Transfer your domain to a new registrar
Moving a domain between registrars should be invisible to visitors, unless the old registrar was quietly hosting your DNS, email forwarding or DNSSEC. Check eligibility, move what it hosts, then transfer.
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Your plan so far
16things this change touches
- critical2
- high9
- moderate4
- low1
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical domain registrar plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Export the full DNS zone from the current registrar
Critical · Website & DNS
Records you didn't copy are gone once the domain leaves, including email and service-verification records.
Handle DNSSEC before changing DNS or registrar
Critical · Website & DNS
If the DS record and your DNS provider's keys stop matching, validating resolvers treat the domain as broken and it stops resolving for many users.
Move DNS somewhere that won't stop at transfer time
Critical · Website & DNS
Your website, email and every service on the domain go offline right after an otherwise successful transfer.
Secure the new registrar account
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
A compromised registrar account can lead to hijacked email, a defaced site and a stolen domain.
Check DNS and the website after the transfer
Critical · Website & DNS
A changed nameserver or missing DS record can take the domain offline days after the transfer seemed fine.
Use a registrant email that isn't on the domain you're moving
High · Website & DNS
If that address is old or unread, the transfer can stall or be cancelled, and an unanswered verification request can lead to suspension.
Check the domain is eligible to transfer now
High · Website & DNS
A transfer started too early, or on a locked or expired domain, is rejected after you've paid and waited.
List everything the current registrar provides
High · Website & DNS
Bundled services stop when the domain leaves, and you find out from a broken site or missing email.
Email forwarding at the current registrar
High · Email delivery
Mail to your domain addresses stops arriving as soon as nameservers change or the domain leaves.
Unlock the domain and get the authorization code
High · Website & DNS
A locked domain or a wrong or expired code makes the transfer fail, and you'll have to restart it.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- Use a registrant email that isn't on the domain you're moving
- Check the domain is eligible to transfer now
- Stagger transfers and track each domain
- Pick a quiet week and compare terms
- List everything the current registrar provides
- Export the full DNS zone from the current registrar
- Write down the current settings
- Handle DNSSEC before changing DNS or registrar
- Move DNS somewhere that won't stop at transfer time
- Email forwarding at the current registrar
- URL forwarding and parked pages
- WHOIS privacy and transfer emails
After the change
- Unlock the domain and get the authorization code
- Start the transfer and approve the emails
- Track the transfer until it completes
- Secure the new registrar account
- Turn the transfer lock back on
- Turn on auto-renew and check the payment method
- New registrar: check registrant, admin and billing contacts
- Answer the registrant verification email
- Automations that use the old registrar's API
- Check DNS and the website after the transfer
- Send and receive test email
- Close out the old registrar account
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: Confirm ownership and account access
Make sure the domain is held in your name and you can receive the approval emails.
- Use a registrant email that isn't on the domain you're moving (high risk)
Step 2: Check the domain can be transferred
Rule out locks, recent changes and close expiry dates before you pay for anything.
- Check the domain is eligible to transfer now (high risk)
- Stagger transfers and track each domain (moderate risk)
- Pick a quiet week and compare terms (moderate risk)
Step 3: List and record what the current registrar provides
Note bundled services and save the current settings so you can rebuild or roll back.
- List everything the current registrar provides (high risk)
- Export the full DNS zone from the current registrar (critical risk)
- Write down the current settings (moderate risk)
Step 4: Settle DNS and DNSSEC before the transfer
Make sure DNS is hosted somewhere that keeps working through the transfer and DNSSEC won't break, then wait for caches to expire.
- Handle DNSSEC before changing DNS or registrar (critical risk)
- Move DNS somewhere that won't stop at transfer time (critical risk)
Step 5: Replace forwarding, mailboxes and other extras
Rebuild each bundled service somewhere else before the domain leaves.
- Email forwarding at the current registrar (high risk)
- URL forwarding and parked pages (moderate risk)
- WHOIS privacy and transfer emails (moderate risk)
During the change
Step 6: Unlock the domain and get the authorization code
Do this only when everything above is done.
- Unlock the domain and get the authorization code (high risk)
Step 7: Start and approve the transfer
Submit the transfer at the new registrar and answer the approval emails promptly.
