Transferring a domain to Yola

If you purchased your domain name from another registrar and want to manage it through Yola, you need to transfer the domain to Yola.

Before the transfer

Before you start the transfer, make sure the following requirements are met:

• Your domain is eligible for transfer. Your domain must have been registered for more than 60 days and must not have been transferred to another registrar within the past 60 days.
• You can access the domain's contact email address. Once you start the transfer, our domain registration partner will send a confirmation email to the email address associated with your domain. Make sure you can access this email account.
• Your domain is unlocked. You need to unlock your domain at your current registrar before starting the transfer. You can check its status using WHOIS, a domain lookup tool. If the status is OK, your domain is unlocked and ready for transfer. If the status is clientTransferProhibited, your domain is locked and must be unlocked by your current registrar.
• You have your domain's authorization code (EPP code). You'll need to enter this code during the transfer process. Contact your current registrar to obtain it if you don't already have it.
• Plan for possible downtime. Your domain may be temporarily unavailable during the transfer. To keep your website accessible, you can publish it to a free Yola subdomain. Once the transfer is complete, you can connect your custom domain to your published website.

Starting the transfer

1. In the My Yola dashboard, click Domains in the Topbar.
2. Scroll down to the Add a Domain you already own area and click the Purchased a domain from another registrar? Transfer it to Yola! option.
   
   
3. Click the Transfer a domain button.
4. Type in the domain name you want to transfer into the domain field.
   
   
5. Choose which site the domain will be assigned to from the dropdown list (optional). 
   
   
6. When done, click Continue to begin the transfer process.

Once the transfer process begins, our domain registration partner, OpenSRS, will send a confirmation email to the email address associated with your domain. Check your Inbox and Spam/Junk folder, and follow the instructions in the email to authorize the transfer.

Your current domain registrar will then be contacted to approve the transfer. Once they approve it, your domain will be transferred to Yola. Most domain transfers take 5-7 days to process.

When the transfer is complete, you'll receive a confirmation email, and the domain will appear in the Domains tab on your Dashboard.

FAQ

How much does it cost to transfer a domain to Yola?

The cost to transfer your domain is the same as a domain purchase for one year. You can also register your domain for a longer period of time, for example, two or five years. This is a cost-effective way of purchasing a domain.

What happens to my custom email address?

If you had a custom mailbox set up with your domain, you can reconnect it after the transfer by adding the needed MX records to your domain’s DNS settings. However, some hosts do not allow a mailbox to be transferred, which means that once you transfer your domain, the mailbox will be disconnected. If this happens, you can always create a Yola Mail mailbox.

What happens if the transfer fails?

You will receive an email from us notifying you that the transfer was not successful. You can contact our Support Team to retry the action. Alternatively, you can request a refund.

What should I do if it’s been a while since I initiated the transfer, but I still haven’t received an email confirming that the transfer is complete?

In this case, double-check the email address you used to register your domain, as all transfer-related communication is sent to this address. Be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder as well. 

If you're sure you've checked the correct email address and still can't find the confirmation, please contact our Support Team for assistance.

If you don't have access to the email address you used to register your domain, contact your current registrar and ask them to help you update it.

Once the domain has been transferred, how do I publish my site?

When you start the domain transfer, you have the option to choose which site you would like to connect it to. Once the domain has been transferred, your Yola site will be automatically published to that domain. If you didn’t use this option during the transfer (for example, your site wasn’t ready at that moment), you can connect your domain via the My Yola dashboard after the transfer.

We hope this guide helped you. If you have any questions left, please contact our Support Team. 

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