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How to transfer a domain without taking your website or email offline

A registrar transfer moves who manages your domain, not your website. Copy your DNS first, unlock, use the auth code, approve, and nothing goes offline.

By Website Development Bangkok team, reviewed by Litesh DhirPublished 8 min read
Cover image for this guide: Domains

Transfer, DNS change or hosting move?

To transfer a domain, you unlock it at the current registrar, get its authorisation (auth or EPP) code, start the transfer at the new registrar, approve it, and wait for the old registrar to release it.

If you copy your DNS records to the new place before anything changes, your website and email keep running throughout. The whole process usually takes about a week for a .com.

Three jobs get confused here, so it helps to name them:

  • Registrar transfer: the company that manages your registration changes. Your site and mail do not have to move at all.
  • DNS change: you edit records such as A and MX, or switch nameservers, so the domain points somewhere new.
  • Hosting move: the site's files and database go to a different server. That is a separate job, covered in our guide on moving a website to a new host, and if you are still choosing a destination, compare shared, cloud or managed hosting first.

Owners usually transfer for three reasons: control, because the domain sits in an old developer's or reseller's account; price, because renewals have crept up; or consolidation, putting every company domain in one account with one renewal calendar.

What should you check before a domain transfer?

Transfers that fail often do so for a reason visible in advance. Go through this list first. It is also sensible to take a full WordPress backup before any change that involves DNS, even when you expect nothing on the server to be touched.

  • You are the registrantThe registrant name and email in the domain's records should be you or your company. Check with a WHOIS or RDAP lookup and at the current registrar.
  • You can receive the admin emailApproval requests go to the registrant email. If it is an old developer's address, update it first.
  • The 60-day windows have passedUnder ICANN rules, registrars can refuse a transfer within 60 days of registration or of a previous transfer, and many also apply a lock after a change of registrant details.
  • Not about to expireStart at least two weeks before expiry. Some registrars block transfers of expired or nearly expired names.
  • Transfer lock is offTurn off the registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited) in the current control panel.
  • DNS records savedExport or screenshot every record: A, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF, DKIM, verification codes) and any others.

Transferring a .com or other gTLD

For generic domains such as .com, .net and .org, the process is set by ICANN's Transfer Policy, so it looks much the same at every registrar even if the buttons are in different places. Expect to pay for the transfer at the new registrar. For most gTLDs, that payment adds a year to the registration rather than being a pure fee, but confirm the price and terms on the new registrar's own page before you start.

  1. Step 1

    Unlock the domain

    In the current registrar's panel, remove the transfer lock and, if offered, turn off privacy that hides the registrant email.

  2. Step 2

    Request the auth code

    Also called the EPP code or transfer key. Some panels show it at once; others email it to the registrant.

  3. Step 3

    Start at the new registrar

    Enter the domain and the auth code, pay for the transfer, and check that the registrant details are correct.

  4. Step 4

    Approve the request

    Watch the registrant inbox and approve any confirmation email from either registrar. Some old registrars let you approve early to speed things up.

  5. Step 5

    Wait for release

    If the old registrar does nothing, the policy lets the transfer complete automatically after five days. Most finish within that window.

How do you keep DNS and email running?

The outage people fear during a transfer almost always comes from DNS, not from the transfer itself. If your nameservers point at the old registrar's DNS service, that service may stop answering once the domain leaves. Your website and your mailboxes then vanish from the internet even though nothing on the servers changed.

Two safe patterns:

  • Keep the current nameservers. If DNS is hosted by your web host or by a service such as Cloudflare, leave the nameservers as they are during the transfer. Most registrars keep them unchanged.
  • Rebuild the zone first. If DNS lives at the old registrar, recreate every record at the new registrar or DNS provider, compare them line by line, then switch the nameservers before or right after the transfer, while the old DNS still answers.

Pay special attention to MX, SPF and DKIM records. A missing TXT record can quietly send your invoices to spam, as our guide to email deliverability with SPF and DKIM explains. Your HTTPS padlock does not depend on the registrar, but if the certificate is validated by DNS, a missing record can stop the next renewal; our explainer on the SSL certificate for a website covers how renewal works.

Transferring .co.th and other .th domains

Thai country-code domains are not covered by ICANN's gTLD transfer policy. They are administered by THNIC, which sets its own rules for registration, document checks and changes of registrar. The steps and paperwork can differ from a .com: for .co.th, for example, the registration is tied to a registered Thai company, and requests to change the handling registrar or the contact details may need supporting documents.

