Transfer a domain name — step by step
Moving a domain name works with a transfer code — also called an EPP code or auth code — which you request from the registrar where your domain currently sits. The domain must also be unlocked and the contact details must be correct, because the confirmation goes to the registrant's email address.
Your website and email keep working throughout the transfer, as long as the DNS settings carry over unchanged. A transfer only changes where the domain name is registered, not where it points.
How a transfer runs
Unlock the domain and check the details
Most registrars place a transfer lock on a domain name to prevent unwanted moves. Switch that lock off in your current registrar's control panel, and check straight away that the registrant's email address is still correct — that is where the confirmation arrives.
Request the transfer code
You request the transfer code (EPP or auth code) from your current registrar. Some show it directly in the panel, others email it to the registrant. That code is your proof that you are entitled to dispose of the domain.
Start the transfer with the right DNS details
Give us the transfer code and make sure the DNS settings are carried over exactly as they stand today. If you skip that, your domain will point nowhere after the transfer and both your site and your email will stop.
Confirm and wait out the period
The registrant receives a confirmation email that has to be approved. The registry then takes over. Depending on the extension that is a matter of hours or days — for .com, .net and .org there is an imposed waiting period that nobody can speed up.
What differs per extension
The procedure is broadly the same, but the requirements and lead times vary. These are the extensions that raise the most questions.
| Extension | What you need | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| .be | Transfer code from your current registrar; domain unlocked | Usually a few hours to a day |
| .com / .net / .org | Transfer code plus explicit email approval by the registrant | Waiting period imposed by the registry, up to several days |
| .eu | Transfer code; the registrant details must sit within the EU | Usually a few hours to a day |
| .nl | Transfer code from your current registrar; registry's own rules apply | Usually within a few days |
Two situations in which a transfer is not possible: a domain name that has just been registered or just been transferred is usually still within a 60-day lock period. And an expired domain name has to be renewed before it can move. So do not wait until just before the expiry date.
Transferring a domain is not the same as moving your website
This is the most common confusion. Your domain name is the address; your hosting is where the site and the mail actually run. You can perfectly well put your domain with us and stay hosted elsewhere, or host with us on a domain registered somewhere else. If you want to move both, do it deliberately in two steps — then you know which change caused which effect if something goes wrong.
