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

A domain transfer moves your domain from one registrar to another — it does not change ownership, does not move your website, and when done correctly causes no downtime. Technically it is simple, but it depends on five preconditions, and if any one is missing the transfer is quietly rejected. The rules around authorization codes also changed in 2025. This guide covers the process step by step, why transfers get denied, and how .tr domains work differently.

What a transfer is — and is not

Three operations get confused constantly, and confusing them causes needless panic:

• Transfer (changing registrar): The company holding your domain registration changes. The owner stays the same and your site stays where it is.
• Ownership change: The domain's registrant becomes a different person or company. This is an entirely separate operation and usually triggers a 60-day lock.
• Nameserver change: Which server the domain points to changes. If you are moving hosting, this is what you actually need — not a transfer.

A common situation: someone wants to change hosting and assumes they must transfer the domain too. They do not. Changing hosting only requires updating nameservers. A transfer makes sense when you want the domain service under the same roof as everything else.

Five preconditions before transferring

Almost every transfer rejection traces back to these five. Check them all before starting:

1. The domain must be older than 60 days

ICANN's Transfer Policy blocks transfers within 60 days of the creation date. You cannot move a domain you just registered. Likewise, a transfer within 60 days of a previous transfer can be denied.

2. The transfer lock must be off

Domains carry a clientTransferProhibited status for security. You need to remove this from your current registrar's panel. Under the policy, the registrar is obliged to remove the lock and provide the code within five calendar days of your request.

3. You must have the authorization code

Detailed in the next section — the rules changed in 2025.

4. You must have access to the WHOIS email address

Approval messages go there. If the registered address is one you no longer use, update it before transferring. But be careful: in some cases changing registrant details triggers a 60-day lock.

5. Enough time must remain on the term

If the domain expires before the transfer completes, the authorization becomes invalid. Do not leave it to the last day; allow at least 15 days. On an expired domain with an unpaid previous period, the registrar may deny the transfer.

The authorization code: what changed in 2025

What was known for years as the "auth code" or "EPP code" is now called the TAC (Transfer Authorization Code) under the updated Transfer Policy. More important than the rename are the operational changes:

• The code is no longer generated automatically at registration. It is created only when you request it — reducing how many codes sit exposed in the event of a data breach.
• The code has a lifetime of 336 hours (14 days). Unused within that window, it expires and must be requested again.
• It can be cancelled during that window by either the registrar or the registry, which terminates any transfer in progress.
• It is unique per domain and must be generated using security best practices.

The practical consequence: start the transfer as soon as you have the code. Sit on it for two weeks and it dies, and you begin again.

The transfer process, step by step

• 1. Verify the preconditions. The five above.
• 2. Remove the lock at your current registrar. Usually labelled "Transfer Lock" or "Registrar Lock".
• 3. Temporarily disable WHOIS privacy. In some cases the privacy service blocks the approval email from reaching you. Re-enable it after the transfer.
• 4. Request the TAC. From the panel or via a support ticket.
• 5. Start the transfer at the new registrar. You enter the domain and the code. A one-year renewal fee is usually charged at this stage.
• 6. Respond to the approval email. Confirm the link sent to your WHOIS address.
• 7. Wait for the current registrar. Some offer an option to approve immediately; without approval, the transfer completes automatically once the waiting period ends.
• 8. Verify your DNS records afterwards. Details below.

How long does it take?

Typically 5–7 days. What determines the duration is the approval steps, not anything technical:

• Responding to the approval email quickly shortens the process.
• If the current registrar approves manually it finishes immediately; otherwise it runs until the waiting period expires.
• Weekends and public holidays can extend it.

When a transfer completes, a year is generally added to the domain's term — so the fee you paid is not lost, it becomes time. Your existing term is not wiped either; the year is added on top.

Why transfers get denied

ICANN's policy splits denial reasons in two.

Cases where a registrar may deny

• Evidence of fraud
• Identity dispute
• An unpaid previous registration period on an expired domain
• The domain holder's express objection to transfers
• Within 60 days of the creation date
• Within 60 days of a previous transfer

Cases where a registrar must deny

• A pending UDRP proceeding
• A court order
• A pending Transfer Dispute Resolution proceeding
• Suspension under URS
• The 60-day lock following a registrant change (if the holder did not opt out beforehand)

The vast majority of denials come not from the first three items but from the 60-day lock and an unremoved transfer lock.

The 60-day lock is set to change

The current rule is clear: after a registrant change, the registrar must impose a 60-day inter-registrar transfer lock unless the holder opted out beforehand.

However, ICANN plans to eliminate this lock entirely. Two new mandatory locks would replace it: 720 hours (30 days) on newly created domains and another 720 hours on recently transferred-in domains. The rationale is reducing credit card fraud and maintaining trademark-complaint compliance while lowering the barrier to legitimate transfers.

