Transfer a domain to another registrar
A domain transfer moves the registration of your domain from one registrar to another. A registrar is the company you pay to register the domain. Your website and email do not move with it, and they keep working throughout if you prepare well. This guide explains the general process for most extensions and the most common reasons a transfer is refused.
How a transfer works
The details vary by extension, but most generic extensions such as .com, .net and .org (often called gTLDs) follow the same pattern:
- You prepare the domain at your current registrar.
- You start the transfer at the new registrar using an authorization code.
- The registry that runs the extension moves the domain to the new registrar, usually within a few days.
Country extensions, such as .us or .co, can follow different rules. Check the new registrar's instructions for your extension before you start.
Before you start
Check the 60-day lock
Under ICANN's transfer policy, registrars generally refuse to transfer a gTLD domain within 60 days of its registration or of a previous transfer. Some registrars apply a similar lock after the owner's details change. If your domain is new or recently moved, wait until the period has passed. ICANN revises this policy from time to time, so check the current ICANN transfer policy or ask your registrar if you are close to the limit.
Confirm your contact email
Make sure the email address on the domain is current and that you can receive mail there. If that address uses the domain you are transferring, check that email for it is working before you begin.
Transfer the domain
- Unlock the domain at your current registrar. Domains usually have a transfer lock (often shown as
clientTransferProhibited) switched on to prevent unauthorized transfers. See Domain privacy and domain lock. - Get the authorization code from your current registrar. It is also called an EPP code, auth code or transfer code. Treat it like a password: anyone with the code and an unlocked domain could try to move it.
- Start the transfer at the new registrar and enter the domain and the authorization code exactly as given.
- Approve any confirmation messages that arrive by email from either registrar.
- Wait for the transfer to complete. For most gTLDs this takes up to five days, and some registrars can approve it sooner on request.
- Check the result in your new registrar account, then switch the domain lock back on.
What a transfer costs and adds
For most gTLDs, a transfer adds one year to the registration, starting from the current expiry date, so you do not lose the time you already paid for. The total registration period cannot go beyond the maximum the registry allows, which is ten years for most gTLDs. Some country extensions transfer without adding a year. The new registrar shows what applies before you pay.
Keep your website and email working
A registrar transfer changes who manages the registration. It does not change your nameservers. The domain keeps using the same nameservers during and after the transfer, so your website and email keep working as long as those nameservers keep answering.
If your current registrar also runs your DNS, your records live on its nameservers. Some registrars stop serving DNS once a domain leaves them. To be safe, copy every record to the DNS host you will use afterwards, and change the nameservers either before the transfer or once it has finished. Nameservers explained shows how.
Why transfers fail
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| The domain is still locked | Turn off the transfer lock at the current registrar and start again |
| The authorization code is wrong or expired | Request a new code and paste it without extra spaces |
| The domain is within the 60-day lock | Wait until the period has passed |
| The domain has expired or is in a redemption period | Renew or restore it at the current registrar first |
| The contact email was not reachable | Update the contact email and repeat the approval step |
| The current registrar rejected it | Ask the registrar for the reason, for example an unpaid balance or a dispute |
You can move a domain to DomainPilot from the domain transfer page. For the steps in your DomainPilot account, follow Transfer a domain to DomainPilot. Every domain registered with DomainPilot includes free WHOIS privacy protection, DNS management and domain lock.