How to Transfer a Domain to a New Host in 2025

If you own a website, you likely have a domain name registered with a hosting company. This company helps make your website accessible to people online and offers security and customer support. In case you are unhappy with your current domain host, you may have the option to transfer your website domain to a new company. But before you proceed, we recommend you understand how the process works and the risks associated with it.

Can You Transfer a Domain Name to Another Hosting Site?

If you are not satisfied with your current web hosting site, you can transfer your domain name to another host. Making this switch is quite normal if you want to boost your site’s performance, scale its operations, reduce maintenance costs, and enjoy other benefits that your current provider does not offer.

Remember that while domain transfers are possible, they may not always be necessary. You can resolve most of your web-hosting problems by switching to a different plan from the same host. Sticking with the same service provider and consolidating multiple domains with them may help to reduce costs and simplify management. Having said that, a lack of features and poor customer service are parameters that justify switching providers.

How to Transfer a Website Domain to a New Host?

The process of transferring your domain name to a new host is simple. After you have found a new hosting company for your site, a streamlined four-step procedure will help you complete this task.

Check Your Existing Provider’s Transfer Requirements

Domain hosts have certain requirements you need to meet for the transfer process to go through smoothly. For example, many registrars have a 15-day expiration rule. This means your domain should have 15 or more days left for expiration to ensure it does not expire mid-transfer. Hosts may ask you to pay a penalty if you seek a transfer with less than 15 days left before the domain’s expiry date.

The 60-day lock period is another requirement you need to know about. As per ICANN’s transfer policy, you cannot transfer your domain name to another registrar within 60 days of making any change to your contact information.

Besides these two requirements, you will need to check with your registrar if there are other conditions to be met for the transfer to be successful.

Unlock Your Domain and Get Your Transfer Authorization Code

Registrars usually lock your domain to secure it from data breaches and stop unwanted transfer attempts. So before initiating the transfer process, you will need to manually unlock your domain. You can do this either through your registered account or by sending an email request to your current registrar. Once your domain is unlocked, you will get a transfer authorization code. Registrars take about five days to generate and deliver this code to your email address.

Contact Your New Domain Host to Initiate the Transfer

The process of transferring domain names to new hosts varies slightly from one registrar to another. Some require you to create a ticket with their support team to kick-start the process. Usually, a DNS zone needs to be created with the new registrar to add your nameservers and records from the current registrar to the new one. Doing so prevents your domain from stopping when your previous registrar erases your records after the transfer. A DNS zone is a sure-shot way to switch your existing nameserver configuration to new host nameservers and ensure your website does not experience downtime after the domain transfer.

Verify and Pay for the Transfer

To finalize your domain transfer, your new host will send you an email requesting that you provide the transfer authorization code. After you provide the code, your existing domain registrar will initiate the process, which takes around five to seven working days. You will need to make a payment to your new service provider to complete the transfer.

Read more about: Best Domain Registrars

Risk of Transferring a Website Domain to a New Host

It Can Affect Your SEO

Switching to a new host can affect your search engine ranking. This is especially the case when the new host offers poor server performance and your site loads slower than before. Any downtime faced during migration can also affect your ranking.

Read more about: How Does Web Hosting Affect SEO

You Could Lose Data

Many website owners lose their database information and site files while switching hosts. One way to avoid this issue is to back up your files before the migration process. Many domain hosts also offer plug-ins specifically for this purpose.

FAQs

Is a domain transfer the same as a website migration?

No, transferring a domain name to a new host is different from website migration. In host switching, the registrar where the domain name is registered is changed. Website migration involves copying your website’s content (files and databases) to a new hosting server.

How long does a domain transfer take?

Once the transfer is initiated and the new host is informed, the process takes five to seven business days to complete.

Can I transfer a domain for free?

While transferring your domain name in itself may not cost anything, you will need to pay for the services offered by the new host. Leading providers typically charge around $3 to $15 per month.

What happens to email accounts when transferring domains?

Your inbox and previously received emails on your old domain host remain unaffected. That said, your email address will change after the transfer.

How do I get an authorization code? Where can I find this code?

You can find this code on your registrar’s dashboard or by asking your existing host for it.