# Take your domain back in your name

> Take your domain back in your name: free hand-back through support or a transfer code with no exit fee, what the registry then receives, 2026 rules.

- URL: https://nomineename.com/guides/take-your-domain-back-in-your-name/
- Last updated: 2026-10-19
- Publisher: NomineeName (https://nomineename.com)

Nominee registration is a choice you can undo. Here is how the domain moves from our company's name to yours, and what that changes.

**Quick answer — How do I take my domain back in my own name?**

To take your domain back in your name, ask **NomineeName**: the hand-back is free, on request to support from your verified email address, where the registry accepts you. Or leave with the transfer code, free, from your account, at any time. As of October 2026, there is no exit fee.

## Key facts

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Hand-back (change of registrant) | free, on request to support from your verified email address |
| Transfer code | free, from your account, at any time |
| Exit fee | None |
| Your legal basis | The beneficial-owner agreement in our [terms](https://nomineename.com/legal/terms/) |
| Condition | The registry must accept you as holder (age, residence or other rules of the extension) |
| After the hand-back | You become the registrant; registries that keep holder data receive your details, and public lookups may still redact them |
| Transfer lock | With Domain protection, you release the lock from your account first |

## What are the two ways to get the domain in my name?

You can change the holder and stay with us, or leave with the domain. Both are free at our end.

|  | Hand-back with us | Transfer out to another registrar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What happens | We change the registrant from our company to you | The domain moves to a registrar you choose; you set yourself as registrant there |
| How to ask | By email to support from your verified address | Get the transfer code in your account, then start the transfer at the new registrar |
| Cost at our end | Free | Free, no exit fee |
| Cost elsewhere | None | The new registrar's transfer price |
| DNS during the change | Unchanged | Unchanged if your DNS is hosted outside the old registrar |
| Waiting rule | Registry rules on holder changes may apply | ICANN's 60-day lock after a registration or a previous transfer |

## How to ask for the hand-back, step by step

1. **Check the registry's rules** — Make sure the registry accepts you as holder. Examples: .nz holders must be 18 or over; a .de holder outside Germany may be asked to name a German representative.
2. **Release the lock** — If you use Domain protection, the transfer lock is on by default. Confirm the change from your account.
3. **Send the request** — By email to support from your verified address. Name the domain and the holder: you, or your company.
4. **Give the holder details** — You become the holder, so the record carries your own details. For most generic extensions, your verified email is the only contact data we ask for. Registries such as .de, .uk or .fi need a holder's name and postal address, and some publish them.
5. **Verify the contact** — For generic extensions, ICANN rules require the new registrant contact to be verified within 15 days of the change.
6. **Check the record** — Look the domain up on lookup.icann.org. The Registrant should now name you, or show redacted fields.

## What changes once the domain is in my name?

You become the registrant of record. Three things follow:

- **The registrant record names you.** The registrar keeps it, and so does the registry when it keeps holder data, under its own law; the thin .com and .net registries keep none.
- **Public visibility depends on the extension.** Generic extensions usually redact an individual's data. But .fi shows the holder's name, .nz keeps the name public, and .cc may show it. Check the extension before you ask. Our [registrant lookup guide](https://nomineename.com/guides/check-who-the-registrant-is/) lists more cases.
- **Requests go to you.** Disputes and legal notices reach the holder of record. Our disclosure policy then no longer stands between you and the requester.

There is one more rule for companies. Under ICANN's Registration Data Policy, when the Organization field is filled in, that organisation becomes the registrant. If you want the domain in your company's name, fill it in. If you want it in your personal name, leave it empty.

## When is the hand-back not possible?

When the registry does not accept you as holder. A few examples from the extensions we sell:

- **.nz**: individual holders must be 18 or over; organisations must be registered.
- **.gg**: the registry reviews holders manually.
- **.de**: open worldwide, but a holder outside Germany must name a German authorised representative if DENIC asks.
- **.biz**: meant for bona fide business use, which can be challenged.

If the registry refuses you, the domain stays in our name and under your control, as before. You can still transfer it to a registrar of your choice with the code.

## Why do people take their domain back?

Most often because the situation that called for privacy has changed:

- **A startup incorporates.** Investors or acquirers may want the domain in the company's own name. See [startup domains before launch](https://nomineename.com/use-cases/startup-before-launch/).
- **A domain is sold.** The buyer wants to be the registrant. A transfer to the buyer's registrar is usually simplest. See [domain portfolio](https://nomineename.com/use-cases/domain-portfolio/).
- **A brand needs proof of ownership.** Some platforms or trademark filings ask for the registrant's name.

NomineeName is a nominee domain registration service from Panama: every domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC by default, so the registration record and WHOIS show the company, never you — no ID, no KYC, paid in crypto. The hand-back exists because the domain is yours as beneficial owner. A .com costs $12.99/year ([pricing](https://nomineename.com/pricing/)).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does the hand-back cost anything?

No. The hand-back is free, on request to support from your verified email address. The transfer code is free, from your account, at any time, and there is no exit fee. If you move the domain to another registrar, that registrar charges its own transfer price, which usually includes one more year.

### Can I take back one domain and keep the others in your name?

Yes. Each domain is handled on its own. You can hand back one name, transfer another, and keep the rest in our company's name in the same account.

### Will my old record in your company's name stay visible?

The current record changes to you. History services and the registry's own archives may keep past records under their own rules. The record never named you while we held the domain, so past lookups show our company.

### Can I put the domain in my company's name instead of mine?

Yes. Give the company as holder and fill in the Organization field. Under ICANN's Registration Data Policy, that organisation then becomes the registrant. The registry receives the company's details, which may be published for organisations on some extensions.

### What if I lose access to my account?

Write from your verified email address. That address is the one contact we hold for your domain, so keep it working. We never ask for your password, your account number or your domain transfer (EPP) codes by email or chat.

### Can someone else force a hand-back?

Not by complaint alone. Customer data goes out only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case. A UDRP panel can order a domain transferred to a trademark holder; that decision is applied. See [UDRP and nominee domains](https://nomineename.com/udrp-and-nominee-domains/).

## Sources

1. [Registration Data Policy now in effect](https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-registration-data-policy-now-in-effect-for-contracted-parties-21-08-2025-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
2. [ICANN's Registration Data Policy: key measures and impacts](https://www.dreyfus.fr/en/2025/10/28/icanns-registration-data-policy-key-measures-and-impacts/) — Dreyfus (checked 2026-10-19)
3. [Transfer Policy](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/transfer-policy-2016-06-01-en) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
4. [Authorised recipient for the service of documents](https://www.denic.de/en/services/dispute-verfahren/authorised-recipient-for-the-service-of-documents/) — DENIC (checked 2026-10-19)
5. [Individual Registrant Privacy Option (IRPO)](https://dnc.org.nz/irpo) — Domain Name Commission (checked 2026-10-19)

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NomineeName: NomineeName is a nominee domain registration service from Panama: every domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC by default, so the registration record and WHOIS show the company, never you — no ID, no KYC, paid in crypto.