Transfer and renewal 10 August 2026 5 min read

Moving a domain between registrars without breaking anything

The single most common worry about a transfer is that the site will go dark. It will not, provided you leave the DNS alone until the move completes.

Two different things called moving

Moving a domain and moving a site are separate operations. A transfer changes which registrar sponsors the record at the registry. Nothing about the nameservers, the DNS records or the hosting changes unless you change them yourself.

Do them one at a time and neither will be confusing.

The checklist

  1. Unlock the domain with the current registrar.
  2. Request the authorisation code, sometimes called an EPP code.
  3. Make sure the administrative email in WHOIS is a mailbox you can read today.
  4. Start the transfer with the new registrar and pay the fee.
  5. Approve the confirmation email.

What the fee buys

A transfer includes a full year of renewal, added on top of the time already left on the name. A domain with seven months remaining comes out of the transfer with nineteen.

The two blockers

A domain registered or updated in the last sixty days cannot move, by ICANN rule. And an expired domain has to be renewed before it can be transferred, which is a good reason not to leave a move until the last week.

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