My domain is registered in the name of my web developer or former agency: here's how to get back control
You've been paying for your domain name for years, but when you go to switch you find it's registered in the name of your web developer, your old agency or a former employee. In that case you can't transfer or cancel the domain yourself, because only the registrant is allowed to do that. In this article you'll learn how to find out who the registrant is, and how to get control back if the other party cooperates, and if they can't be reached or refuse.
1. Find out who the registrant is
Look up your domain in the WHOIS. Use the WebOké WHOIS lookup or the registry's own: SIDN for .nl, DNS Belgium for .be and EURid for .eu. For .com and other gTLDs, use ICANN Lookup.
- If the registrant is an organisation, you'll usually just see its name.
- If the registrant is a private individual, the name is often hidden. You will see the registrar (and for .nl the reseller), which is the company where the domain is managed.
- If you're the registrant of a .nl domain yourself, you can request your full details from SIDN using the Requesting registrant details form. This only works with the email address and postcode known to the registrar.
How to read the WHOIS is explained in Reading WHOIS and RDAP: what does it show and why is there no expiry date for .nl?.
2. Are you the registrant, but the other party has the account?
Often you are listed as the registrant yourself, but your web developer has the domain in their own account with the registrar, with their email address as the contact. That makes things easier: all you need is the transfer code.
- Request the transfer code in writing from your web developer or directly from the registrar shown in the WHOIS. For .nl, the registrar must provide the code within five days when the registrant asks for it.
- For .be, you request the transfer code yourself on the DNS Belgium website. The code is sent to the registrant's email address. If that address is no longer correct, have it updated first.
- Transfer the domain to WebOké using the code, see step 5.
3. The web developer is the registrant and cooperates
In that case a change of registrant is needed: the domain is put in your name or your organisation's name. The current registrant has to agree to this themselves. Make the agreement in writing, for example by email.
- Ask the registrant to request the change of registrant from their registrar, with your details as the new registrant. For .nl, the registrar arranges this with SIDN.
- For .be and .eu, the registrant uses a code for this: for .be the DNS Belgium transfer code, for .eu the authorisation code from the registrar. The registrant may give you that code, so your new registrar can handle the change of registrant and the transfer in one go.
- For .com and other gTLDs this is called a Change of Registrant. After that, the domain can't be transferred for 60 days, unless that lock was switched off beforehand. If you want to move to WebOké straight away, have the registrant transfer the domain first and change the registrant afterwards.
- Then check in the WHOIS that you are listed as the registrant.
Choose yourself or your organisation as the registrant, and an email address you actually read. Your web developer can stay on as technical contact. Who is allowed to be the registrant of .nl, .de, .eu and .be is explained in Who can be the registrant of a .nl, .de, .eu or .be domain?.
4. The web developer can't be reached or refuses
Without the registrant's cooperation, no registrar, WebOké included, can put the domain in your name. Here's what you can do:
- Gather evidence. Think of the quote or order, invoices listing the domain, proof of payment and emails in which agreements about the domain were made.
- Ask once more in writing, with a reasonable deadline. If the web developer's company no longer exists, check the trade register to see who took it over, or who the administrator was in a bankruptcy. They can sometimes give permission on behalf of the old company.
- Contact the registrar shown in the WHOIS. They can sometimes reach the registrant or explain which route is available for that extension.
- Start a dispute resolution procedure or go to court. Which procedure applies to which extension is shown below.
| Extension | Route if the registrant doesn't cooperate |
|---|---|
| .nl | SIDN's dispute resolution scheme, carried out by WIPO, or the courts. Among other things, you'll need to show that the name is identical or confusingly similar to your trade name or trademark, and that the registrant has no right or legitimate interest of their own in it. In a 2019 case (kwekerij-bouten.nl), WIPO transferred a domain that a nursery's IT supplier had registered in its own name. |
| .be | The dispute resolution procedure at CEPANI (CEPINA), or the courts. |
| .eu | EURid's ADR procedure, at the Czech Arbitration Court or WIPO, or the courts. |
| .com and other gTLDs | The UDRP, for example at WIPO, or the courts. ICANN itself doesn't put domains in someone else's name. If a registrar wrongly refuses to give the transfer code to the registrant, you can file a complaint about that with ICANN. |
| .de | No dispute resolution scheme; you go to court. At DENIC you can request a DISPUTE entry, so the registrant can't transfer the name to anyone else. |
Read more about the conditions for each procedure in Domain name dispute: which procedure applies to each extension?. This is general information and not legal advice. If it's a genuine conflict, ask a lawyer.
5. Transferring the domain to WebOké
If you're listed as the registrant and have the transfer code, transfer the domain like this:
- Order a transfer via the transfer page or choose Transfer domain with a hosting package.
- Enter the transfer code and check that the registrant details are in your name.
- Confirm the registrant's email address if you're asked to.
Which route suits your situation (just the domain, with hosting, or to another account) is explained in Ordering, transferring, moving, handing over or detaching a domain: all scenarios. Keep your details up to date afterwards, see Correct registrant details and verification of your domain.
Has your domain suddenly been transferred without you requesting it? That's a different situation: read My domain was transferred without me requesting it.
Step by step with screenshots: Transferring a domain to WebOké (transfer code or transfer later) and Changing domain contacts and the owner in the WebOké manual.
Want to learn more? Take the free course Choosing and managing a domain name, lesson 3.2 The registrant and the contacts and lesson 6.4 Change of registrant and handover.