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Your domain is in your web designer's name: how to move it to you

How to find out who controls your business domain, how to move it to you, and what the sources say when the person who built your site stops answering.

2026-10-22 · 5 min read

Not sure whose name your website's domain is in? Send me a note and I'll point you to where to start.

Who owns a domain, and who only manages it?

ICANN's Lookup (lookup.icann.org) shows which registrar holds a domain. For the registrant, the reliable way is the registrar's account with your own email, or a written statement from the designer. The subscription article covers the contract side.

For a .pl domain the owner is the abonent, the party to the agreement with NASK, the .pl registry. NASK does not publish individuals' data, and its rules say the agreement gives no rights to the name beyond those in the agreement. A registrar cannot transfer the domain, change the abonent or delete it without the abonent's consent.

How do you move a domain to yourself?

1. Ask the designer in writing for the registrar's name, the registrant's details and the email on the registration, where confirmations go. 2. For a .com, .net or .org transfer you need the authorization code (AuthInfo) from the current registrar. Once the registrant asks, the registrar must provide it within 5 calendar days. The code goes to the registrant, so if that is the designer, you ask the designer. 3. The new registrar requests the transfer. For a .com, if the current registrar does not answer within 5 calendar days, the transfer goes ahead. A .com registrar may deny a transfer in the first 60 days after registration or a previous transfer, but not over an unpaid transfer fee. 4. To change the registrant of a .com, ask the registrar. After the change it must lock transfers for 60 days unless the holder opted out beforehand. ICANN's June 2026 board papers propose dropping that lock; no final decision was found, so ask your registrar what applies today.

For a .pl domain a transfer can start 5 days after registration or the last transfer at the earliest, and the abonent does not change. The registrar must release the code on request, with no fee.

On my plan the site runs on a free Givyx subdomain. You buy your own domain in your name and I connect it for free. Under the Terms of October 7, 2026, a domain you bought stays in your name.

What if the designer stops answering?

ICANN takes a transfer complaint when a registrar denied a transfer for an improper reason, so it helps only when you are the registrant. The UDRP dispute policy requires trademark rights, no legitimate interest by the holder, and bad-faith registration and use, so it does not by itself settle a client-designer dispute.

In Poland, NASK says it does not settle domain disputes. Those go to an arbitration court (the PIIT court or the Chamber of Commerce court) or an ordinary court. A final judgment finding a violation is grounds for NASK to register the domain to the claimant. The scope, cost and timing of such a case were not checked.

This is my note, not legal advice or a conclusion from the sources: if your business name is in the domain, talk to a lawyer before starting a dispute. When nothing works, launch the site on a new address and update it in your Google profile and ads.

What happens when the domain expires?

For a .com, reminders go to the registrant's contact details, such as email, so for a domain in the designer's name they may reach only the designer. That is deduced from the rules, not from anyone's case. So check the registration as well as the site, and put the renewal date in your calendar.

FAQ

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