A registrar transfer on its own does not take a website offline. The registry simply records a new sponsoring registrar, and the nameservers on the domain stay exactly as they were. Downtime happens when something else moves at the same time: the old registrar's DNS stops answering once the domain leaves, the new registrar's zone is empty, DNSSEC keys no longer match, or the MX records were forgotten. Every step below exists to stop one of those from happening.
1. Check that the domain can be transferred
Look up the domain and confirm three things before you plan anything. It must be more than 60 days past its registration and past any change of registrant, because ICANN's transfer policy locks the domain for 60 days after either. It must not be expired or in redemption. And it should have at least a couple of weeks before its expiry date, because a transfer started in the last days before expiry can collide with the renewal at the old registrar. The help article on the 60 day transfer lock explains when the clock starts.
2. Find out who answers your DNS today
Look at the nameservers on the domain. They tell you which company answers DNS queries for it, and that is the company you must not lose during the move.
- If the nameservers belong to your host, a CDN or a separate DNS provider, the transfer will not touch them. You can skip to step 4.
- If the nameservers belong to the registrar you are leaving, plan for the fact that its DNS service usually stops when the domain leaves the account. This is the most common cause of downtime during a transfer.
The guide on how to find my domain registrar explains why the nameservers and the registrar are often two different companies.
3. Move the DNS before the registration
If your DNS sits at the old registrar, copy the whole zone to the DNS service you will use after the transfer, then switch the nameservers, and only then start the registrar transfer. Copy every record, not only the ones you remember.
- A and AAAA records for the root domain and www
- CNAME records for subdomains and services
- MX records for email
- TXT records for SPF, DKIM, DMARC and site verification
- SRV records for calling, chat or other services
Export the zone file if the old registrar offers it, or take screenshots of the record table. Check the new zone record by record before you change the nameservers, then wait at least 48 hours, the time .com nameserver changes take to reach every resolver, before you start the transfer. Once the transfer to NameBest completes, the DNS management panel lets you recreate the zone here and switch to our nameservers whenever you choose, or keep your custom nameservers for good.
4. Lower the TTL a day ahead
TTL is how long resolvers cache a record. If your records carry a TTL of 86400 seconds, a mistake made during the move can take a full day to clear from caches. A day before any DNS change, lower the TTL on the records you will touch to 300 seconds. Raise it again a few days after everything is stable. The TTL of the nameserver delegation itself is set by the registry and you cannot change it, which is why step 3 needs the 48 hour wait.
5. Protect your email
Email is where a careless transfer hurts longest, because a bounced message is not retried forever and nobody tells you it was lost. Make sure the MX records point to your mail provider in the zone that will be live after the move, and that the SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT records are copied exactly, character for character. Send a test message to and from the domain after any nameserver change. The help article on how to add MX records shows the format.
6. Handle DNSSEC
If DNSSEC is on, the registry holds a DS record that must match the keys of whoever signs your zone. Change DNS providers without updating it and validating resolvers treat your domain as broken. The safe order is to remove the DS record at the current registrar, wait for its TTL to expire, move the DNS, then turn DNSSEC on again with the new provider. If you are not moving DNS, leave DNSSEC alone.
7. Unlock the domain and copy the EPP code
At the current registrar, switch off the transfer lock and request the EPP code, also called the authorization code. Most registrars show it in the dashboard, some email it, and ICANN requires them to provide it within five calendar days of a request. Check that the registrant email on the domain is one you can read, because some registrars send a confirmation there. The help article on how to get an EPP code covers the common places it hides.
8. Start the transfer and approve it
Enter the domain and the EPP code on the domain transfer page, pay the transfer price shown, and the request goes to the registry. The transfer adds one year to the registration, so you lose none of the time you already paid for. Most transfers finish within five days. If the old registrar sends an approval email, approving it often completes the transfer the same day. The nameservers do not change at any point in this step, which is why a site served by working DNS stays online throughout. Track the progress with the domain transfer status guide.
9. Check everything after the transfer
When the domain appears in your new dashboard, confirm that the nameservers are the ones you expect, load the site on mobile data as well as office wifi, send and receive a test email, and check any service that verifies the domain by TXT record. Then turn the transfer lock back on and make sure auto renew is set the way you want. If you moved DNS, raise the TTLs back to their usual values after a few quiet days.
A timeline for a transfer without downtime
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day minus 3 | Check eligibility, list every DNS record, note the expiry date |
| Day minus 2 | Lower TTLs to 300 seconds, copy the zone to the DNS you will keep |
| Day minus 1 | Switch nameservers if the DNS moves, remove the DS record first if DNSSEC is on |
| Day 0 or later | After 48 hours of stable DNS, unlock, copy the EPP code, start the transfer |
| Day 1 to 5 | Approve the transfer email if one arrives, watch the status |
| After completion | Verify site and email, lock the domain, raise TTLs, turn DNSSEC back on |
Questions about transferring a domain without downtime
Does a domain transfer cause downtime?
Not by itself. The transfer changes the sponsoring registrar, not the nameservers. Downtime comes from DNS that stops answering, usually because it was hosted at the registrar you left.
Will my email stop working during a domain transfer?
Not if the MX and TXT records exist in the DNS that is live during and after the transfer. Copy them exactly and send a test message after any nameserver change.
How long does a domain transfer take?
Most transfers finish within five days. Approving the confirmation email from the old registrar, where one is sent, often shortens it to the same day.