Transfers
How to transfer a domain to a new registrar
Auth codes, transfer locks and the steps that keep your website and email online throughout.
Before you start
Pre-transfer checks
- The domain is more than 60 days old and not transferred in the last 60 days
- Registrant contact email is one you can access
- Transfer lock can be disabled
- You have a full copy of the current DNS records
- Renewal is not due within the next few days
gTLD transfers (.com, .net, .org)
- 1
Disable transfer lock
In the current registrar's control panel.
- 2
Request the auth code
Also called an EPP or authorisation code; it is usually emailed to the registrant.
- 3
Start the transfer
Enter the domain and auth code at the new registrar and pay — this normally adds a year to the registration.
- 4
Approve it
Confirm the emailed request. Transfers typically complete within five days, often sooner.
.co.uk transfers
Nominet domains work differently. Instead of an auth code, the current registrar changes the IPS tag to the new provider's tag. There is no transfer fee and no added year, and it usually completes within minutes once the tag changes.
After the transfer
- Verify the website and email are both working
- Re-enable transfer lock
- Turn auto-renew back on — it does not carry over
- Check WHOIS shows the correct registrant
Frequently asked questions
- Will my website go down during a domain transfer?
- Not if DNS records are duplicated at the new provider before the transfer completes. The transfer changes who manages the domain, not where it points.
- How long does a domain transfer take?
- gTLDs typically take up to five days. .co.uk domains usually complete within minutes of the IPS tag change.
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