- Start the transfer and approve the emails (high risk)
- Track the transfer until it completes (high risk)
Immediately after
Step 8: Secure the domain at the new registrar
Lock it, protect the account, turn on auto-renew and check contacts.
- Secure the new registrar account (critical risk)
- Turn the transfer lock back on (high risk)
- Turn on auto-renew and check the payment method (high risk)
- New registrar: check registrant, admin and billing contacts (high risk)
- and 2 more
Verify
Step 9: Check DNS, the website and email
Prove that only the registrar changed.
- Check DNS and the website after the transfer (critical risk)
- Send and receive test email (high risk)
Clean up
Step 10: Close out the old registrar
Cancel leftovers once nothing depends on them.
- Close out the old registrar account (moderate risk)
Later
Step 11: Keep it renewed
Make sure renewals and documentation don't depend on one inbox.
- Set your own renewal reminders (moderate risk)
- Update your records of where the domain lives (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
Changing registrar moves the registration (who you pay and where you manage the domain), not your website or email. Done carefully, nobody notices.
The risks are in what the old registrar was doing quietly: hosting your DNS, forwarding email, holding a DNSSEC record, or sending approval emails to an address nobody reads. DNS hosted at the old registrar typically stops when the transfer completes, which is the most common way a routine transfer turns into an outage.
The safe order is to confirm ownership and access, check the domain is eligible, move DNS somewhere stable, handle DNSSEC, and only then unlock, transfer and lock the domain down at the new registrar.
Why it matters
Your registrar account controls where your website and email point. A transfer done in the wrong order can take both offline, and a poorly secured new account is an easy target for domain hijacking.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when the old registrar hosts your DNS or email, when DNSSEC is on, when the domain expires soon, and when you can't reach the registrant email or the account itself.
Common mistakes
- Starting the transfer while DNS is still hosted at the old registrar, which typically stops when the transfer completes.
- Changing nameservers with DNSSEC on, leaving a DS record that doesn't match the new DNS provider.
- Letting approval emails go to an old registrant address, or to an address on the domain being moved.
- Starting a transfer days before the domain expires.
- Forgetting registrar extras like email forwarding, URL forwarding and mailboxes, which stop when the domain leaves.
- Leaving the transfer lock off and two-factor sign-in unset at the new registrar.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a domain transfer take?
For most generic domains (.com, .net, .org and similar), up to about a week after you submit the authorization code, and often faster if you approve the transfer at the current registrar. Country-code domains follow their registry's own process.
Will my website or email go down during a registrar transfer?
Not if your DNS keeps working. The registration moves, but the nameservers normally stay the same. The usual cause of outages is DNS hosted by the old registrar, which typically stops when the transfer completes, so move DNS first.
Do I lose the time left on my registration?
Typically not. For most generic domains, the remaining time carries over and the transfer adds a year. Some country-code domains, such as .uk, don't add a year. Check the new registrar's terms for your domain ending.
Why can't I transfer my domain yet?
Common reasons are a recent registration or transfer, a recent change of registrant details, the registrar lock, expiry, or a dispute. For generic domains, ICANN's current policy lets registrars refuse transfers within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer.
What is an authorization (EPP) code?
It's a password-like code from your current registrar that proves you're allowed to transfer the domain. For generic domains, ICANN requires registrars to provide it within five calendar days of your request. Keep it private and request it when you're ready to use it, because codes can expire.
Should I turn off DNSSEC before transferring?
Only if your DNS provider is changing as part of the move. In that case, remove the DS record and wait at least a day before changing nameservers, then re-enable DNSSEC at the new provider. If DNS stays with the same independent provider, leave DNSSEC on and check the DS record afterwards.
Can I transfer a domain that's about to expire?
Often, but it's risky. Transfers can take days and can be rejected. Renew at the current registrar first if expiry is less than a month away, then transfer once there's a comfortable buffer.
Regional notes
General information, not legal advice. Check the official source where you live.
- Canada
- .ca domains follow CIRA's rules rather than ICANN's Transfer Policy for generic domains, and the new registrar must be CIRA-certified. Check your new registrar's current .ca transfer steps.
- United Kingdom
- .uk domains are moved by asking the current registrar to change the domain's IPS tag to the new registrar. There's usually no transfer fee and no extra year added; follow the new registrar's instructions.