Get your domain back

If a previous web designer or agency still controls your domain, these are the usual steps to get it into an account you control. This is general information, not legal advice.

First: you may not need a transfer at all

Most switches only need a DNS change: the domain stays where it is, registered to you, and its settings are pointed at the new site. If you can sign in to the account where your domain is registered, or you know who can, that is usually all it takes. With your OK, we make the DNS change for you or walk you through it step by step. We keep your email working, and your current site stays up until you approve the new one.

A transfer (moving the domain to a different registrar or account) is only needed when you can't get into the account it's in, or someone else is listed as the owner.

Steps

Look up who is listed. Search your domain on a WHOIS or RDAP lookup, such as lookup.icann.org. Note the registrar (the company the domain is registered with), the registrant (the listed owner, which may be hidden for privacy) and the expiry date. If it expires soon, renewing it comes first.
Try the registrar's account recovery. Use "forgot password" or "forgot username" at that registrar with every email address you or your staff might have used. Many owners find the account was in their name all along.
Gather proof. Collect what shows the domain and business are yours: invoices or card statements for the domain or website, your business registration, emails or contracts with the old provider, and a photo ID for the account holder.
Contact the registrar. Ask their support or account team how they verify a business owner and what they need from you. Keep a note of ticket numbers.
Ask the old provider in writing. Send a short, dated email asking them to either make you the registrant or give you the transfer authorization code and unlock the domain, by a clear date (two weeks is common). Keep a copy.
Move it into an account you control. Once you have access, put the domain in an account under your own business email, turn on two-step sign-in (2FA), keep the registrar lock on, and turn on auto-renew.

Good to know

The listed registrant is the only one who can approve a transfer to another registrar.
A registrar may refuse a transfer within 60 days of the domain being registered, of a previous transfer, or of a change of owner. A DNS change has no such wait.
A registrar may not refuse a transfer just because a future renewal hasn't been paid.
ICANN, the body that oversees domain names, can't change who owns a domain or step into a dispute between you and a provider.
The UDRP is a process for trademark and bad-faith cases. It is usually not the right tool for a disagreement with a former provider.

If the old provider is listed as the owner and refuses

At that point it's a question of your agreement with them, not something a registrar decides. Consider talking to an attorney about your options. In the meantime, a new domain can keep your business online while it's sorted out.

Questions about switching? Email hello@SensibleSites.net. See also What you own and our Terms of Service.