A registrar transfer moves the management of a domain registration to a different registrar. It does not automatically move your website hosting, email mailboxes, or DNS service.
Before you start
- Identify the current registrar and confirm that you have authority to transfer the domain.
- Check that the domain is eligible. Some domains have transfer restrictions following registration, previous transfers, contact changes, disputes, or other events.
- Confirm the registrant/admin contact information is current and accessible.
- Record the domain’s authoritative nameservers and important DNS records before making changes.
- Verify the destination registrar supports your domain extension and understand its transfer fees and renewal terms.
Typical transfer steps
- Sign in to the current registrar account.
- Remove the transfer lock if required and allowed.
- Request the transfer authorization code (often called an EPP or Auth code), if the domain extension uses one.
- Begin the transfer in the new registrar’s portal and provide the requested domain and authorization information.
- Approve any verification messages or transfer confirmations required by the registrars.
- Monitor the transfer until the receiving registrar confirms completion.
- Confirm the domain’s nameservers and auto-renewal settings at the new registrar.
Prevent service interruption
Leaving the existing authoritative nameservers in place can often preserve website and email routing during a registrar transfer. Changing nameservers at the same time introduces extra risk; coordinate DNS changes separately unless a migration plan requires them.
Note: Country-code and specialty domains may follow different transfer procedures.
Still need help?
Ask support to confirm domain eligibility, ownership, nameservers, and a coordinated transfer plan. Keep authorization codes private and share them only through approved secure channels.