How to transfer a domain to another registrar, step by step

October 15, 2026, 3 min read

Transferring a domain from one registrar to another sounds daunting, but the process is standardised for most extensions. Most of the time is spent waiting, not working. Here's how to do it without surprises.

Before you start

A few checks save a lot of trouble:

Make sure you can receive email at the domain's contact address. Some registrars send transfer confirmations there.
Check the expiry date. If the domain expires soon, renew it at the current registrar first, or make sure the transfer will complete well before the expiry date.
Check when it was registered or last transferred. Many registrars block transfers for a period afterwards, often 60 days. The current registrar can confirm whether this applies.
Note your DNS settings. Write down or screenshot your current DNS records, especially if a website or email depends on the domain.

Step 1: Prepare the domain at the current registrar

Unlock the domain. Look for a setting called "registrar lock" or "transfer lock" and turn it off.
Get the transfer code. This is called an EPP code, auth code or transfer key. You may see it on screen or receive it by email.
Check the contact details are current, especially the email address.

If the domain uses privacy protection, some registrars ask you to switch it off during the transfer. Others don't; follow whatever the registrar asks.

Step 2: Start the transfer at the new registrar

The transfer always starts at the registrar you're moving to:

Choose the option to transfer a domain in.
Enter the domain name and paste the transfer code.
Pay the transfer fee. For many extensions this includes a year added to the domain's registration, so you don't lose the time you'd already paid for.

Step 3: Approve and wait

You may get an email asking you to approve the transfer, from either registrar. Approve it promptly.

Then wait. Transfers between registrars commonly take up to about five to seven days. The previous registrar can sometimes let you approve the transfer early from your account there, which speeds it up.

Step 4: Keep your website and email working

For most transfers, your DNS settings travel with the domain or stay pointed at the same nameservers, so the website and email keep working throughout. Problems usually happen when the old registrar was also providing DNS, and that service ends with the transfer.

To avoid downtime:

Check whether your nameservers belong to the old registrar.
If they do, set up the same DNS records at the new registrar, or at your hosting provider, before the transfer completes.

Step 5: Lock it down at the new registrar

Once the domain shows in your new account:

Turn the registrar lock back on.
Turn on two-factor authentication for the account, if you haven't already.
Check the expiry date and enable auto-renew.
Confirm the contact details and privacy settings.

When a transfer is refused

If the transfer fails, the usual reasons are a domain that's still locked, an incorrect or expired code, a recent registration or transfer, or an expired domain. The current registrar can usually tell you exactly which.

Transfers after buying a domain

If you've just bought a domain, the seller handles step 1, unlocking it and providing the code, and you handle the rest at your own registrar. Don't confirm the purchase until the domain appears in your account. On a marketplace with escrow, that confirmation is what releases the seller's payment, so take the time to check.