contains special characters such as a dot (·) or book title marks (《》), the value of the Registrant Name (Chinese) field must be exactly the same as the name on your certificate. You must delete the dot (·) or book title marks (《》) from the Registrant Name (English) field.

For more information about issues related to a failed electronic information verification, see FAQ about identity verification.

ID number not found in the database

• Error message: If the identity verification for the ownership transfer fails, the system displays the ID Number Not Found In The Database message.

• Cause: Your ID card was recently updated, and your information cannot be found in the database of the public security department.

• Solution: You can try uploading your ID card several times. If the error ID number not found persists, you need to contact the police station in your household registration area to update your identity information. After your information is updated, combine your ID card and your household registration page that contains the official seal into a single image and then resubmit it for real-name verification.

For more information about issues related to a failed identity verification for an ownership transfer, see FAQ about identity verification.

Information and material mismatch

The identity verification failed because the registrant name or number entered in the system is inconsistent with the document information, or the submitted document information is inconsistent with the query results from the management authority.

• Error message: If the identity verification fails, the system displays the Inconsistent Registrant Information or Submitted Materials Do Not Match The Registrant Information message.

• Cause: The identity verification document you submitted is a mirrored image, or the information you entered does not match the uploaded document.

• Solution:

  • Carefully check if the following information meets the requirements:

    • Check if the identity document was issued more than 7 to 10 days ago. If not, wait until 7 to 10 days have passed before proceeding.

    • Check if the identity verification photo is a normal photo of the original document (not a mirrored image), or upload a color scan. Ensure it is clear and not obscured.

    • Check if the registrant name in the domain name registration information exactly matches the identity verification document. Avoid similar-looking or same-sounding characters. Do not use abbreviations or shortened forms.

  • If a photocopy is not approved, submit a color scan and add a transparent watermark or annotation that is relevant to your business, ensuring that key information remains clear and visible.

  • If an ID card is not approved, combine the photos of the front and back of the ID card with the page from your household registration booklet (hukou) that contains your information into a single image and upload it. Select "ID Card" as the document type.

  • Ensure the document number matches the uploaded file. For example, the ID card number, business license number, or Unified Social Credit Code must exactly match the corresponding document.

    

    Note

    • If the business license includes a copy number, such as (1-1), you do not need to enter it.

    • Be careful to distinguish between the digit "0" and the letter "O", the digit "1" and the letter "I", and the digit "8" and the letter "B".

    • Check the number of digits in the code. Do not omit or add digits.

    • When organizations or individuals outside mainland China submit identity verification, the name entered in the Registrant Name (Chinese) field must be consistent with the name on your identification document. This means that if you submit a document in English, you must also enter the name in English in the Registrant Name (Chinese) field. The name must be an exact match, including letter case, and must not be an abbreviation or a shortened form.

    • Select the correct Region: For example, if you submit an ID card or business license for identity verification, select the Chinese mainland as the Region. The path to view the Region is as follows:

    • Identity verification for message templates: In the Actions column for a Message Template, click View. On the Message Template Management page, you can view the Region.

    • Identity verification for a domain ownership transfer: On the Modify Registrant Information (Ownership Transfer) page, you can view the Region.

    • Check if you are using a registrant profile that is under review for identity verification, or if the domain name was previously verified with a public profile and has not been transferred again. You need to create a new registrant profile, wait for it to pass identity verification, and then use the approved profile to complete the domain name identity verification or ownership transfer.