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How to Transfer a Domain Without Downtime

By Updated 7 min read
In this article10 sections

Transferring a domain moves the registration, not the DNS. If your domain uses nameservers that belong to someone other than the registrar you are leaving, such as your hosting company or Cloudflare, nothing changes for visitors and the transfer is safe. If it uses the old registrar’s own nameservers, that registrar may delete your DNS records the moment the domain leaves, and your website and email stop working. The way to avoid it is to move DNS first: copy every record to the new provider, switch the nameservers while the domain is still at the old registrar, wait two days, and only then start the transfer.

This guide shows how to tell which case you are in with one command, how to move DNS without a gap, and the checks that catch the usual surprises: DNSSEC, the 60-day lock and a domain close to expiry.

Step 1: Find out who runs your DNS

dig +short NS example.com

Compare the answer with the company you are transferring away from.

The nameservers belong to What a transfer does to your DNS What to do
Your hosting company Nothing Go to step 5
Cloudflare or another DNS service Nothing Go to step 5
The registrar you are leaving Records are usually removed when the domain leaves Do steps 2 to 4 first

Names such as ns1.registrar-name.com or dns1.registrar-servers.com mean the third row. That free DNS service is tied to your account at that registrar, and it ends when the domain is no longer theirs.

Step 2: Copy every record

Open the DNS page at the old registrar and export the zone if there is an export button. Otherwise copy the list by hand. You need every record, not only the obvious ones:

  • A and AAAA for the domain, www and any subdomain.
  • CNAME records, including ones added by services you set up long ago.
  • MX records, with their priority numbers.
  • TXT records: SPF, DMARC (_dmarc), DKIM (names ending in ._domainkey) and site verification codes.
  • SRV and CAA records, if any.

DKIM records are the ones most often missed, because they sit under names you would never guess. Save the output of these commands as your before-picture, replacing the DKIM selector with the ones your mail services use:

for t in A AAAA MX TXT CAA; do echo "== $t"; dig +short $t example.com; done
dig +short A www.example.com
dig +short TXT _dmarc.example.com
dig +short TXT selector1._domainkey.example.com

Step 3: Recreate the records at the new DNS provider

The new provider can be the registrar you are moving to, your hosting company or a DNS service. Add the domain there and enter every record from step 2. Nothing is live yet, so take your time.

Then test the new provider directly, before anyone depends on it. Ask one of its nameservers by name:

dig +short A example.com @ns1.new-provider.example
dig +short MX example.com @ns1.new-provider.example
dig +short TXT example.com @ns1.new-provider.example

Each answer must match the before-picture. This is the step that prevents the outage.

Step 4: Switch nameservers, then wait

Warning. If DNSSEC is switched on at the old registrar, switch it off first and wait a day. DNSSEC publishes a fingerprint of the old provider’s signing key. If the nameservers change while that fingerprint is still published, validating resolvers reject every answer and the domain disappears for a large share of the internet, even though all your records are correct. You can turn DNSSEC on again at the new provider afterwards.

At the old registrar, replace its nameservers with the new provider’s. The domain is still registered there; only the DNS has moved. Wait 48 hours, because other networks remember the old nameservers for up to that long, then confirm:

dig +short NS example.com @1.1.1.1
dig +short NS example.com @8.8.8.8

Send a test email in and out, and load the website. Once this works, the old registrar’s DNS no longer matters, and the transfer cannot affect your visitors.

Step 5: Check the domain is allowed to move

  • Older than 60 days. A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of being registered or of its last transfer.
  • Contact details not just changed. At many registrars, changing the owner’s name or email starts a fresh 60-day lock. Fix a wrong email address, since you need it for the approval message, but do not change anything else.
  • Not about to expire. Start at least two weeks before the expiry date. A transfer can take a week, and one that is still in progress on expiry day can fail and leave you renewing in a hurry.
  • Unlocked. Turn off the registrar lock (also called transfer lock) in the old registrar’s panel.
  • Auth code in hand. Request the authorisation code, also called the EPP code. It is the password that proves the transfer is yours.

Step 6: Start the transfer

Enter the domain and the code at the new registrar and pay the transfer fee. For most common endings such as .com, .net and .org, the fee includes one extra year added to your current expiry date, so you lose nothing by transferring early.

The old registrar then has five days to release the domain. Most send an email with a link to approve the transfer immediately; use it and the wait drops from days to hours. Until the transfer completes, change nothing at either registrar.

Step 7: After it arrives

  1. Confirm the nameservers are still the ones from step 4.
  2. Switch the registrar lock back on.
  3. Check that WHOIS privacy is active, if you use it.
  4. Turn on auto-renewal and check the payment method.
  5. Turn DNSSEC back on, if you had it.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming a transfer carries the DNS records with it. It carries the registration only.
  • Copying A and MX and forgetting TXT. The website works, and outgoing email starts landing in spam a day later because SPF and DKIM are gone.
  • Changing nameservers and transferring on the same day. If something is missing, you cannot tell which change caused it, and you cannot get back to the old records.
  • Leaving DNSSEC on during a nameserver change. This causes the outages that look impossible to explain.
  • Letting the auth code sit for weeks. Many registrars expire it. Request it when you are ready to use it.
  • Transferring in the last days before expiry. Renew first if you are that close; the year is not lost.

Transferring a domain to SiteHarbour

You can transfer a domain to SiteHarbour once it is unlocked, at least 60 days old and you have its authorisation code. Your nameservers stay as they are while the registration moves, so websites and email keep working, and we check that the MX, SPF and DKIM records are intact before the transfer goes ahead. If a transfer is delayed or rejected, our engineers find the cause and start it again at no extra cost.

Frequently asked questions

Will my website go down during a domain transfer?

Not if your DNS is hosted somewhere other than the registrar you are leaving, or you moved it first as described above. The transfer itself does not touch nameservers.

How long does a transfer take?

Up to five to seven days for most domain endings, and often the same day if you approve it through the old registrar’s email link.

Do I lose the time left on my registration?

No. For most endings the transfer adds a year to the existing expiry date. Some country-code domains follow their own rules, so check the terms for yours.

Does email stop during the transfer?

Email follows the MX records in DNS. As long as DNS keeps answering with the same records, mail keeps flowing throughout.

Can I transfer a domain and move hosting at the same time?

You can, but do them one after the other. Move the hosting and DNS first and let it settle. Our guide to pointing a domain to your hosting covers that part. Transfer the registration afterwards.

The short version: run dig NS first. If the nameservers belong to the registrar you are leaving, move DNS to a new provider, test it, switch, and wait two days. Then the transfer is only paperwork.

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