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How to Transfer a Domain to Another Registrar (Without Breaking Your Site or Email)

A step-by-step domain transfer guide: what moves and what doesn't, the transfer lock and auth code, how long it takes, copying DNS records first so your site and email keep working, and the difference between transferring a domain and just changing nameservers.

Maybe your registrar's renewal price jumped, or you want all your domains in one place. Moving a domain to another registrar is routine — but done carelessly, it can take your website and email offline for days. Here's how to do it safely.

First: do you actually need to transfer?

Two different things get confused:

  • Transferring the domain moves the registration — who you pay each year, and who controls the domain's settings — to a new registrar.
  • Changing nameservers or DNS records changes where the domain points — which server hosts your site, where your email goes.

If you just want your domain to point at a new host, you don't need to transfer. Change the DNS records at your current registrar. (How to connect a custom domain.) Transfer when you want a different company to hold the registration.

Before you start: the checks

  1. Is the domain at least 60 days old, and not transferred in the last 60 days? Most registrars lock new registrations and fresh transfers for 60 days. (ICANN has approved shortening this to 30 days as part of a transfer-policy overhaul; registrars are adopting it over time, so check yours.)
  2. Is it close to expiry? Avoid transferring in the last week or two before it expires. Renew first if needed — transfers usually add a year anyway.
  3. Can you receive email at the domain's contact address? Approval emails go there. Update it if it's an old address.
  4. Is it a country-code domain (like .uk, .de, .io)? Some have their own transfer processes. Check the new registrar's instructions for that extension.

Step 1: Copy your DNS records — the step people skip

If your current registrar also hosts your DNS (very common), the transfer may switch DNS to the new registrar's servers with none of your records. Your website and email stop working.

Before anything else, write down every DNS record: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (including SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification records). Screenshot the page or export the zone file if offered. (DNS records explained.)

Then either:

  • recreate them at the new registrar's DNS before the transfer completes and switch nameservers deliberately, or
  • keep DNS at a separate provider (such as your current DNS host), so the transfer doesn't touch it at all.

Step 2: Unlock the domain

At your current registrar, turn off the transfer lock (sometimes called "registrar lock" or "domain lock").

Step 3: Get the authorisation code

Request the auth code — also called an EPP code or transfer authorisation code (TAC). It's like a password proving you own the domain. Under newer rules, these codes are generated on request and expire after a limited time, so get it when you're ready to start.

Step 4: Start the transfer at the new registrar

At the new registrar, choose "transfer a domain", enter the domain and the auth code, and pay. The fee usually includes a one-year extension of your registration, so you don't lose the time you'd already paid for.

Step 5: Approve and wait

You may get emails asking you to confirm. The old registrar can approve it immediately or let it complete automatically — under ICANN rules for domains like .com, it usually completes within five to seven days. Some registrars let you approve it from their dashboard to speed things up.

Step 6: Check everything

After the transfer completes:

  • Visit your site and send yourself an email from outside — both should work.
  • Confirm the DNS records at the new place match your list.
  • Turn the transfer lock back on.
  • Turn on auto-renew and add a backup payment method. Expired domains are one of the most common — and most avoidable — causes of a site going down.
  • Turn on two-factor authentication on the new registrar account. Your domain controls your email, and your email controls everything else.

Common problems

  • "Domain is locked" — the transfer lock is still on, or you're within the 60-day window.
  • "Invalid auth code" — it expired or was mistyped; request a new one.
  • Site or email down after transfer — DNS records weren't copied. Recreate them from your list; then wait for DNS propagation.
  • Some registrars require using their DNS — Cloudflare Registrar, for example, requires Cloudflare's DNS. Set that up before transferring.

The summary

  • Changing where a domain points doesn't need a transfer; changing who registers it does.
  • Copy every DNS record before you start — it's what keeps your site and email up.
  • Unlock, get the auth code, start at the new registrar, approve, wait about a week.
  • Afterwards: re-lock, enable auto-renew and 2FA.

EasySpawn works with your domain wherever it's registered: you keep it at whichever registrar you like, and we tell you exactly which records to add, then issue SSL automatically. See how it works or join the waitlist.

Related: What Is a Domain Name? · DNS Propagation Explained · How to Get a Custom Email Address for Your Domain · How to Send Email From Your App Without Landing in Spam

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