Why Transfer?
Lower renewal cost, better DNS tools, consolidated portfolio, or superior support. Transfers do not affect live traffic if done correctly—DNS stays intact.
ICANN Rules Checklist
- Domain must be 60+ days old
- Must have been at gaining registrar for 60+ days (anti-hijack)
- No UDRP or legal dispute active
Prep Work
Update Whois email (you’ll receive approval link), disable privacy temporarily so the gaining registrar can validate ownership, and unlock the domain (remove clientTransferProhibited).
Auth-Code (EPP) Step
Generate the auth-code in current dashboard; it’s a 6-16 character string valid for 1-7 days. Copy it immediately—some registrars email it in plain text, others show once.
Initiate Transfer
At the gaining registrar (e.g., Cloudflare) enter the domain and auth-code. Pay for a one-year extension; ICANN mandates gaining registrar adds 12 months to expiry. Cost is their renewal fee ($9-$18 typically).
Approval Email
Current registrant contact receives “Transfer Authorization” email. Click Approve or do nothing (silence = consent after five days). If you accidentally click Deny, you must start over.
Timeline
Most transfers complete in 5–7 days. Some ccTLDs (.co.uk) finish in real time via IPS tag change. You can speed .com by approving both sides immediately and asking losing registrar to “fast approve.”
Zero-Downtime Tips
- Keep DNS at third-party (Cloudflare) so registrar change is invisible
- Lower TTL to 300 seconds 24 hours before transfer
- Don’t change DNS records during transfer window
Post-Transfer Tasks
Re-enable privacy, confirm nameservers still point to your host, set auto-renew, and add 2FA. Export new EPP code and store in password manager for future moves.
Common Pitfalls
Expired within 30 days – transfer blocked. Auth-code typo – causes rejection email. Locked domain – transfer silently fails. Always run through the checklist before opening a ticket.