Transferring a domain to us

You’ve started a domain transfer to us — here’s what happens next, and the one thing worth checking once it lands.

Before the transfer will go through

Your current registrar has to let the domain go first. At the registrar you’re leaving, make sure you’ve:

• Unlocked the domain. Registrars set a transfer lock by default to prevent unauthorised moves.
• Turned off WHOIS / domain privacy. Privacy services can hide the administrative address the confirmation email needs to reach.
• Got the EPP code (sometimes called the auth code or transfer key). Your registrar provides this, usually by email or in the domain’s settings.

Caution

Domains can’t be transferred within 60 days of being registered, or within 60 days of a previous transfer. That’s an ICANN rule, not a registrar policy — nobody can waive it.

Confirming the transfer

1. Watch for confirmation emails. You’ll get one or both of:

   • a message from your previous registrar, confirming the domain is moving away from them;
   • a message from NameCheap, who we use to resell domains, confirming it’s moving to our account.

   They go to the domain’s registered contact address — which may not be the address you use with us. If nothing arrives, check that address and its spam folder.

2. Click the confirmation link in the email. Nothing moves until you do; an unconfirmed transfer just sits until it expires.

3. Wait for it to complete. Once confirmed, the transfer usually finishes in 1 to 12 hours, depending on how quickly the losing registrar releases it. Your account page updates to reflect the domain once it’s done.

After it completes: check your nameservers

This is the step people miss. Some registrars — GoDaddy most notably — reset a domain’s nameservers when they release it. If that happens, the domain transfers to us successfully but still points at the old host, so your site or email can appear to break for no obvious reason.

Once the transfer shows as complete, confirm the domain’s nameservers match the ones for your hosting. If you’re on WHP, your server’s nameservers are listed on the Dashboard page under Server Information — see Add a domain for where to set them.

Tip

A transfer moves registration, not hosting. Your site’s files and email stay wherever they already live. If you’re also moving hosting to us, that’s a separate step — ask us and we’ll help sequence the two so nothing goes dark.

Related

• Add a domain
• Manage DNS records
• Flush your DNS cache

Still stuck?

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and our team will help.