How do I transfer my domain name?
Short answerUnlock the domain at your current registrar, request the transfer authorization code, then start the transfer at the new registrar and approve it, often by email. Before you begin, note your DNS records so email and the website keep working. Transfers usually finish within about a week, and the domain stays live the whole time if DNS is handled properly.
Domain stuck with an old provider?
Tell me where it’s registered and what you can access. I’ll lay out the cleanest way to get it back in your name, within two business days.
The longer answer
Before you touch anything
Log in to your current domain registrar and write down, or screenshot, every DNS record. Those records point your domain at your website and your email provider. If they get lost in the move, your site or inbox goes quiet.
Also check that the contact email on the domain is one you can actually read. Transfer approvals go there. If it’s an old address from a former employee or a past web designer, update it first.
The transfer itself
- Unlock the domain in the registrar’s settings.
- Request the authorization code, sometimes called an EPP or transfer code.
- Start the transfer at the new registrar and paste in the code.
- Approve it from the confirmation email.
Registrars usually lock a domain against transfer for 60 days after it’s registered or moved. For .com and similar endings, a transfer usually adds a year to the registration. Canadian .ca domains follow CIRA’s rules, including its Canadian Presence Requirements, so the steps can look slightly different.
Keeping the site and email running
The safest pattern is to recreate your DNS records at the new registrar before the transfer completes, or to leave DNS hosted where it is and only move the registration. Either way, test your website and send yourself an email the day the transfer finishes. If something stops, compare the records against your screenshot.
One more check: renewal. After the move, turn on auto-renew at the new registrar and make sure the card on file is current. Businesses sometimes lose their domain not to a bad transfer, but to an expired card and a renewal notice sent to an inbox nobody reads.
What I’d do
Nick Lovett, founder of Tavro
When I take on a client whose domain is tangled up with a previous designer, I sort the ownership first. The domain goes into an account in the client’s name, with their email on it, and I get delegate access rather than ownership. I copy every DNS record before anything moves, especially the email ones, because a broken inbox is far more painful than a broken homepage. Then I test the site and mail on the day it lands. It’s an hour of care that avoids a week of confusion.
Follow-up questions
It shouldn’t, as long as the DNS records stay the same. Downtime almost always comes from records that were lost or changed.
Often a few days, sometimes up to about a week, depending on the registrars and how quickly you approve the request.
If it’s registered in their name, it can get complicated. Register it to your business. This is general information, not legal advice; a lawyer can confirm your options in a dispute.
Keep reading
- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta