Most business owners only need to transfer a domain name once or twice, usually when they change web designer, leave a pay monthly website deal or tidy up accounts after starting a company. It is not difficult, but small mistakes can take your website or email offline for days. This guide explains what a domain transfer actually is, how the process differs for .co.uk and .com addresses, and the checks to make before you press the button.
Two different things people mean by “transfer”
There are two kinds of domain transfer, and it helps to know which one you need:
- Moving the domain to a different provider. The domain stays yours. Only the company you pay for it, called the registrar, changes.
- Changing who owns the domain. The registrant, the legal holder of the domain, changes from one person or company to another. This happens when a business is sold, or when a domain was wrongly registered in someone else’s name.
Many small businesses need both. A common example is a domain bought by a former web designer in their own name. You first need ownership moved to you or your company, then you can move it to the provider of your choice.
Step 1: Before you transfer a domain name, check who owns it
Before anything else, find out who the registrant is. Log in to the account where the domain renews, or ask whoever set it up. If the domain is held in a designer’s or agency’s name, ask them to change the registrant to your business. Without this, you may not be able to approve the transfer yourself.
At Ivy Hive, the client owns the website and the domain. It is worth checking this with any provider before you sign up.
Step 2: Make a copy of your DNS records
The DNS records are the settings that point your domain to your website and your email. When a domain moves between providers, these settings do not always come with it. Before you start, take a screenshot or export of every record, especially:
- The A or CNAME records for your website
- The MX records for your email
- Any TXT records used for email security or for verifying services such as Google
If your email stops working after a transfer, missing MX records are a common cause. If you are unsure what your email setup looks like, our guide to getting a business email explains the pieces.
How to transfer a .co.uk or .uk domain name
Domains ending in .uk, including .co.uk, are run by Nominet. At the time of writing, a .uk domain moves between providers using the new provider’s TAG, a short code that identifies each registrar. The usual route is to ask your current provider to move the domain to the new provider’s TAG. If they will not, the registrant can make the change through Nominet’s online services. The UK Domain help centre says this costs £10 plus VAT per transaction, and the new provider has up to 5 days to accept a transfer that needs their approval.
This is changing. Nominet has announced that .uk will move to a standard transfer process, where the new provider requests the domain using an authorisation code, from Tuesday 9 February 2027. Check with your provider which process applies on the day you transfer. Details are on Nominet’s registrar site.
How to transfer a .com domain name
Domains such as .com follow rules set by ICANN. The process is:
- Turn off the transfer lock in your current provider’s account.
- Request the authorisation code, sometimes called an EPP or transfer code. ICANN says the provider must give you this within five calendar days if you cannot generate it yourself.
- Start the transfer with your new provider and enter the code.
- Approve any confirmation emails sent to the registrant email address.
ICANN’s transfer FAQs also explain the 60 day locks. A provider can refuse a transfer within 60 days of the domain first being registered or last transferred, and must refuse it within 60 days of a change to the registrant’s name, organisation or email address unless you opted out of that lock. If you are changing ownership and provider, plan for this gap.
Step 3: Keep the old account open until the move is complete
Do not cancel your old hosting or email until the domain has moved and your website and email are working through the new provider. Check that your website loads, send and receive test emails, and confirm the domain shows the new provider in a lookup. Only then close the old services.
Leaving a pay monthly website deal
Some pay monthly or rental website deals keep the domain in the provider’s name, or charge to release it. Read your contract before you give notice and ask in writing for the domain to be transferred to you. Our article on pay monthly websites covers what to look for in these agreements.
Moving a domain for a Luton business without losing email
The domain transfers we handle for businesses in Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard usually go wrong in one place: email. Many local firms set up their domain years ago with a cheap host, and their business email runs on the same account. Move the domain carelessly and the email stops, often on a weekday when customers are trying to reach you.
Before we move a domain for a client we write down every DNS record, including the email ones, and recreate them first. If you are stuck with a domain held by an old web designer, we can help you get it back.
When we took over the ST HECS website in Luton, the first job was documenting its existing email and DNS setup before changing anything, so enquiries from schools and care providers kept arriving throughout.
Need a hand moving your domain?
If you are moving to a new website with us, we can help with the domain transfer and the DNS settings for your website and email, so you can check everything works before the old provider is switched off. Our New Business Launch website is £497 fixed with hosting, domain and business email included for the first 12 months. See our launch package or contact us with your domain name and we will tell you what the move involves.
