There are good reasons to transfer a domain to a different registrar: better pricing, consolidating domains and hosting with one provider, moving away from a registrar with poor support, or moving to a provider whose control panel you prefer. The process is standardised but involves a few steps that must be completed in the right order to avoid interruption to your website and email.

Before You Start: What Not to Do

Do not let your domain expire and then try to transfer it. An expired domain enters a grace and then redemption period during which transferring is difficult or impossible, and during which your website and email will be offline. Always initiate a transfer well before expiry.

Also note that most registrars impose a 60-day lock on newly registered or recently transferred domains, preventing them from being transferred again. If your domain was recently registered or moved, you may need to wait before transferring it.

Step 1: Unlock Your Domain

Most domains have a "transfer lock" or "registrar lock" enabled by default. This prevents unauthorised transfers. You need to disable this before initiating a transfer. Log in to your current registrar's control panel and look for an option called "Transfer Lock", "Domain Lock", or "Registrar Lock" in your domain settings, and disable it.

Step 2: Get Your EPP / Authorisation Code

Your current registrar will provide an EPP code (also called an Auth Code or Transfer Code). This is a unique code that authorises the transfer and proves you have the right to move the domain. Find the option in your registrar's control panel to generate or reveal this code. Some registrars email it to the domain's registered email address.

Step 3: Initiate the Transfer at Your New Registrar

At your new registrar, find the domain transfer option and enter your domain name. You will be asked for the EPP code. Pay for the transfer — most registrars require payment upfront, and the transfer typically adds one year to the domain's registration period.

Step 4: Approve the Transfer Email

An approval email will be sent to the administrative contact email address registered for your domain. This is usually the email address you used when you registered the domain originally. Check this email and click the approval link.

If you no longer have access to that email address, contact your current registrar to update it before initiating the transfer.

Step 5: Wait for the Transfer to Complete

.co.uk and .uk domain transfers typically complete within a few hours to a couple of days. .com transfers can take up to seven days, though many complete faster. During this time, your domain continues to work as normal — your website and email are not affected.

Ensuring No Downtime

The most important thing to understand is that DNS settings transfer separately from the domain registration itself. When your domain moves to the new registrar, its DNS records stay the same unless you change them. Your website and email will continue to point at the same servers as before, so there should be no downtime from the transfer itself.

Downtime only occurs if you change your DNS nameservers as part of the transfer — for example, to point to a new hosting provider. If you are making this change, coordinate it carefully: update the DNS before or immediately after the transfer, and allow time for DNS propagation (up to 48 hours, though usually much faster).

Common Mistakes

  • Not updating the contact email before transferring. If the approval email goes to an address you no longer access, the transfer stalls.
  • Transferring and switching hosting at the same time without a plan. If you change your nameservers at the same time as transferring the domain, ensure you have set up your new hosting and DNS records correctly before making the switch.
  • Forgetting to re-enable the transfer lock after a failed or cancelled transfer. If you unlocked your domain and then did not proceed with the transfer, re-enable the lock to protect against unauthorised transfers.

Domain transfers are routine and straightforward with a bit of preparation. The key is to allow sufficient time before expiry, have access to the right email address, and understand that DNS changes and domain transfers are separate things that can be managed independently.

Looking to bring your domain to Eazyhosting? Register or transfer your domain today — simple process and competitive pricing.