Transferring a domain in and out, and what actually blocks it
A transfer moves a registration between registrars. Most failed transfers fail for the same handful of reasons — and every one of them is visible before you start.
Transferring a domain in and out, and what actually blocks it
Moving a domain between registrars is one of the few processes in this industry with a written rulebook behind it — ICANN's transfer policy — and it still manages to feel arbitrary. It feels arbitrary because the common failures are invisible from whichever dashboard you happen to be looking at. This page names them.
What a transfer is, and what it is not
A transfer changes the registrar of record at the registry. It is a registration action, not a DNS action. Three consequences follow from that:
- On a gTLD the transfer extends the registration by a year, and that year is
part of the transfer rather than an extra charge.
- The domain keeps resolving throughout. A transfer is not a migration and does
not interrupt traffic.
- Nameservers usually travel with the domain, which makes the wrong assumption
here an expensive one: if your DNS is served by the registrar you are leaving, you need to know where the zone will live afterwards. See also: the DNS explained article.
The blockers, and the remedy for each
| Blocker | Why it is there | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Registered less than 60 days ago | The transfer policy lets a registrar refuse a move inside the first 60 days after registration. | Wait. It is a policy rule, not a setting, so there is no override to ask for. |
| Transferred within the last 60 days | The same policy applies a lock after a previous transfer. | Wait, or check whether your registrar offers the opt-out the policy permits. |
| Registrant details recently changed | A material change to the registrant triggers its own 60-day lock under the same policy. | Some registrars let the registrant opt out. Exercise it before you start, not after it bites. |
| The domain is locked | clientTransferProhibited is the normal resting state of a domain, and it is what stops an unauthorised move. | Unlock at the current registrar. It is a switch, and it belongs back on afterwards. |
| Expired, or past its expiry date | An expired registration is in a different state entirely: renewal, grace, then redemption. A name on that ladder is not a clean asset to move. | Renew first, then transfer. |
| Registrant contact data is wrong or unreachable | The transfer is confirmed by email to the registered contact. No reachable address means no confirmation. | Fix the contact before you request the code. WHOIS privacy does not affect this — the relay forwards it. See also: WHOIS and privacy. |
| Wrong or stale authorisation code | The EPP code is issued by the current registrar, and requesting it again invalidates the one you have. | Request a fresh one and paste it from the newest email. |
| A dispute or a hold | A UDRP proceeding, a court order, or a registry-level hold puts the name out of reach. | Resolve it. No registrar transfers through a hold. |
Before you press anything
- Confirm the domain is unlocked at the current registrar.
- Request the authorisation code.
- Check that the registrant email is one you actually read, and that mail to it
is not being filtered.
- Check the expiry date. If it is close, renew and then transfer, rather than
transferring a name that is about to lapse.
- Note where the DNS is served today and decide whether it should follow.
That is five minutes of work and it removes almost every transfer that fails.
Transferring in
Enter the domain and its authorisation code, and the transfer is submitted to the registry. Your current registrar then emails the registered contact; approving that message is what authorises the move, and it is also the fastest way to get it done. The transfer is free and it includes a one-year extension on the registration.
If the DNS should follow, repoint the nameservers only once the transfer has completed. Doing it first leaves the zone you are departing authoritative for a domain you no longer control.
Transferring out
Unlocking and requesting the code are self-serve here, and nobody has to ask permission to leave. Transferring a name away does not cancel hosting: your site and your plan are unaffected, and the DNS zone keeps answering for as long as the delegation points at it. If you intend to move DNS as well, plan the cutover rather than discovering it.
How long it takes
Plan for about five days. That window exists so the losing registrar can raise an objection and so you can cancel a transfer that was not yours, which is why nobody should promise you a move that completes on the spot. Approving the confirmation email early usually shortens it, and the domain keeps serving your site the entire time.
What does not block a transfer
- WHOIS privacy. The relay forwards the confirmation mail.
- Live traffic. A transfer is a registration change; DNS is untouched.
- An active hosting plan. Hosting and registration are separate products here,
and neither one gates the other.
- A DNSSEC-signed zone, provided the parent's trust records are handled in the
right order. See also: the DNSSEC guide.
The failures listed above are all visible before you start. The transfers that go wrong are almost always the ones where somebody skipped the five-minute check.