What a domain transfer actually is
A domain transfer moves your domain from one registrar to another. The registrar is the company you pay to hold the registration. Moving it changes who you pay and where you manage the domain. It does not change what the domain points at.
Key takeaways
- A domain transfer moves the registration of your domain from one registrar to another. It does not move your website, and it does not have to touch your email.
- Downtime almost never comes from the transfer itself. It comes from DNS records that are missing or different at the new provider. Copy them first.
- Unlock the domain, get the authorization code, and check that the admin email is one you can read. Those three steps cause most of the delays.
That last point trips people up. Your website lives on a host. Your email lives with a mail provider. The domain is just the address that points to them. You can change the company that holds the address without moving the house.
Registrar, host and DNS are three different jobs
The registrar holds the registration. The DNS provider answers the question "where does this name point?". The host serves the website. For many small domains one company does all three, so they blur together. In a transfer you should know exactly which of the three you are moving. If you want the longer version of how these fit together, our guide to business domain management covers it.
Before you start
Most failed transfers fail before they begin. Spend ten minutes on this checklist and the transfer itself is boring, which is what you want.
- Check the domain is old enough. For most generic domains, such as .com, a domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of registering it or of a previous transfer.
- Unlock the domain. Registrars lock domains by default so nobody can move them without your say-so. You need to switch the lock off at the current registrar.
- Get the authorization code. It is also called an EPP code or transfer key. It is the password the new registrar needs. Your current registrar generates it.
- Check the admin email. Confirmation emails go to the contact address on the domain. If that is an old address nobody reads, the transfer will sit there waiting.
- Turn off WHOIS privacy if you must. Some registrars need to see the real contact to confirm the request. Switch it back on after.
- Export your DNS records. This is the one people skip. More on it below.
The transfer, step by step
The exact buttons differ between registrars, but the order does not.
- Copy your current DNS records. Write down or export every record: A, CNAME, MX, TXT and anything else. Take a screenshot too. This is your safety net.
- Recreate those records at the new provider. Do this before the domain moves, so the answers are already waiting when DNS switches over.
- Unlock the domain and request the code. Do both at the current registrar.
- Start the transfer at the new registrar. Enter the domain and the authorization code, and pay for it. A transfer usually adds a year to your registration.
- Approve the request. Watch the admin email. Some registrars also let you approve the transfer out in their dashboard, which speeds things up.
- Wait. Many generic domains take up to five days if nobody approves early. Country domains vary, and some move within hours.
- Check everything. Load the website, send an email in and out, and look at the DNS records once more.
Do not change nameservers and start a transfer on the same day if you can avoid it. Change one thing at a time. If something breaks, you will know why.
What breaks, and how to prevent it
Here are the usual causes of trouble, and the fix for each.
| What goes wrong | Why it happens | How to prevent it |
|---|---|---|
| Email stops arriving | The MX records were not copied to the new DNS provider | Recreate every MX record first. See our guide to the MX record |
| Website goes down | The A or CNAME record is missing or points to the wrong place | Compare records before and after, and keep the old DNS live until you have checked |
| Mail lands in spam | SPF, DKIM or DMARC TXT records were left behind | Copy every TXT record. Our piece on email deliverability explains why they matter |
| Browser shows a security warning | The SSL certificate was tied to the old setup | Check certificate issuing and renewal after the move. See SSL certificate renewal |
| Transfer stalls for days | Locked domain, wrong code or an unreadable admin email | Run through the checklist above before you start |
The pattern is the same each time. The transfer is rarely the problem. A record that quietly did not make the trip is.
When you do not need to transfer
Sometimes a transfer is more work than the problem deserves. If all you want is to connect a domain to a new website or a new mail provider, you only need to change DNS records or nameservers. The registration can stay exactly where it is.
Transfer when you want one place to manage every domain, when renewals keep catching you out, or when the current registrar charges too much or has poor support. Do not transfer just because a new tool asked you to change a record.
There is one more case worth planning for. If a domain matters to the business, check who the registered owner is. A surprising number of company domains are registered in the name of a former employee or an agency. Fix that before you transfer, not after.
Where WeldHost fits
WeldHost is the domain product inside WeldSuite. You can register domains, transfer them in with zero downtime, or leave a domain where it is and point it at WeldHost. DNS records, automatic SSL setup and renewal, auto-renewal and WHOIS privacy are built in, and you can transfer a domain out again at any time.
The part that saves the most time is how it connects to the other apps. A custom email domain for WeldMail and a custom booking domain for WeldCalendar are one click each, so there are no records to copy by hand. That removes the exact step where most transfers go wrong.
WeldHost is one of twelve apps included in every WeldSuite tier. WeldSuite is a complete software suite for mid-market and enterprise teams, priced per user per month. There is a free plan for a single user. Business is $49 a month, or $42 per user per month billed annually, for up to ten seats. Scale is $69 a month, or $59 per user per month annually, for eleven seats and up. Enterprise is custom, with SSO, SAML, data residency, and a 99.999% uptime SLA.
Sources
- ICANN: Transferring your domain name https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/name-holder-faqs-2017-06-20-en
- Wikipedia: Domain Name System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System
Frequently asked questions
What is a domain transfer?
A domain transfer moves your domain registration from one registrar to another. It changes who holds the registration and where you manage it. It does not move your website or your email.
How long does a domain transfer take?
For many generic domains it takes up to five days, and it is faster if you approve the request quickly. Some country domains move within hours. Plan a buffer rather than a fixed hour.
Will my website or email go down during a transfer?
It should not. Downtime usually comes from DNS records that were not copied to the new provider. Recreate every record before you start and check them afterwards.
What is an authorization code?
It is a one-time password, also called an EPP code or transfer key, that proves you own the domain. Your current registrar gives it to you, and the new registrar asks for it to start the transfer.
Can I transfer a domain I just registered?
For most generic domains, no. There is usually a 60-day wait after registration or after a previous transfer. Country domains can follow different rules, so check with your registrar.
Do I lose the time left on my registration?
Usually not. A transfer of a generic domain normally adds a year to the registration, on top of the time you already had. Check your registrar for the exact terms.
See it all work together
WeldSuite brings CRM, helpdesk, accounting, mail, projects and more into one connected platform. Change something once and it shows up everywhere.
Keep reading
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