Because the procedure is set by THNIC and can change, start with the current guidance on THNIC's website and ask the new registrar what it needs from you before you pay. If you are still deciding whether a Thai domain is worth having at all, our guide to .co.th domain registration explains eligibility and the documents involved.

Recovering a domain held by a former developer

This is a common reason Bangkok owners come to this topic. A freelancer or agency registered the domain years ago, in their own account and sometimes in their own name, and now does not reply.

If the domain is in their account but lists you as registrant

Contact the registrar's support directly. As the registrant, you can usually ask for the registrant email to be updated or for the auth code to be sent to you, after proving identity with company documents and matching details.

If it is registered in their name

Legally the registrant is the holder, so the cleanest path is a written request asking them to change the registrant to your company, or to push the domain to an account you control. Keep invoices showing you paid for the domain and the site. If they refuse, registrars cannot simply hand it over; formal dispute routes exist, and a lawyer is the right person to advise on them. Meanwhile, avoid building anything new on the name.

Going forward, register every domain in your company's name, with a company email address you control, and give developers access rather than ownership.

What should you check after the transfer?

When the new registrar shows the domain as active in your account, spend fifteen minutes on these checks:

  • Renewal date: confirm the extra year was added and turn on auto-renew with a card that will not expire soon.
  • Contacts: registrant, admin and technical contacts should point to company addresses, not a person who may leave.
  • Lock: switch the transfer lock back on.
  • DNS: load the site, send and receive a test email, and check that DNS answers match the records you saved.
  • Two-factor login: enable it on the registrar account; it holds the key to your whole online presence.

Domains, DNS, certificates and backups are the kind of quiet admin that is easy to forget until a renewal lapses. If that sounds familiar, read what website maintenance is and why it matters. Before bigger changes such as a redesign, testing on a copy is safer than on the live site; our note on what a staging site is explains how. We also provide ongoing WordPress maintenance, which can include renewal and DNS checks, priced per site. To get a sense of what care after launch costs, start there, then WhatsApp or call +66 93 004 4098 or email service@websitedevelopmentbangkok.com, any day from 10:00 to 19:00 Bangkok time.

Who reviewed this guide

Litesh Dhir, co-founder of Website Development Bangkok
Litesh Dhir, Co-founder, SEO and web development

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Litesh Dhir

Builds and ranks the websites: the systems behind the 17 client sites whose Search Console numbers we publish.

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Litesh Dhir, co-founder of Website Development Bangkok
Reviewed by Litesh DhirCo-founder, SEO and web development

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Common questions

How long does a domain transfer take?

For a .com or other generic domain, usually up to about five days once you have submitted the auth code and approved the request, because the losing registrar has that long to act before the transfer completes automatically. Some finish within hours if the old registrar lets you approve early. Allow extra days beforehand for unlocking, fixing the registrant email and receiving the code. Thai .th domains follow THNIC's own procedure and timing.

Will my website go down during a domain transfer?

Not if DNS keeps answering. The transfer changes which company manages the registration; it does not touch your server. Downtime happens when the domain uses the old registrar's DNS service and that service stops once the domain leaves. Copy every DNS record to the new provider first, or leave your nameservers pointing at your host or a DNS service such as Cloudflare, and the site and email carry on normally.

Why can't I transfer my domain yet?

The usual reasons are a transfer lock still switched on, a registration or previous transfer that is too recent (locks of up to 60 days apply; ICANN policy work to shorten this to 30 days is under way), a recent change of registrant details that triggered a lock, an expired or nearly expired domain, or a wrong auth code. Check the domain's status at the current registrar. If the approval email goes to an address you cannot read, update the registrant email and wait for any resulting lock to pass.

What if my old web developer registered the domain in their name?

The registrant listed in the records is treated as the holder, so ask the developer in writing to change the registrant to your company or move the domain into an account you own. Keep proof that you paid for it. If they will not cooperate, the registrar generally cannot hand it over without the holder's consent, and a lawyer can advise on formal dispute options. In future, register domains in the company's name.

Can I transfer a .co.th domain to another registrar?

Yes, .th domains can move between registrars, but they follow THNIC's procedures rather than the ICANN process used for .com. The documents and steps may differ, and .co.th names stay tied to the registered company or trademark behind them. Before paying, check THNIC's current guidance and ask the new registrar exactly what it needs from you, then copy your DNS records so the site and email keep working.

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