Important: this change is not in effect yet. It awaits ICANN board approval, and industry estimates put implementation at least 18 months out. So if you are planning a transfer today, work to the 60-day rule — a new rule applies when it takes effect, not when it makes the news.

Transfers for .tr domains

.com.tr, .org.tr and other .tr extensions fall not under ICANN rules but under Turkish regulation administered by TRABİS. The process differs:

• Domain holders may change their registrar (Kayıt Kuruluşu) at any time.
• The process runs through completing the relevant form fully and correctly on the registrar's website and submitting the documents the regulation requires.
• Changing the domain's owner follows a similar form-and-document process.

So on the .tr side there is a form- and document-based process rather than TAC-code logic, and transfer without documents is possible in some cases. Confirm current extension-specific requirements with your registrar or TRABİS before starting.

We covered the SEO and branding side of extension choice in how to choose a domain name.

What happens to your site and email during a transfer?

This is the biggest worry, and the answer is reassuring: a transfer does not change your DNS records. As long as your nameservers stay the same, your site stays up and your email keeps working.

There are two traps though:

• If your nameservers use the old registrar's DNS and that registrar cuts DNS service after the transfer, your site goes down. Move DNS to the new provider first, or use your host's nameservers.
• If you have no backup of your records and the DNS zone does not move, you will have to rebuild A, MX and TXT records. Take a list of all your DNS records before transferring — even a screenshot will do.

Losing SPF, DKIM and DMARC records is the number one cause of "my email goes to spam" complaints after a transfer. For all record types, see our DNS records guide.

Seven common mistakes

• Starting a transfer days before expiry. If the term ends, the authorization becomes invalid.
• Forgetting to remove the transfer lock. The leading cause of denials.
• Requesting the TAC and sitting on it. It dies after 14 days.
• An unreachable WHOIS email. The approval message never arrives.
• Not backing up DNS records. MX and SPF especially.
• Confusing a transfer with a nameserver change. Moving hosting needs no transfer.
• Changing registrant details right before transferring. It can trigger the 60-day lock.

Transferring a domain to Nubitro

To move your domain to Nubitro, start from the domain transfer page. After the transfer, domain and hosting sit in the same panel, so you manage DNS in one place — and A and MX records are configured automatically with a hosting order.

All domain registrations include free WHOIS privacy. From the panel you can manage A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV and CAA records.

To register a new domain or check availability, use domain search, and for hosting to point it at, see our professional SSD hosting plans. For everything else, visit the Nubitro homepage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my site go down during the transfer?

No. A transfer changes the registrar and does not touch your DNS records. As long as your nameservers stay the same, your site and email keep working. The only risk arises if you were using the old registrar's DNS service.

Does a transfer cost money?

Usually a one-year renewal fee is charged, and that year is added to your domain's term. So the money is not lost — it becomes time. Your existing term is not wiped either.

Can I transfer a domain I just registered?

Not until 60 days have passed since the creation date. This is an ICANN policy rule, not something a registrar can waive.

I got my TAC but did not use it — is it still valid?

The code lives for 336 hours, or 14 days. Unused within that window it expires and must be requested again. It can also be cancelled during that period by the registrar or registry.

My registrar will not give me the code. What can I do?

Under the policy, the registrar must provide the code and remove the transfer lock within five calendar days of your request. If that is exceeded, repeat your request in writing and, if necessary, use ICANN's complaint process.

How do I transfer a .com.tr domain?

.tr extensions fall under TRABİS regulation and the process is form- and document-based. You complete the relevant form on your registrar's website and submit the required documents; TAC-code logic does not apply.

Is the 60-day lock going away?

ICANN plans to remove it and replace it with 720-hour (30-day) locks on newly created and newly transferred domains. But it is not in effect yet — board approval and implementation are pending. For now, the 60-day rule stands.

Summary

• A transfer changes the registrar; it does not change ownership or DNS.
• If you are moving hosting, what you need is a nameserver change, not a transfer.
• Transfers are blocked within 60 days of the creation date.
• The transfer lock (clientTransferProhibited) must be removed.
• The auth code is now called the TAC and is generated only on request.
• The TAC lives for 336 hours (14 days) and expires unused.
• Registrars must supply the code and remove the lock within 5 calendar days.
• You need access to the WHOIS email address — approval arrives there.
• Transfers typically take 5–7 days and add a year to the term.
• UDRP, court orders and URS suspension are mandatory denial reasons.
• Removing the 60-day lock is planned but not yet in effect.
• For .tr extensions the process runs on forms and documents under TRABİS rules.
• Take a list of all DNS records before transferring — MX and SPF especially.