You can find a video guide in the article Video tutorials – Change of domain owner.
This article covers changing the domain owner in the registry. If you only want to edit the domain owner's details (except for the name or company name, which must be handled by changing the owner), follow the guide Domains – Edit contact. If you want to transfer the domain to WEDOS, follow the guide Domains – Transfer.
Changing the domain owner only changes the owner's details in the registry. It does not move the service to another customer account, nor does it change billing details. If you want to fully hand over the domain to a new owner, follow the guide Services – Hand over to a new owner.
Select domain:
In this article you will learn:
- What to prepare before changing the owner
- How to change the domain owner in the registry
- How to change the owner of multiple domains at once
- Common problems
- Frequently asked questions
Preparing for a change of owner
Before proceeding with a change of domain owner, make sure the service is not expired. For expired domains, registries block the change of owner.
If you want to change the owner of an expired domain, first renew the service.
To change the owner, prepare:
- Domain contact of the new owner. This is a special identifier of the domain owner in the given registry, for example WEDOS-ABC-123456.
- Access to e-mail. Usually both the current and the new owner need access to the e-mail inboxes associated with their domain contacts.
Domain contact
If the future owner does not already have a contact for the given registry in their customer account, create a new contact for them by agreement according to the guide Domains – New domain contact.
Create registry contact:
You can complete the owner change online only if the contacts of both the original and the new owner are registered with VEDOS. A CZ domain contact can also be registered with MojeID.
If the future owner already has a prepared contact, find out its identifier (usually a combination of letters and numbers, sometimes separated by hyphens, for example c123456789 or WEDOS-ABC-123456).
The domain contact identifier is valid only within the given domain registry.
For example, a CZ domain contact can therefore only be used for another CZ domain, not for any other extension. If you need a contact for a registry (extension) for which the new owner does not yet have a contact, create one.
Access to e-mail
If you do not have access to the domain owner's e-mail, follow the guide Domains – Unreachable owner's e-mail.
For a CZ domain, you need access to the owner's e-mail (and phone) only if you want to carry out the owner change online. If you do not have access to the domain holder's e-mail, you can change the owner using a form with officially verified signatures.
Changing the domain owner in the registry
If you have everything prepared for entering the change of domain owner, first enter the owner change interface by following these steps:
- Log in to the customer administration ⧉.
- Choose Domains in the top menu.
- Select from the menu the domain whose owner you want to change.
- Choose Change of owner in the left menu.
The next steps are specific to different domain extensions.
After all conditions are met, the owner change usually takes up to 1 hour. The exception is domains registered with Ascio or Subreg, where the owner change usually takes up to 10 days. If you want to speed up the process, transfer these domains directly under VEDOS ⧉.
CZ domain
The owner of a CZ domain can be changed in two ways:
- Online verification by e-mail and SMS of the original and new owner. This method requires access by both owners to the e-mail and (mobile) phone listed in the domain owner's contact. You also need to know the authorization passwords of both contacts.
- Written request with officially verified signatures. If for any reason you cannot complete the change online, the only option left is to submit a request with officially verified signatures.
In the domain owner change interface, first fill in the identifier of the new owner’s contact. If the contact is saved in your account, you can search for it using the select button, but you can manually enter any contact in the registry CZ.NIC ⧉, including contacts from the MojeID ⧉ service.
After entering the contact, choose one of the owner change options, check the consents and click the Create request button.
The request is valid for 14 days, unless stated otherwise for a specific domain. If it is not processed by the original and the new owner within that time (including possible delivery of all documents), the system will cancel it. If that happens, you must create the request again.
Online owner change
Online owner change works only for contacts registered with VEDOS, or MojeID. If the contact is registered elsewhere, either transfer it to us at least temporarily, or change the owner by submitting a request with officially verified signatures.
If you choose the online owner change option, both the original and the new owner will receive an e-mail with a link within 10 minutes of submitting the request, where they will enter the code from the corresponding SMS message and the authorization password of their domain contact, which you can have sent according to the guide Domains – Authorization password.
You can request sending the e-mail or SMS again through the administration, but no more than 3 times.
If at least one of the contacts is MojeID, enter the e-mail address to which we will send the domain owner's authorization e-mail for the MojeID service. We will send the SMS with the authorization code to the owner after successfully logging into the MojeID account on the owner change confirmation page.
As soon as both the original and new owner complete the confirmation, the owner change will take place within 1 hour.
Owner change by request with officially verified signatures
For this type of request, enter the e-mail for sending the request form. You can enter any e-mail address you have access to, not only the domain owner's e-mail.
Ideally, have the request signed by both parties (the original and the new owner) at the same time, but you can also confirm and send it separately.
We only accept requests confirmed by officially verified signatures of the domain owner or a person authorized to act on their behalf. Deliver the signed request and any proof of the applicant's authorization (for example, an officially verified copy of the power of attorney) by post to:
WEDOS, a.s.
domain department
Masarykova 1230
37341 Hluboká nad Vltavou
An officially verified signature can be replaced by an electronic signature. Send electronically signed requests in reply to the e-mail with the generated request.
Avoid sending documents via data box. Such a submission usually significantly slows down request processing.
SK, EU, PL domain
The owners of SK, EU and PL domains can only be changed online. Follow these steps:
- In the owner change interface, enter the domain owner's contact.
If the contact is saved in your account, you can search for it using the select button, but you can manually enter any contact in the corresponding registry (SK.NIC ⧉ for SK, EURid ⧉ for EU, or NASK ⧉ for PL) registered with VEDOS.
