How to Transfer a Domain Name: Steps, Timing and Cost

A domain transfer moves the management of your domain name from one registrar to another. The domain, its owner and your website stay the same; what changes is which company's panel you use and who you pay for renewals. Done properly, your website and email never go down. This guide explains how long a domain transfer takes, what it costs, the steps, whether it affects SEO and the mistakes to avoid.

How long does a domain transfer take, and what does it cost?

The short answer for .com and similar extensions: a few days at most. Timing is set by ICANN's Transfer Policy. If the old registrar does not respond to the transfer request within 5 calendar days, it is approved automatically. If the old registrar approves, or you click the link in the approval email, it can be done the same day.

Add the time it takes to get the EPP code. Most panels give it instantly, and under ICANN rules the old registrar must provide it within 5 calendar days.

There is no single price, because each registrar sets its own. For most generic extensions the fee is not lost: a year is added to your registration. Some registrars offer a cheap first year and charge more at renewal, so compare renewal prices.

Transfer, DNS change and hosting change are different things

You do not need to transfer your domain to change hosting; updating DNS is enough. See our website migration guide.

Terms to know

• Transfer lock: protection against unauthorised transfers. Switch it off before, back on after.
• EPP or auth code: the domain's transfer password, requested by the new registrar.
• The 60-day rule: under the current ICANN policy, transfers can be denied within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. Changing the registrant's name, organisation or email also triggers a 60-day transfer lock, although registrars may let you opt out before the change. ICANN is reviewing these rules, so check the current position with your registrar.
• Registrant email: approvals and warnings go here. If you cannot access it, the process stalls.

Don't know who your registrar is?

If someone else registered the domain years ago, this is common. For .com, .net and similar extensions, search your domain on ICANN's free Lookup tool; the "Registrar" field tells you who it is, along with the expiry date and lock status. For .tr domains, look at renewal invoices and "your domain is expiring" reminders; whoever sends them is your registrar. Failing that, ask the agency that built the site or your hosting company.

Step by step (.com, .net and similar)

1. Check who the registrant is. It should be your business. If it shows an agency or former employee, update ownership first.
2. Make sure you can access the registrant email, or change it to your own business address, bearing in mind this can trigger the 60-day lock.
3. Check the expiry date. Renew first or start at least two to three weeks early.
4. Back up your DNS records if DNS is hosted on the old registrar's free service. Save every A, MX, TXT and CNAME record.
5. Unlock the domain and get the EPP code.
6. Start the transfer at the new registrar, enter the code and pay the transfer fee.
7. Watch for approval emails. Approving speeds things up; otherwise the transfer completes automatically within 5 days.
8. Check everything afterwards: nameservers and DNS unchanged, site and email working.
9. Lock the domain again and turn on auto-renewal.

Quick pre-transfer checklist

• [ ] Your business is listed as registrant.
• [ ] You can access the registrant email.
• [ ] At least 15 days remain before expiry.
• [ ] No registration, transfer or ownership change in the last 60 days.
• [ ] You have a full list of DNS records.
• [ ] The domain is unlocked and you have the EPP code.
• [ ] You have checked the new registrar's renewal price and DNS service.

.tr domains

Since 14 September 2022, .com.tr and other .tr domains have been managed through TRABIS via accredited registrars; the old nic.tr system has closed. Law No. 7590, published in the Official Gazette on 31 July 2026, transferred authority over .tr domain names from the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) to the Cyber Security Directorate; registrations and transfers still run through TRABIS. Changing registrar also uses a transfer code, but the steps and timing can differ from .com and ICANN's 5-day rule does not apply. Ask the new registrar how they handle .tr transfers, how long it takes and what it costs before you start.

Does transferring a domain affect SEO?

No. Google sees your site through its domain name and server; it neither knows nor cares which registrar's panel the domain sits in. If the nameservers and DNS records stay the same during the transfer, the site stays at the same address on the same server and your rankings do not move.

Problems start when something else changes along the way. If the old registrar's free DNS shuts off and the records were not copied, the site can be down for hours or days, and a long outage can dent rankings for a while. Changing the domain itself, say from .com.tr to .com, is not a transfer but a change of address, which needs 301 redirects and a change of address request in Search Console.

If the transfer is rejected

ICANN's policy limits the reasons an old registrar can deny a transfer: evidence of fraud, a dispute over the registrant's identity, unpaid fees for a past period on an expired domain, an objection from the registrant, and the 60-day window. Non-payment for a future period is not a valid reason. In practice the usual culprits are a lock left on, a wrong or outdated EPP code, a domain still inside the 60-day window, or an expired domain. The fee is usually refunded or kept as credit. Fix the issue and start again; the domain keeps working at the old registrar in the meantime.

After the transfer: secure the account

Whoever controls your registrar account can point your site and email anywhere. Turn on two-factor authentication, use a unique password, enable auto-renewal with a valid card and remove access for staff who leave on the day they go. If you own several domains, such as .com and .com.tr, keeping them in one account makes renewals easy to track.

Common mistakes

• Discovering mid-transfer that the domain is registered to an agency or former employee.
• Not backing up DNS records and losing email.
• Leaving the transfer until the last days before expiry.
• Confusing a transfer with a nameserver change.
• Warning emails going to an inbox nobody reads.
• Forgetting to re-lock the domain.

We see the first one often with small businesses in Antalya: the domain was registered years ago by the agency or freelancer who built the site, in their own account. When the business wants to switch agency, it has no access. If the business is listed as registrant, the transfer is routine; if not, start with a written request to change ownership.

Domain management is part of our maintenance and hosting service, so your domain, hosting and email settings are looked after in one place. For the hosting side, see how to choose web hosting, and for certificates, what is an SSL certificate. See our packages for what is covered, or drop us a line with questions.