Confirm the receiving provider’s current process before releasing the domain. For the current tag route, prepare the incoming request first, wait for the receiving tag, then ask your old registrar to release the name. Keep the existing DNS service working and verify completion in the new account. Self-service NameUK transfers are not currently available; contact support before requesting a move.
Before you begin
- Access to the current registrar account and its contact mailbox.
- The complete domain, registered owner and renewal deadline.
- A saved copy of nameservers, DNS records and any DNSSEC settings.
- Confirmation that existing website, email and DNS services will continue.
- The receiving provider’s current instructions, price and transfer reference.
1. Identify what you are moving
A registrar move changes who manages the registration. It does not automatically move your website files, email messages or DNS zone. List the companies providing each service before deciding which accounts to keep.
A change of registrar is also separate from changing the legal owner. Keep the existing registrant for a registrar move. If you are buying a business, handing the domain to someone else or correcting a legal name, ask the providers which owner-change process is required.
| Service | What to confirm before moving |
|---|---|
| Domain registration | Who currently manages the name, who should own it and when renewal is due. |
| DNS hosting | Where records are edited and whether the existing zone remains active after transfer. |
| Website hosting | Whether the site stays on its current plan, address and certificate. |
| Email hosting | Whether mailboxes and sending services keep working under the existing account. |
2. Check the process that applies when you move
Openprovider’s current UK instructions use a receiving registrar tag rather than an authorisation code. Its incoming request must exist before the old provider releases the domain. Copy the tag supplied for your prepared request exactly; do not use a company name or a tag found in an unrelated example.
Nominet has announced UK standardisation for 9 February 2027. Its transition FAQ says authorisation-code transfers will replace the existing tag process. Check fresh instructions with both providers when you actually move, especially around the transition. NameUK does not offer the future UK code route yet.
For .com and .net, follow the receiving registrar’s global transfer instructions. ICANN describes authorisation codes and eligibility restrictions, including locks following some registration or owner changes. Do not assume those rules describe today’s UK tag process.
Sources: Openprovider: current UK transfer procedure ↗ · Nominet: UK standardisation date ↗ · Nominet: planned UK authorisation-code transfers ↗ · ICANN: transferring global domain names ↗
3. Protect the renewal deadline and agree the costs
Check the current provider’s renewal deadline as well as registry expiry. Leave time to resolve missing account access, ownership questions and DNS continuity. If the name is close to expiry, suspended or disputed, ask both providers for a plan before releasing it; starting a move is not a renewal.
Openprovider currently describes ordinary UK transfers with unchanged expiry. That does not establish every retailer’s charges or a future transfer offer. Review your actual transfer total, renewal term and ongoing price before agreeing to a move.
NameUK’s prepared incoming flow currently covers a limited set of UK transfers with an unchanged registrant and preserved DNS. It does not provide a route for every near-expiry, restricted or global name. Contact NameUK support to confirm whether your specific transfer can be supported and what it would cost.
4. Preserve the DNS service, including DNSSEC
Save the exact nameserver names and a copy of the current zone. Include website addresses and aliases, mail servers, TXT verification and email-authentication records, and any other records your services use. A list of nameservers alone is not a copy of the zone.
Ask the existing DNS host whether its service ends when the registration leaves. Keeping the same nameservers only helps if the old zone stays available. If the DNS host must change, arrange and test that migration separately with the service providers.
For a signed domain, agree how the registry DS records and public DNSKEY records will remain consistent during the move. Openprovider’s DNSSEC guidance describes handling signed transfers. Follow the receiving provider’s supported procedure; do not send private signing keys.
5. Prepare the incoming request before release
In NameUK’s prepared tag workflow, review the domain and current registrant, confirm that the existing DNS service will continue, then create the incoming request from your signed-in account. The receiving tag is shown only after the registrar has confirmed preparation. Self-service incoming requests are not currently available at NameUK; contact support for instructions before releasing a domain.
Once your receiving account tells you the request is ready, use your current provider’s secure account process to request release to that exact tag. Keep the original reference and follow that request. If a reply is missing or the status needs review, contact support rather than repeatedly starting the move or guessing another tag.
| Status | Your next step |
|---|---|
| Request being prepared | Wait for the receiving provider’s confirmed instructions; do not release the domain yet. |
| Ready for registrar release | Follow the exact instructions in the receiving account and retain your reference. |
| Waiting or needs review | Check the original request with support before trying again. |
| Completed | Verify the domain, owner, renewal dates and connected services in the new account. |
6. Confirm the domain and connected services
Check that the receiving account shows a completed move for the exact name. A submitted request or accepted release is not the same as a completed registration transfer. Keep any provider confirmation alongside your original reference.
Review the legal owner, contact email, expiry, renewal deadline, nameservers and DNSSEC state. Then test the website and email separately. If DNS remains with an external host, keep using that host for record changes; the receiving registrar may not manage the zone.
Review renewal settings deliberately and keep an independent reminder. Once the move is confirmed and the services have been checked, ask the old provider which subscriptions can end. Do not cancel a hosting or email account just because the registration moved.
Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Check the route for your domain
Use the transfer checker to review the next steps. It does not start a transfer or ask for a transfer code. Live incoming transfers still await activation.