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How do I manage, renew or change domain names purchased through CHCS?

Yes, the notices you are receiving if you registered domain names through CHCS are real. For each domain, you will receive an email with the subject line "VERIFICATION REQUIRED - Please verify your domain name(s) as soon as possible" and another with the subject line "Your login information for CHCS Consulting LLC".

The company we have been using for domain registration since 2002 was recently sold, and ICANN, the organization responsible for managing the domain name system, is now requiring everyone to re-confirm the contact information attached to each domain name on a regular basis. Hence the emails.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.

The system for managing domain names has been updated. You have more control over your domain information, and renewals are less expensive.

A. Accessing your domain names

You may manage your domain names at domains.chcs.com. Click Manage and log in to access your account. If you have not yet received an email with your login information, click the "Forgot your password" link and it will be emailed to you.

  • Make sure to turn off any ad blocking or popup blocking software you may have.
  • If you own more than one domain, you may receive separate user names and passwords for each domain name. To merge these accounts, see next section.

B. Merging accounts

If you have more than one account, you can merge your accounts so that all of your domains are in one account. All of the properties of the domains remain intact.

  1. Click Manage, and log in to your account.
  2. On the left side of the window, under Your domains, click Account Information.
  3. In the Merge Accounts section, enter the Username and Password of the account whose domains you want to move.
  4. Click Merge.
    All of the domains that are in the specified account are moved into the account under which you logged in, and the empty account is closed.

C. Ensuring contact information is up-to-date

You are now responsible for ensuring that the contact information associated with your domain name(s) is up to date. Changing this information will be much more involved soon, due to some rule changes being made by ICANN, the agency in charge of domain names. You should update the contact information for your domain(s) ASAP, if needed. Here's how.

  1. Check the current contact information for each of your domain names. Go here and enter your domain name. Repeat for each domain name that you own.
  2. If the information displayed is correct, you do not need to do anything further. If any information needs to be updated, especially the first name, last name, organization or email address fields, make sure to update them no later than November 30, 2016. After that time, such changes will require a number of additional steps.
  3. Once you have made your changes, you will receive a verification email. Click the link in the email, double-check that the contact information is correct, then click Verify. If you do not do this, your domain name may be suspended.

D. Updating contact information

If you need to change any of your contact information:

  1. Go to domains.chcs.com.
  2. Click on Manage and log in. If needed, click "Forgot your password or account information?" and the system will send you an email with your username and password.
  3. On the Domain Manager page, look for the domain name you wish to update, and click Edit Contacts.
  4. Change the information in the column marked Owner Contact. Generally, CHCS is listed as the other three contacts (Admin, Billing and Tech) and you don't need to change these.
  5. Click Save.

If you receive the error "Contact cannot be updated while the domain is locked or pending transfer." you need to unlock the domain as described in section I, make your changes, then re-lock the domain.

E. Making registration information private

By default, your contact information is publicly available. If you wish to avoid this, you may sign up for "Contact Privacy" when you buy a new domain, or you may add this service to existing domains, for a small charge. See "Do you have a way to secure my Whois information?" in the linked FAQ for detailed instructions.

F. Renewing domain names

You will be notified by email when renewals are due. Click the link in the email, or go to domains.chcs.com, click Manage, and log in to renew.

  • If you wish to renew domains automatically, enter your credit card information before your renew. Go to "Credit Card Information" in the menu on the left side of the Manage screen and enter your card information. Once that has been done, you can select auto-renew during the renewal process.

The cost for renewals varies, depending on what sort of domain name you have (.com, .net, .org, etc.). The costs are subject to change. Prices will mostly be less than they have been in the past.

G. Transferring domain names

You may transfer domain names purchased elsewhere. Go to domains.chcs.com, click on the orange "Transfer Domain" button, enter the domain you wish to transfer, then click Next and follow the instructions.

H. Buying new domain names

You may purchase new domains at domains.chcs.com. In addition to the classic "top level domains" (TLDs) like .com and .org, you may purchase over 600 other TLDs, from .abogado to .zone!

I. Locking and unlocking domain names

Domains are generally locked, to make sure that unauthorized changes are not made. For some types of domains, like .org, you will need to unlock the domain in order to make changes to your contact information.

  1. Go to domains.chcs.com.
  2. Click on Manage and log in. If needed, click "Forgot your password or account information?" and the system will send you an email with your username and password.
  3. On the Domain Manager page, look for the domain name you wish to update, and click Edit Domain Lock.
  4. Under Domain Locking, Select Disabled, then click Save.
  5. Make your contact changes as described in section D, then save them.
  6. Return to Edit Domain Lock and change Domain Locking back to Enabled. Click Save.

J. Need assistance?

For more information, see the FAQ.

As always, if you need help or have questions, please feel free to contact CHCS.