This article deals with changing the domain owner in the registry. If you only want to edit the data of the domain owner (except for the name), follow the instructions in the article Domains – Edit contact. If you want to transfer a domain to WEDOS, follow the instructions in Domains – Transfer from Another Registrar.

Changing the owner of a domain only changes the information about the owner in the registry. It does not move the service to another customer account or change the billing information. If you want to transfer the domain completely to the new owner, follow the instructions in the article Services – New Owner Handover.

You can only change the owner of an active (non-expired) domain.

In this article, you will learn:

• What to prepare for changing domain ownership
• How to change the domain owner in the registry
• How to change the domain owner in bulk
• Common issues
• Frequently asked questions

Before starting the domain ownership change process, make sure you have:

• The new owner’s domain contact. This is a special identifier with the corresponding registry (dependent on the TLD), such as WEDOS-ABC-123456.
• Email access. Both the current and new domain owner need access to the emails listed under their domain contact.

If the new owner does not have a contact of the given registry ready in his customer account, create a new contact according to the instructions in the article Domains – Create New Contact.

Create a new contact for registry:

You can only change the owner online if the contacts of the original and new owner are registered with WEDOS. A CZ domain contact can also be registered with MojeID.

If the future owner already has a contact ready, find out his identifier.

The domain contact identifier is valid only within the given domain registry.

For example, you can use a CZ domain contact only for another CZ domain, but not for any other TLD. If you need a contact for a registry (TLD) for which the new owner does not yet have a contact, create one.

If you cannot access a domain owner’s email, act according to the guide Domains – Inaccessible Owner Email.

With a CZ domain, you only need access to the owner’s email (and phone) if you want to change the owner online. If you do not have access to the email of the domain owner, you can change the owner using a form with notarized signatures.

If you have everything prepared to start the domain owner change, first enter the owner change interface by following these steps:

1. Log into the customer administration panel.
2. In the navigation bar, select Domains.
3. Select the domain you want to change the owner of.
4. In the left menu, choose Owner change.

The next steps are specific to different TLDs.

After meeting all conditions, the change of owner usually takes place within 1 hour.

The owner of a CZ domain can be changed in two ways:

• Online via verifying email and SMS of the original and new owner. This method requires both owners to have access to their email and (mobile) phone listed under the domain owner’s contact. You also need to know the authorization passwords of both contacts.
• By written request with notarized signatures. If for any reason you cannot make the change online, submit a request with officially verified signatures.

In the domain owner change interface, first fill in the contact identifier of the new owner. 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 CZ.NIC registry, including contacts from the MojeID service.

After entering the contact, choose one of the options for changing the owner, check the consents and click the Create request button.

The application is valid for 14 days. If both the original and new owner do not complete the procedure (including the possible delivery of all documents) during this time, the system will cancel it. In this case, you must submit the request again.

Changing the owner online only works for contacts registered with WEDOS or MojeID. If the contact is registered elsewhere, either transfer it, at least temporarily, to us, or change the owner by submitting an application with notarized signatures.

If you select this option, both the original and the new owner will receive an e-mail within 10 minutes of submitting it with a link where they can enter the code from the corresponding SMS message and the authorization password of their domain contact, which you can have sent according to the instructions Domains – AUTH-ID (Authorization Password).

You can resend the email or SMS through the administration repeatedly, but no more than 3 times.

Once both the original and the new owner confirm the change, the change of owner will take place within 1 hour.

For this application form, enter an email to send the application form. You can enter any email you have access to, not just the domain owner’s email.

Ideally, have the request signed by both parties (original and new owner) at the same time, but you can sign and send it separately.

We only accept requests confirmed by notarized signatures of the domain owner or someone authorized to act on this person’s behalf. Deliver the signed application and any documents on the applicant’s authorization (for example, a notarized copy of the power of attorney) by post to the address:

WEDOS Internet, a.s.
doménové oddělení
Masarykova 1230
37341 Hluboká nad Vltavou
Czech Republic

You can replace a notarized signature with an electronic one. Send e-signed applications in response to the generated application email.

Owners of SK, EU and PL domains can only be changed online. Follow these steps:

1. In the change owner interface, enter the contact of the domain owner.

If the contact is in your account, you can search for it using the select button, but you can manually enter any contact in the corresponding register (SK.NIC for SK, EURid for EU, or NASK for PL) registered with WEDOS. 

If the contact does not exist, you can create it directly in the administration by selecting the Create and set up a new contact option.

2. Use the send password link to send the domain’s AUTH-ID, and fill it in the corresponding field.
3. Agree to the terms and click the Send button.

