Bluehost Account Recovery Overview

At Bluehost, ensuring your account ownership contact information is current is crucial for maintaining security,particularly during business transitions or when the need arises to give someone else the authority to manage your account.

• Role of the Primary Contact
• Required Documents
• How to Submit an Account Recovery Request
• How to Change Domain Ownership
• Summary
   

Role of the Primary Contact

The Primary Contact serves as the legal representative of the Account Holder and has full authority to manage the account. If a company owns the account and you need to change the Primary Contact, request that the current Primary Contact log in and make the necessary changes. A Primary Contact Replacement request should only be submitted if the current Primary Contact is unable to do so or is no longer associated with your business.

Required Documents

To update the primary contact on an account, gather all three required documents:

• Valid Government-Issued Photo ID (full color): A valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID of the individual requesting to become the Primary Contact.
  • Driver's license
  • ID card
  • Military Photo Identification
  • Passport
• Two Organization Documents: Any two of the following recent organizational documents (not personal):
  • Utility Bill (dated within 90 days of submission)
  • Business License
  • Letter of Incorporation
  • A Tax Return or Tax ID Document
  • Certificate of tax exemption that proves charitable status

How to Submit an Account Recovery Request

Follow the links below to submit an account recovery request.

Account Recovery - Individual Ownership

If the account is set up or owned by an individual, click on the links below that match your request.

• Bluehost Individual Ownership - Gain Ownership
• Bluehost Individual Ownership - Update Email Address
• Bluehost Individual Ownership - Account Holder Deceased

Account Recovery - Organization Ownership

If the account is set up or owned by an organization, click on the links below that match your request.

• Bluehost Organization Ownership - Update Email Address
• Bluehost Organization Ownership - Replace Existing Primary Contact
• Bluehost Organization Ownership - Role not Specified

User ID Information

If you already have a User ID, there is no need to create a new one. If you have multiple User IDs in your account, you can merge them. For more information, please check our How to Merge User IDs and Accounts article.

How to Change Domain Ownership

The Change of Registrant (CoR), also known as the Registrant Name Change Agreement (RNCA), is the process of transferring the ownership rights of a domain name from one Bluehost account to another. This process is specific to domain transfers and does not include other hosting products like hosting plans, email services, etc.

CoR Locks

To enhance domain security and prevent hijacking or other potential risks, ICANN applies CoR Locks. If you are the Registrant or Primary Account Holder, any updates to your contact information involving changes to the Registrant's name, email address, or organization name will trigger a 60-day CoR Lock on all associated domain names.

For detailed information on CoR Lock and ICANN policies, please refer to the How to Troubleshoot Common Domain Transfer Issues article.

Updating RDDS (formerly WHOIS) Information

To update the RDDS (formerly WHOIS) information for your domain registered or purchased from Bluehost, you can do so within the Account Manager.

For detailed information on updating your RDDS (formerly WHOIS) Information, please refer to the How to Update Domain Owner Contact Details article.

Summary

In order to show ownership of a domain name or account, you will need to provide the relevant documents as listed above. Once you have submitted your request, it will be reviewed within a maximum of 3 business days. We will then notify you of the outcome of the review.