[GNSO-TPR] Registrar charging fees given out the TAC and transfer-out

[Owen Smigelski]

Hi all,

Just wanted to give a little background/context for this. 

While a registrar may charge a fee for a transfer, they are not allowed to block the transfer:

9. My registrar is charging me a fee to transfer to a new registrar. Is this allowed?

Yes. Registrars are allowed to set their own prices for this service so some may choose to charge a fee. However, a transfer cannot be denied due to non-payment of this transfer fee. There are other reasons your registrar can deny transfer request.

https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/name-holder-faqs-2017-10-10-en <https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/name-holder-faqs-2017-10-10-en>

I do not think many registrars do this, and it is likely generally when tied to other services (e.g. hosting or as part of brand protection). I recall at least one case when I was at ICANN Compliance where Compliance required the registrar to transfer the domain name even though the transfer out fee was not paid (it even resulted in a notice of breach). 

Regards,

Owen

> On Mar 4, 2022, at 16:35, Wisdom Donkor <wisdom.dk at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> +1 Farzaneh
> 
> On Fri, 4 Mar 2022, 3:32 pm farzaneh badii, <farzaneh.badii at gmail.com <mailto:farzaneh.badii at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Charging a hefty fee for transfer is not acceptable. Does the TPR at the moment mention that transfer must take place for free and without charging a fee? If not  we should discuss it. 
> 
> On Fri, Mar 4, 2022 at 10:12 AM DANIEL NANGHAKA <dndannang at gmail.com <mailto:dndannang at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Hi Steinar, 
> 
> I strongly support this issue to be discussed as it affects end users directly. The policy should aim at standardization and improving the Domain transfer process. 
> 
> Thanks 
> Daniel 
> ᐧ
> 
> On Fri, 4 Mar 2022 at 16:25, Steinar Grøtterød <steinar at recito.no <mailto:steinar at recito.no>> wrote:
> Dear all,
> 
> I have recently been informed that some registrars charge a fee for issuing a TAC to the Registered Name Holder. The examples given to me is a fee of USD 250(!) for sending a TAC to the RNH.
> 
> I have also been given examples of registrar charging for accepting a transfer out, purely for the «job» that has to be done.
> 
> My question is whether this (IMHO) unfriendly practices should be discussed in our working group and (maybe) incorporated in the new Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Steinar Grøtterød
> At-Large
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