If the given contact does not exist, you can create it directly in the administration by selecting Create and set new contact.
- Using the send password link, send yourself the domain authorization password and fill it into the corresponding field.
- Agree to the terms and click the Submit button.
After submitting the request, the owner change will take place within 1 hour.
gTLD and nTLD domains
The owners of generic domains can only be changed online. Follow these steps:
- In the owner change interface, enter the domain owner's contact.
If the contact is saved in your account, you can search for it using the select button. Alternatively, create a new contact by selecting Create and set new contact.
If you are setting a contact saved in another WEDOS customer account, make sure both are in the same registry. You can find out the registry name by clicking Create and set new contact.
- Using the send password link, send yourself the domain authorization password and fill it into the corresponding field.
- Agree to the terms and click the Submit button.
The request is valid for 5 days. If it is not processed by the original and the new owner within that time, the system will cancel it. In that case, you must enter the request again.
After submitting the request, an e-mail will be sent to the original owner with a link to a summary of the changes on the domain and the option to confirm or reject them. You can also request cancellation of the 60-day transfer lock or other domain owner changes there.
If the original owner has approved the request, the system will send the same message to the new owner. If they also confirm the request, the domain owner change will take place within 1 hour. This confirmation also verifies the domain owner's e-mail.
Transfers of domains with contacts at Ascio or Subreg may take up to 10 days. If you want to speed up the process, transfer the domains directly under VEDOS ⧉.
Bulk change of domain owner
If you have prepared contacts to which you want to transfer the domains, send us a list of domains and contact IDs via the form ⧉. The authorization department will contact you regarding the next steps.
Common problems
Common problems when changing the domain owner include:
- Change of owner unavailable in the menu
- Unavailable owner e-mail
- Unavailable original owner
- Domain included in inheritance proceedings
- SMS verification not working
- Non-existent WEDOS customer account
Change of owner unavailable in the menu
Problem: The change of owner item is not in the navigation.
Cause: The domain is probably expired. For an expired domain, the owner cannot be changed.
Solution: If you see the domain in the customer administration, the system has not deleted it yet and you can restore it by paying the last invoice. If you do not see the domain in the administration, it will need to be restored (in the case of expired gTLD and nTLD domains), or re-registered after deletion from the registry.
Restoration (restore) of gTLD and nTLD domains expired more than 30, but less than 60 days ago is a paid service according to the price list of additional domain services ⧉. Request it through the form ⧉.
Unavailable owner e-mail
Problem: The current domain owner's e-mail is unavailable.
Solution: Follow the guide Domains – Unavailable owner e-mail.
Unavailable original owner
Problem: It is not possible to contact the original domain owner.
Cause: The domain is registered to an administrator who has stopped cooperating, or to a deceased person.
Solution: In the case of an unavailable administrator of a corporate domain, you can still change the owner by submitting a request with officially verified signatures. If you are dealing with a domain other than CZ, follow the guide Domains – Unavailable owner e-mail.
If the domain is registered to a person or company of an unavailable administrator, contact the police. On our side, we can act only on the basis of a court decision or another legally valid authority decision.
If the original owner has died, proceed according to the solution to the problem Obtaining the domain in inheritance proceedings.
Obtaining a domain in inheritance proceedings
Problem: The original domain owner (and related services) has died.
Solution: In the event of the death of a domain owner, these services need to be included in inheritance proceedings. Only on the basis of a valid inheritance decision can we transfer the service or make it available to the new authorized person.
If you are not sure whether the domain actually belonged to the deceased, or whether you are its rightful heir, do not hesitate to contact us first. Based on this information, we will tell you the next steps before you possibly open inheritance proceedings.
To resolve such a situation, please contact us via the contact form ⧉ – describe the situation in the message and provide as much information as possible about the domain and, if applicable, other services that may be involved. Colleagues from the authorization department will verify the status of the relevant account and services and will get back to you at the provided e-mail with further information.
SMS verification not working
Problem: The contact's phone number does not work, or cannot receive SMS messages.
Solution: Edit the contact and change the number according to the guide Domains – Edit contact.
Non-existent customer account
Problem: The new owner does not have a WEDOS customer account.
Solution: Changing the domain owner does not move the service anywhere, so the new owner does not even need an account if they want to leave the service under your management. If you want to fully hand over the domain to the new owner, follow the guide Services – Hand over to a new owner.
Frequently asked questions
I received an authorization password by e-mail. Does that mean someone is trying to steal my domain?
In the case of a CZ domain, anyone can request the sending of the authorization password through the registry or any registrar, even without logging in. However, the CZ.NIC registry always sends the authorization password exclusively to the e-mail address listed in the domain owner's contact details. So if you are the only person with access to this mailbox, you do not need to worry about misuse of the authorization password.
If you are concerned about theft or misuse of the domain, consider insuring it.
How do I find out which registry my domain is in?
For ccTLDs (national domains), the registries are clearly defined: for CZ it is CZ.NIC, for SK SK.NIC, for EU EURid, and for PL NASK. Generic domains may not be completely unambiguous; you can find instructions for determining the registry in the chapter gTLD and nTLD domains.
Why is the procedure for changing a CZ domain owner so complicated?
We do not offer, and will not offer, a simpler way to confirm the change of owner. Authorization without involving at least two verification methods (phone and e-mail) is easily misused and then very difficult to prove and trace.
How can I verify and possibly update the details of a domain contact?
You can view and manage contacts according to the guide Domains – Edit contacts.
Who sends the e-mails with links?
The sender is usually WEDOS (@wedos.com), and in the case of some gTLDs it may be Ascio or Subreg.