How do I transfer my domain to another registrar?

What a domain transfer involves

A domain transfer moves the management of your domain name from one registrar to another, without changing the domain itself. People do this for many reasons, such as wanting all their domains and hosting in one place, or moving to a provider whose client portal and support suit them better.

A transfer is different from pointing a domain at new hosting. You can connect a domain to hosting from any registrar without transferring it, so a transfer is only needed if you actually want a new company managing the domain registration.

Steps to prepare

Before starting a transfer, there are a few checks worth doing so the process goes smoothly. Domains generally need to have been registered for a minimum period before they are eligible to transfer, and they must not be locked.

• Confirm the domain is at least 60 days old, as most registries require this
• Unlock the domain in your current registrar's control panel
• Request the authorisation code, sometimes called an EPP code, from your current registrar
• Make sure the contact email on the domain is up to date, since confirmation messages are sent there
• Check that the domain is not close to expiry, and renew first if needed

Starting the transfer with your new registrar

Once you have the authorisation code, you start the transfer from the new registrar's side, usually by searching for the domain and entering the code when prompted. You will then be asked to confirm the transfer, often by email.

From there, the transfer is generally processed within a matter of days, though the exact timing can vary depending on the domain extension and how quickly approvals are confirmed.

Will my website or email be affected?

In most cases, your website and email keep working normally during a transfer because the DNS settings are not necessarily changed by the transfer itself. If you also want to move your website or email to new hosting at the same time, it is worth doing that as a separate, planned step so you can check everything is working before making the domain transfer permanent.

Getting help with a transfer

If you are transferring a domain to Ayuni Host and also want to move your website, our team offers free migration help, and you can check exact pricing, billing term and renewal cost for the domain in the client portal before completing anything.