If you cannot access a domain owner’s email, act according to the guide Domains – Inaccessible Owner Email.

After sending the request, the owner will change within 1 hour.

Owners of generic domains can only be changed online. Follow these steps:

1. In the change owner interface, enter the contact of the domain owner.

If the contact is in your account, you can search for it using the select button. Otherwise, you can create it directly in the administration by selecting the Create and set up a new contact option.

If you are setting up a contact stored in another WEDOS customer account, make sure they are both in the same registry. You can find out the name of the registry by clicking Create and set up a new contact.

2. Use the send password link and enter the AUTH-ID into the corresponding field.
3. Agree to the terms and conditions and click Send.

If you cannot access a domain owner’s email, act according to the guide Domains – Inaccessible Owner Email.

The application is valid for 5 days. If you do not handle it by the original and new owner by that time, the system will cancel it. In this case, you must submit the request again.

After sending the request, a message with a link to a summary of changes to the domain and the option to confirm or reject them will be sent to the e-mail address of the original owner. You can also request cancellation of the 60-day transfer lock setting or other domain owner changes here.

If the original owner confirmed the request, the system will send the same message to the new owner. If they also confirm this request, the domain owner will be changed within 1 hour. With this confirmation, you also verify the new domain owner’s email.

If you have prepared contacts to transfer domains to, send us a list of domains and contact IDs via the contact form. The authorization department will contact you regarding the next steps, typically within 1 work day.

The most common problems with changing domain owners are:

• Owner choice is not available in the menu
• The owner’s email is not accessible
• The owner is unreachable
• SMS verification is unavailable
• Nonexistent WEDOS customer account

Issue: The owner change link is not in the menu.

Cause: The domain is probably expired. It is not possible to change the owner of an expired domain.

Solution: If you see the domain in the customer administration panel, the system has not yet deleted it and you can reactivate it by paying the last invoice. If you do not see the domain in the administration, it will be necessary to restore it (in case of expiration of gTLD and nTLD domains), or register it again after deleting it from the registry.

Restoration of gTLD and nTLD domains expired more than 30 but less than 60 days ago is a charged service according to the price list of additional domain services. Request it via the form.

Issue: The current domain owner’s email is inaccessible.

Solution: Proceed according to the guide Domains – Inaccessible Owner Email.

Issue: The original domain owner cannot be contacted or reasoned with.

Cause: The domain is registered to an administrator who is no longer cooperating or to a deceased person.

Solution: If the company domain administrator is unavailable, you can always change the owner of requests with notarized signatures. If you are dealing with a domain other than CZ, follow the guide Domains – Inaccessible Owner Email.

If the domain is directed to a person or company of an unavailable administrator, contact the police. We can only act upon a decision by a court or other authority.

In the event of the domain owner’s death, the domain or any other service should be included in the inheritance process. Check whether the domain has been included in the inheritance proceedings, and if not, ask a notary to do so. Based on this, we will be able to make the services available to the new owner. Contact us via the contact form, where you describe the situation and mention the domain name or other services. Colleagues from the authorization department will check your options and inform you by email.

Issue: The contact’s phone number does not work or cannot receive SMS.

Solution: Edit the contact and change the number according to the instructions in the article Domains – Edit Contact.

Issue: 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 completely transfer the domain to a new owner, follow the instructions for Services – New Owner Handover.

Question: I received an authorization password via email, does this mean someone is trying to steal my domain?
Answer: As for the CZ domain, anyone can request the sending of an authorization password there via the registry or any registrar, without even having to log in. However, the CZ.NIC registry always sends the authorization password exclusively to the e-mail address specified in the contact details of the domain owner. So if you are the only one who has access to this email box, you don’t have to worry about misuse of the authorization password.

Question: How do I find out which registry my domain is in?
Answer: For ccTLDs (national domains), the registries are clearly defined: For the CZ domain it is CZ.NIC, for SK SK.NIC, for EU EURid, for PL NASK. Generic domains have more registers, instructions for determining the registry can be found in the gTLD and nTLD Domains chapter.

Question: Why is the process of changing the owner of a CZ domain so complicated?
Answer: We do not and will not offer a simpler way to confirm the owner change. Authorization without the involvement of at least two verification methods (telephone and email) is easily misused and subsequently very difficult to prove and trace.

Question: How can I verify and possibly update domain contact information?
Answer: You can view and manage contacts according to the instructions Domains – Edit Contact.

Question: Who sends the emails with the links?
Answer: The sender is usually WEDOS (@wedos.com), in the case of some gTLDs it can be Ascio or Subreg.