Transfer a domain to us

A transfer moves who bills you for the domain. It does not move your website and it does not change your DNS, so nothing goes offline - the nameservers come across as they are.

Before you start

A transfer will be refused if any of these is true:

• The domain was registered or transferred in the last 60 days. This is an ICANN rule and nobody can waive it.
• The domain is locked. Turn off the registrar lock at your current provider.
• The registrant email address on the domain is one you cannot read. The approval goes there. Update it first if needed - but note that changing the registrant can itself start a 60-day clock, so check before you edit.
• The domain has expired or is in redemption. Renew it first.

The four steps

1. Unlock the domain at your current registrar.
2. Get the authorisation code - also called an EPP code or transfer key. It is in the domain's settings, or emailed on request.
3. Order the transfer here and enter the code.
4. Approve it. An email goes to the registrant address; click the link. Your old registrar may also send one - approving there speeds it up, ignoring it does not stop it.

How long it takes

Five to seven days for most extensions if nobody clicks anything, and often within a day once both approvals are in. .in transfers are usually quicker than .com.

What you get

A transfer adds a year to the registration from the existing expiry date, so you do not lose the time you already paid for.

If it fails

The commonest causes are a stale auth code (they expire - ask for a new one), a lock that was switched back on, or the approval email going to an address on the domain being transferred while that mail is broken. Send us the rejection notice and we will tell you which one it is.