Transfer a domain to another registrar

Step 1: Check that it can be transferred

Most generic domains such as .com cannot move within 60 days of registration or of a previous transfer, and some registrars apply the same lock after the owner's details change. Many country-code domains follow different rules — a .uk domain, for example, moves by changing its registrar tag rather than with a code. Check the extension's rules first.

Step 2: Move DNS first if the old registrar hosts it

A transfer normally keeps the domain's nameservers. But if those nameservers belong to the old registrar's free DNS service, the zone may be deleted when the domain leaves. Copy the records to your hosting or another DNS provider and switch nameservers before starting the transfer.

Step 3: Remove the transfer lock

In the current registrar, turn off the setting usually called registrar lock or transfer lock. Confirm it in a WHOIS lookup: the status list must no longer include clientTransferProhibited.

whois yourdomain.com | grep -i status

Step 4: Get the authorisation code

Also called the auth code, EPP code or transfer key. The registrar shows it in the domain's settings or emails it to the registrant address. Treat it like a password — it is what allows the domain to move.

Step 5: Start the transfer at the new registrar

Enter the domain and the code, and pay. For most generic domains the transfer adds a year to the registration, and the time already paid for is kept.

Step 6: Approve it, or wait

Generic-domain transfers complete within five days. The old registrar may email you a link to approve it sooner; if you do nothing, it completes automatically at the end of that period unless you reject it.

Step 7: Check and lock it again

Once WHOIS shows the new registrar, turn the transfer lock back on and check that auto-renew and the contact details are right at the new registrar.