Registrars using paperworks

[Gerrit]

I was wondering if there's any registrars out there that still use the old paperworks system used long ago, where for a registration and transfer a form had to be filled in and signed.

I know it goes much slower than regular transfers where everything happens online, but for my most emotionally valueble domains I'd actually do consider the paperworks option. I find it quite a good safety trick to avoid domain theft. The thief normally just has to break into your account, request a transfer to his own account and approve the transfer by hacking the mailbox and reacting to the email requesting to confirm the ownership transfer of the domain. But with paperworks, where a transfer to another owner is only possible when the current owner signs a paper, the thief has to have access to your actual letterbox, hacking your account or mailbox won't be sufficient to move the domain to another account.

So whereas for my domains I hope to sell I'd go for the quicker regular option, for my domains I have solely for own use I would actually feel like giving paperworks a try. It seems very safe and secure to me.

Are there any registrars still using this system?

 

[dhscott]

I think both parties in the UK have to sign a declaration form before transfer is completed, this costs ~£60 ($110). This is why you don't see as many .co.uk's on the market I believe

 

[WebTech]

Interesting question.
I am looking for similar solution for my self.
If anyone has practical experience with secure and safe registrar, please share your experience.

Gerrit , for security and safety take a look at www.moniker.com
I have no experience with them , but from what i read on their site they have no lost
domain because of theft. Maybe they can add this feature for you upon request.

And they have a special price for namepros members. $6.95 as promoted here at namepros.
I will do some research this days and maybe i will switch to them for my valuable domains.

Other registrar that maybe still uses paperwork is register.com

 

[Gerrit]

I think both parties in the UK have to sign a declaration form before transfer is completed, this costs ~£60 ($110). This is why you don't see as many .co.uk's on the market I believe

Is that the case for every .uk domain, regardless what registrar was used?

Great!




Is there any registrar doing it for other extentions as well? (eg .tv, .com, .info, ...)

 

[Gerrit]

No one that knows any??

 

[Dave_Z]

I just checked inside enom, and there's an option to do an online or fax way.

Last I checked with Omnis.com, they only allow inbound transfers via fax. I
once asked for another option and they also considered scanned copies, but I
never got around to transferring my name to them.

 

[Gerrit]

and is Omnis.com a reliable and well established registrar?

Aren't there some Dutch registrars as well using the paperworks necessarity for all extentions? For .nl transfers are only possible with paperworks (signature necessary) but some may have the same requirements for the other extentions they offer?

 

[Kate]

I'm not convinced paperwork is inherently more secure than online transfers.
I once recovered a name from Network Solutions for a client. The previous ISP had put their info in the admin section and client had not login so they could not manage the domain.
Well we could get control over the name using the fax procedure.
The whole thing was not too painful if you follow the rules exactly. But it's not hard to fake a letterhead and even a passport copy, especially when the whole is sent via fax.

 

[Gerrit]

Well it certainly seems harder to fake that than to break into someone's account and push the domain to your own account? I could be wrong, but paperworks to me seem always safer (in terms of protecting against theft) than online transfers.

I agree though: letters should be mailed and not faxed. That creates even more extra security.