Do you want to transfer your domain name to a new registrar, but don’t know what to do?

Then you are on the right place. In this post, I will be sharing how to transfer your domain name from your current registrar to a new registrar.

There could be a lot of reason for transferring a domain name. Maybe you’re not happy with your current domain provider’s service. Maybe you find another domain registrar with cheap price. Maybe you need additional services that your existing registrar doesn’t provide.

However, transferring domain name is very easy. You needn’t to deal with any technical stuff while transferring your domain name. Here are some requirements before transfer.

• Domain name should be registered for more than 60 days in your current registrar.
• Domain name shouldn’t be set to expire within next 7 days.
• Generally you can transfer only .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .us, .ca, .cc, .cn, .com.cn, .net.cn, .org.cn, co,.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk, .mobi domain name.

How to Transfer Domain Name to New Registrar

Though this tutorial is based on how I moved my domain name from HostGator to Namecheap, it will work for other registrars like Godaddy, Registrer, Network Solutions, Bluehost, Dreamhost etc. (If you are looking for a reliable & cheap domain provider, I would suggest you to go with Namecheap)

Now let’s see how to transfer your domain name to another registrar. Just follow these simple steps…

1. Make Sure You have Valid Email Address in Whois Data

At first, you have to make sure that administrative contact of your domain name has a valid Email address in your whois database. Because the new registrar will send you a confirmation letter to your email.

To check your Email addess in Whois data, visit this site. Enter your domain name and check Registrant Email.

If you have valid Email Address on your Whois data, you can skip this step. But if you haven’t, you need to make sure that your Privacy Protection is disabled. Privacy Protection is a service that hides your personal information from the public. You can contact with your registrar to cancel the privacy protection.

You can also do it manually from your Domain Management. Here’s how to do it on HostGator. Go to Domain Management > Manage Domains and click on ‘Shield Sign’. And disable Domain Privacy.

2. Unlock Domain Address

You domain must be unlocked for transfer. Domain Locking is a security feature that protects against third parties trying to edit, transfer, or delete your domain without permission.

You can unlock your domain name from control panel. For HostGator, click on the ‘Lock Sign’ to unlock your domain name.

3. Get Authorization Code 

Authorization Code is also known as EPP Code or Transfer Key. It’s a unique combination of letters, numbers or symbols. You can get authorization code from your Domain Overview. If you don’t find any authorization code on your account, contact with your domain registrar.

To get EPP Key on HostGator, just click on your Domain Name from ‘Manage Domains’ and a domian overview will be poped up.  Copy EPP Key from there.

4. Purchase Domain Name Transfer

Now time to purchase the Domain Name Transfer from your desired domain registrar. Namecheap is my personal favorite. It offers cheap domain name transfer. Go to Namecheap domain transfer page and enter your domain name. Use the Promo Code  SWITCH2NC to get some discount.

When you purchase a domain name transfer, some of the providers may let you keep all the remaining time on your current registration. Namecheap keeps all the remaining time.

After the payment, you’ll need to set your Autorization/EPP code on your new registrar. Once you’ve bought the transfer, you’ll get an Email about EPP required. Just follow the link and enter your EPP code.

5. Email Notifications from Current and New Registrar

Then you’ll get confirmation mail from both current and new registrar. You needn’t to do anything with your current registrar’s mail. But you’ll have to click on Confirmation link from your new registrar’s mail.

It will take 5-7 days to transfer your domain name. Once your domain transfer has been completed, you’ll get the confirmation Email from your new registrar.

I haven’t faced any downtime while transferring my domain name.  I would suggest you to contact with your new domain provider to know about downtime.

Hope it helps. Do let us know if face any difficulties on transferring your domain name to new registrar. Don’t forget to share your domain transfer experience with us.