Domain Transfer Checklist: Avoid Website and Email Downtime

Use this domain transfer checklist to move registrar accounts while protecting the website, email and DNS services attached to the name. Record who owns each service before starting, and confirm which settings will remain unchanged.

Check the transfer process with your current and destination registrars. For domains covered by ICANN’s transfer rules, its registrant transfer FAQs explain authorisation and common restrictions. Requirements can differ by domain type, so confirm the process for your specific registration.

Start the domain transfer checklist with DNS ownership

Moving a domain between registrars does not automatically require changing the nameservers. If the existing DNS provider is working and will remain active after the transfer, keeping the nameservers unchanged can reduce risk. Confirm that continuity with the provider first. Treat registrar ownership, DNS hosting, website hosting and email hosting as separate components.

Record the complete DNS zone

Before starting, export or document A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT and other important records. Pay particular attention to email authentication such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Losing one of these records can cause an apparently successful domain transfer to create email or verification problems later.

Check locks, authorisation and renewal dates

Confirm the administrative contact details, transfer lock status and any required authorisation code with the current registrar. Avoid leaving a transfer until immediately before domain expiry. After completion, verify nameservers and DNS resolution rather than assuming the registrar’s success message proves every service is working.

Complete your domain transfer checklist with service tests

Once the transfer completes, check the public website, SSL certificate, inbound and outbound email, contact forms and any DNS-dependent verification services. Confirm the domain’s renewal setting and expiry date at the new registrar. A transfer is complete only when the services attached to the domain still behave normally, not simply when the domain appears in the new control panel.

Practical takeaway

Keep the registrar confirmation, DNS records and service-test results in the business record. If the website shows an old server after DNS changes, investigate caching before making more changes. Our IT support documentation checklist explains which ownership and recovery details to retain.