FOA
The FOA is an abbreviation for the Form of Authorization. The FOA is basically a form, which companies need to fill as their first step towards transferring their global domain name from one registrar to another. It is the initial authorization for Registrar Transfer provided by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).[1] It is applicable to all ICANN-accredited registrars.[2]
Objective
The FOA is basically filled by the registrant (registered domain name holder) to confirm the intent to transfer the domain name. If the registrant doesn’t respond to the form then the registrant would not be able to transfer the domain name from one registrar to another. It also helps a registrar to initiate a transfer only if it has the FOA obtained either from the registrant or the administrative contact for the domain. The registrar is always required to produce a copy of the FOA as and when it is requested. If the registrar fails to do so then there can occur a reversal of transfer of the registrant’s domain name and can also lead to a dispute under the Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy of ICANN.[2]
Contents of an FOA
The FOA basically consists of details, which a company needs to fill in to transfer their domain names to another registrar. It also consists of the entire procedure and information regarding the transferring of domain name. This information mostly include agreeing into a new Registration Agreement with ICANN, the duration in, which the transfer would take place and rules of ICANN with respects to transferring the domain names from one Registrar to another. [1]
References