Separate the registration from DNS hosting
Your registrar manages the registration. Your DNS host publishes records that connect the name to your website and email. They may be the same company, but moving the registration does not automatically move the DNS service. Ask the current host whether it will continue serving your zone after the transfer. Save the nameservers and a copy of your records before you begin.
Understand what needs to stay connected
DNSSEC lets validating resolvers check DNS answers against a chain of trust. Your DNS host publishes public DNSKEY records and signs the zone. DS records at the parent registry connect that zone to the chain. The receiving registrar must preserve a delegation that matches the keys still in use. A mismatch can make an otherwise working website or mail service unreachable for validating users.
Ask for the current public DNSKEYs
Obtain the public DNSKEY records represented by every current registry DS record from your DNS host. A DS digest is not the original public key. Do not substitute it in a DNSKEY field. If your host is rotating keys, there may be more than one relevant key or DS record. Ask the host to confirm the complete set and timing. Never send signing private keys: the receiving registrar does not need them for this route.
Keep one change in progress
Preserving the current DNS host, nameservers and keys makes the move easier to check. Avoid combining a registrar transfer with a DNS hosting move or key rotation. Confirm how the receiving provider handles DNSSEC before authorising the transfer. Do not remove DS records simply to fit an unsupported transfer route. If either provider cannot support the existing setup, agree a separate migration plan with your DNS host first.
Review the owner and the renewal deadline
Confirm account access, the current legal registrant and the expiry date with your registrar. Keep the registration and DNS hosting paid for throughout the move. A transfer is a registrar change; a legal owner change needs its own process. UK domains and global extensions follow different transfer rules, so obtain instructions for your actual extension. Leave enough time to handle a delay rather than waiting until expiry.
What the NameUK review checks
NameUK’s prepared UK workflow matches the supplied public DNSKEYs against all current registry DS records and includes the delegation in the saved review. It checks that the planned nameservers and security records remain consistent before showing a receiving tag or confirming completion. These checks do not independently test every DNS answer or guarantee service availability. Self-service signed transfers are not currently available. Contact support before changing registrar or DNSSEC settings.
Confirm the completed move
Wait for the receiving registrar’s confirmed completion before making another DNS change. Check the expiry, nameservers and DNSSEC status in the new account, then ask your DNS host to verify the signed delegation and test your website and email. A prepared receiving request or a tag change alone is not proof of completion. Keep the old DNS service active until the agreed continuity checks have passed.
Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.