How to Transfer a Domain to a New Registrar Without Downtime

Many website owners stay with their first domain registrar for years, assuming that moving a domain will break everything.

Stories of websites disappearing and emails bouncing around during transfers make that fear understandable – but downtime isn’t inevitable.

With the right setup, you can safely transfer your domain without losing a single visitor or email.

In this guide, RunCloud’s team shares the exact process we use to transfer domains smoothly and confidently.

Why Your Domain Registrar Shouldn’t Handle Your DNS

Most people think that a Domain registrar and a DNS Host are the same thing, but they are very different:

• A Domain Registrar is the company you pay to register and renew your domain name (e.g., yourbusiness.com). They are like the city hall that holds the deed to your property.
• A DNS Host (or Provider) is the service that holds your domain’s records. It acts as the internet’s phonebook, directing browsers to your website, email servers, and other services. This is the GPS that directs traffic to your property.

Often, the registrar from which you buy a domain also provides DNS hosting by default. This is convenient but creates a single point of failure.

If you transfer your domain while the old registrar still manages your DNS records, those records are often deactivated or deleted, which can cause immediate downtime.

The solution is to move your DNS to a dedicated, high-performance DNS provider before you start the transfer. This allows your registrar to be interchangeable without affecting live traffic.

For this, we recommend using Cloudflare. Their free tier is more than enough for most users and offers world-class performance, security, and reliability. This strategy works regardless of which registrars you are moving between.

However, it’s worth noting that some modern registrars have started offering their own tools to facilitate smoother transfers. For example, if you are migrating your domain to Namecheap, then you can use Namecheap’s FreeDNS, which allows you to move your DNS records to them before initiating the transfer, achieving a similar result. While this is a great feature, it isn’t universally available, and relying on a dedicated DNS provider is still the best option.

Best Domain Registrars to Use

You may want to consider transferring for better pricing, a cleaner user interface, improved support, or to consolidate your domains. Whatever your reason, choosing a reputable registrar is very important. We recommend one of the following DNS registrars for their fair pricing, excellent features, and developer-friendly approach:

• Cloudflare Registrar: The best choice if you’re already using their DNS. They offer wholesale pricing (with no markup on domain registration), making them one of the most affordable options.
• Porkbun: A community favorite known for its incredibly competitive pricing, clean UI, and excellent set of free features like WHOIS Privacy and email forwarding.
• Spaceship: A modern registrar with a fantastic user experience, competitive pricing, and a strong focus on making domain management simple and intuitive.
• Namecheap: A long-standing, reliable option known for its good support, frequent promotions, and a solid feature set, including free WHOIS privacy.

Before You Transfer: Check Registrar Compatibility

Before you start a transfer, you must first confirm that your new registrar supports your domain’s specific extension (TLD), such as .io, .store, or .ai.

Some registrars offer excellent pricing, but only for a few common TLDs, such as .com. Others, with features like premium DNS, may be more expensive. If your new registrar doesn’t support your TLD, the transfer will fail, so always conduct thorough research to avoid a dead end.

How Long Does a Domain Transfer Take?

The Domain transfer process is governed by ICANN (the organization that manages domain policies) to protect you from domain theft, which is why it isn’t instant and can take anywhere from a couple of days to a few minutes.

These official guidelines allow the current registrar a period to process the request and give the domain owner time to cancel it if it was initiated fraudulently.

Shortly after initiating the transfer with your new registrar, your old registrar will typically send a verification email or display a notification in your account dashboard asking you to explicitly approve the “transfer out”; by confirming this request, you can speed up the transfer process.

We strongly recommend that you not wait until your domain is close to its expiration date to begin this process. Initiating a transfer at the last minute introduces significant risks, as potential issues like a locked domain, outdated contact information, or other delays could cause the transfer to stall within the 5-7 day window. If your domain expires while the transfer is pending, it will likely fail, causing your website and email services to go offline as it enters a costly and complicated redemption period. To ensure a smooth transition, it is highly recommended to initiate the domain transfer at least two weeks before its expiration date.

Why Your Domain Transfer Might Be Denied

A registrar can’t deny a transfer just because they don’t want to lose you as a customer. They must follow strict ICANN rules. A denial will happen for very specific, legitimate reasons.

Your transfer request can be denied if:

• The Domain is Locked: You must disable the “Registrar Lock” at your current registrar before proceeding with the transfer, as described below.
• The Domain is Too New: A domain cannot be transferred within the first 60 days of its initial registration.
• The Domain Was Recently Transferred: A domain cannot be transferred again within 60 days of a previous transfer.
• You Have an Unpaid Bill: The transfer can be denied if there’s an outstanding balance for a previous registration period.
• There’s an Identity Dispute: If there is reasonable evidence of fraud or a legitimate dispute over who the true owner of the domain is.
• There is an active legal dispute: The domain is subject to a court order or a formal domain dispute proceeding.
• It’s under the “60-Day Change of Registrant” lock: If you have recently changed the First Name, Last Name, Organization, or email address of the official domain registrant, ICANN rules require a mandatory 60-day lock on transfers.

