Domains · Transfers
Move a domain in, and gain a year doing it.
A transfer costs the renewal rate on every extension we sell — from $5.49 — and adds a full year to whatever time is already on the name. Nothing about your website changes while it happens, provided you leave the nameservers alone.
Move a domain to us
A transfer adds a year to whatever time is left on the name — you never lose the months you already paid for. It takes up to five days, and the domain keeps working the whole time.
Also called an EPP or auth code. Your current provider shows it in the domain’s settings — and the domain must be unlocked there before it can move.
How it works
Five steps, four of which are at your current registrar.
The mechanics are set by the registry, not by us. Any registrar describing this differently is describing the same process with better adjectives.
- Unlock the domain in your current registrar’s control panel. It is usually labelled transfer lock, registrar lock or clientTransferProhibited.
- Get the auth code. Also called an EPP code or authorisation code. Most panels show it immediately; some email it to the registered owner instead.
- Send us the domain and the code and pay the transfer price for that extension. That payment covers the year the transfer adds.
- Approve the confirmation. The registry emails the registered owner. This is the step people miss, because the mail lands in an address they set up years ago.
- Wait out the window. The losing registrar has up to five days to respond. When it completes, the domain appears in your account with its new expiry date already applied.
While it is in flight the domain shows as transferring in your account, and your site and email carry on exactly as before. A transfer is a change of registrar, not a change of where the name points.
What it costs
Transfer price equals renewal price.
There is no transfer surcharge and no admin fee. What you pay is a year of the domain, and you receive a year of the domain — the transfer itself is free.
| Extension | Transfer in | Renews at | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $13.49 | $13.49/yr | Free |
| .net | $14.99 | $14.99/yr | Free |
| .org | $15.49 | $15.49/yr | Free |
| .io | $67.49 | $67.49/yr | Free |
| .cloud | $27.49 | $27.49/yr | Free |
| .dev | $16.49 | $16.49/yr | Free |
| .co | $40.49 | $40.49/yr | Free |
| .app | $19.49 | $19.49/yr | Free |
These are the extensions people move most often. The full price list covers all 472 we sell, and every one of them transfers at its renewal rate.
Before you start
Six checks that prevent almost every failed transfer.
Transfers rarely fail dramatically. They fail quietly, by expiring after nobody clicked something — and the fix is always in this list.
- The domain is at least 60 days old
- Registry rules block a transfer within 60 days of registration and within 60 days of a previous transfer. No registrar can waive this, ours included. If you registered the name last week, put a reminder in the calendar and come back.
- You have not just changed the registrant
- Changing the registered owner's name or email starts its own 60-day transfer lock at most registrars. If you are tidying up contact details and moving registrar in the same week, do the move first and the tidying afterwards.
- You can receive email at the registrant address
- Confirmations go to the address in the registration record. If that is an old work address or a mailbox nobody reads, fix it before you start — a transfer that nobody approves simply expires.
- The domain is unlocked
- Almost every registrar sets a transfer lock by default. It is a single switch in their control panel and it is yours to flip. If the option is missing, the domain is either too new or the registrar has an additional hold you need to ask about.
- You have written down the current DNS
- A transfer moves the registration, not your zone. If your nameservers stay the same, nothing about your website changes. If they do not, copy every record — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, CAA — before you start, because losing MX records is how a transfer turns into a bad afternoon.
- Expiry is not next week
- A transfer near the expiry date is a race you do not need to run. If the domain expires in under a fortnight, renew it where it is, then transfer — the year you pay for is not lost, because a transfer adds its own year on top.
Questions
Including the ones your current registrar would rather you did not ask.
What does a transfer cost?
The same as a renewal of that extension — the transfer and renewal columns in our price list are the same number on every extension we sell. There is no separate transfer fee on top and no charge for the paperwork.
Do I lose the time left on my registration?
No. A transfer adds a full year on top of whatever is already on the domain. If you have seven months left and you transfer, you end up with nineteen. That is why paying the transfer price is not the same as paying twice.
How long does it take?
Usually under a week. Once you have approved the transfer, the registry allows the losing registrar up to five days to respond, and the transfer completes at the end of that window — sooner if they approve it explicitly rather than letting the clock run. The parts that make transfers take longer are almost always on the other side: a lock nobody switched off, an auth code that was never sent, or a confirmation email going to an abandoned mailbox.
Will my website or email go down during the transfer?
Not if your nameservers stay where they are. A transfer changes who manages the registration, not where the domain points. Your site and mail keep resolving throughout. Downtime only appears if you also change nameservers at the same time and have not copied the records across — so do one thing at a time.
What is an auth code, exactly?
A one-time password for the domain, issued by your current registrar. You will see it called an EPP code, an authorisation code, a transfer key or a secret, depending on whose panel you are in. It proves to the registry that whoever is requesting the move has control of the domain today. Codes are usually valid for a limited time, so start the transfer soon after you get one rather than filing it away.
My registrar is making it difficult. What can I do?
Registrars are required to provide the auth code to the registered owner and are not permitted to hold a domain hostage. If yours is stalling, ask in writing, cite the registry transfer policy, and escalate to their support management. If it still fails, ICANN operates a complaint process for gTLD transfers. Meanwhile: this is exactly why our own auth codes are self-service in the panel, with no retention step in front of them.
Can I transfer a domain that has already expired?
Usually not while it is expired — most registries refuse a transfer until the domain is renewed, and once it has moved into redemption you are dealing with a redemption fee as well. Renew it where it is, then transfer once the domain is active again.
Can I move a domain away from you later?
Yes, and the same way: unlock it in the panel and copy the auth code. There is no retention step, no phone call and no artificial delay. Exit being easy is part of the product, not an oversight.
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