Step-by-Step: How to Transfer a Domain Safely

Now that we have discussed the prerequisites for a domain transfer, let’s proceed with the process.

Phase 1: Setting Up DNS Server for Zero Downtime

Before transferring the domain to a new registrar, we will migrate our DNS server to a third-party DNS provider. Do not skip these steps, as this will guarantee a smooth transfer.

1. Sign up for a Third-Party DNS Provider: In this tutorial, we will use Cloudflare for this process. Go to Cloudflare and sign up for a free account to follow along.
2. Add Your Domain to the New DNS Provider: Cloudflare will prompt you to add a site. Enter your domain name. It will scan your existing DNS records from your current registrar.

3. Verify All DNS Records Have Been Copied: This step is crucial. Cloudflare’s scan is good, but you must manually double-check that every single record has been imported.
   • Open a new tab and log in to your current registrar’s DNS management panel.
   • Compare the records side by side with what Cloudflare has imported. Pay close attention to:
     • A and AAAA records (your website’s IP address)
     • CNAME records (aliases, like www pointing to your main domain)
     • MX records (your email servers)
     • TXT records (for things like SPF, DKIM email authentication, and site verification)
     • Any other custom records you may have.
4. Manually add any missing records in the Cloudflare DNS dashboard.
5. Update Your Nameservers at Your Current Registrar: Cloudflare will provide you with two nameserver addresses (e.g., aragorn.ns.cloudflare.com and daphne.ns.cloudflare.com).
   • Go to your current registrar’s domain management panel.
   • Find the section for “Nameservers” or “DNS Servers”.
   • Select the option to use “Custom Nameservers”.
   • Delete the existing nameservers and replace them with the two provided by Cloudflare.
   • Save your changes.

6. Wait for DNS Propagation: It can take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours for this change to be recognized across the internet. You can monitor the progress using a tool like DNSChecker.org. Enter your domain name and select “NS” from the dropdown to see the nameserver propagation status. Once you see the new nameservers that you configured in the previous step, you’re all set.

If you have completed the above steps, then your website and email are now being served by Cloudflare’s DNS. Your old registrar is essentially a billing entity. You are now free to transfer your domain without any risk of downtime.

Phase 2: The Pre-Transfer Checklist (At Your CURRENT Registrar)

Now, prepare the domain itself for the move. Log in to your current registrar and complete the following:

1. Verify Admin Contact Info: Ensure the administrative contact email address listed for the domain is current and accessible. The transfer approval link will be sent to this address.
2. Disable WHOIS/Domain Privacy: You’ll need to temporarily disable any privacy protection service. This allows the new registrar to see the official contact information. You can re-enable it after the transfer is complete.
3. Unlock Your Domain: Domains are locked by default to prevent unauthorized transfers. Find the “Registrar Lock” or “Domain Lock” setting and disable it.
4. Get the EPP/Authorization Code: This is a unique password for your domain. Look for an option like “Get EPP Code,” “Auth Code,” or “Transfer Code.” Copy this code to a safe place.

Phase 3: The Transfer Process

Once you have obtained your EPP code and transferred your DNS to a new DNS provider, it’s time to initiate the transfer.

1. Sign Up at Your NEW Registrar: Create an account with your new Domain registrar.
2. Initiate the Transfer: Find the “Transfer Domain” section and enter the domain name you wish to transfer.
3. Provide the EPP Code: You will be prompted to enter the Authorization/EPP code you got from your old registrar.
4. Complete the Purchase: A domain transfer almost always includes a one-year renewal of your domain registration. Complete the checkout process.
5. Approve the Transfer via Email: Check the admin contact email inbox for an email from your registrar. It will contain a link to approve or deny the transfer; approve the transfer request to finalize the transfer.
6. Wait for Confirmation: You will receive a final “Transfer Complete” email from your new registrar once the process is finished.

Phase 4: Post-Transfer Cleanup

Your domain is now safely at its new home. Let’s do a quick final checkup at your new registrar.

• Verify Nameservers: Double-check that your domain’s nameservers are still pointing to Cloudflare (or your chosen DNS provider). They should have carried over, but it’s always a good idea to check.
• Re-enable Registrar Lock: Lock your domain at the new registrar to prevent unauthorized transfers.
• Re-enable WHOIS Privacy: Turn your domain privacy protection back on.
• Check Auto-Renewal: Ensure auto-renewal is set to your preference to avoid accidentally losing the domain next year.

Final Checks and Next Steps

Once your domain transfer is complete, make sure the rest of your setup is just as dependable.

RunCloud makes managing servers and domains effortless. If you’re using Cloudflare, RunCloud automatically syncs DNS records whenever you create or update an application – so your sites stay online without manual work.

Keep your sites fast, secure, and always available. Sign up for RunCloud today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Transfers