Separate registrar transfer from website hosting
A registrar transfer requires the holder's authorisation and a valid Auth-Code for supported domains; keep DNS and hosting available throughout.
A registrar transfer changes the company managing a registration; it does not move the website, mailbox, DNS zone or nameservers. An Auth-Code is a sensitive transfer credential. Check both registrars’ requirements and the domain’s TLD rules before requesting or submitting it.
This guide helps a domain holder prepare a transfer to a registrar they select. Novasean’s current domain-registration page says incoming domain transfers are not offered; this guide does not describe a Novasean transfer service or imply that Novasean is the receiving registrar for a given domain. The domain holder controls the decision and should know who can approve it. If the domain is part of an organisation, identify a backup contact before beginning.
Check registration and DNS continuity
Sign in directly to the current registrar, using a saved bookmark or known address rather than a transfer email link. Record the domain, registrar, registry status, expiry and renewal dates, nameservers and DNSSEC settings. Export or document the authoritative DNS zone, especially A/AAAA, MX and mail authentication records, in case the registrar also hosts DNS. Confirm that the holder’s administrative contact details are current and can receive transfer messages.
Before changing registrant details, check the transfer effect. For a generic top-level domain (gTLD) covered by ICANN’s current Transfer Policy, the Registered Name Holder has authority to approve or deny the registrar transfer. Confirm that the correct holder can access the current registrar account and respond to its transfer messages. Do not change the holder’s email, name or organisation just to make an approval message arrive until you have checked the registrar’s process.
Under the current ICANN policy, any change to the Registered Name Holder’s email is a Change of Registrant. The registrar must impose a 60-day inter-registrar transfer lock after a Change of Registrant, although it may offer the holder an opt-out before the change request. If your goal is to move registrars, ask the current registrar what applies before changing the holder details; where practical, complete the registrar transfer first, or use an opt-out only if the registrar offers and confirms it. Country-code and other special TLDs may follow different rules, so check the exact extension and both registrars’ instructions.
Check for a registrar lock or transfer-prohibited status and ask why it exists. Some locks are routine anti-hijack controls; others relate to recent registration, a previous transfer, a dispute or local registry rules. Do not remove a security lock unless the holder has decided to transfer and knows how to restore protection after completion.
Obtain and protect the Auth-Code
Use the current registrar’s authenticated domain-management route to request the Auth-Code or ask its support team through a verified channel. ICANN describes how Auth-Codes work for gTLD transfers, but a country-code or other special TLD may use a different mechanism. Treat the code like a password: share it only with the intended receiving registrar through its secure transfer flow and do not paste it into a public ticket or email thread. If the code is exposed or the transfer is abandoned, ask the registrar whether it can be regenerated.
Before entering the code, verify that the receiving registrar supports the domain’s TLD and can maintain its required contacts, nameservers and DNSSEC records. Check the total transfer/renewal terms and whether any registration period changes. Do not rely on an assumed automatic extra year; TLD rules and transfer timing differ.
Prepare a controlled transfer sequence
- Keep the existing authoritative DNS service and hosting active during the registrar move unless a separate DNS migration is planned.
- Confirm that the domain is eligible, the necessary lock can be removed, and the holder can respond to any registrar or registry approval messages.
- Initiate the request only at the chosen receiving registrar, using the exact domain and fresh Auth-Code. Retain the order or transfer reference.
- Monitor status at both registrars and read notices carefully. A transfer request may be pending, approved, rejected or cancelled without changing the site immediately.
- When complete, inspect registrant and technical contacts, nameservers, DNSSEC, renewal settings and account security at the new registrar.
Do not change nameservers and registrar at the same moment unless you have a documented DNS migration plan; simultaneous changes make a failure harder to trace. For a domain near expiry, ask both registrars about the safest renewal and transfer sequence before submitting.
Verify the outcome and recover a failed request
Use the receiving registrar’s dashboard and a registration-data lookup where available to confirm the sponsoring registrar and status. Verify the website and inbound/outbound mail still use the intended DNS records. A successful transfer notice is not proof that optional DNS hosting or renewal settings transferred as expected. Save the completion time and new renewal date.
For an example transfer, compare the registrar shown before and after completion; the same nameservers and reachable mail indicate continuity, while a paid order alone does not show completion.
If a request is rejected, read the exact reason: wrong or expired code, lock, contact approval, eligibility or a TLD-specific rule call for different remedies. Correct the stated cause rather than repeatedly submitting the same code. If an unauthorised transfer appears, contact the current or previous registrar through its security channel immediately. Support can help explain an account it administers, but the registrar and domain holder must resolve registration control.
Common questions
Will a transfer change my site’s IP address? Not by itself. Check whether DNS hosting is tied to the old registrar before ending that service.
Is an Auth-Code enough to transfer any domain? No. Eligibility, locks, approvals and TLD rules still apply.
Can I wait until the expiry day? That leaves little room for rejection or approval delays. Confirm the registrar’s safe timing in advance.
Should the holder close old registrar-hosted DNS when the transfer starts? No. Keep that service until the new registrar and live delegation have been checked.
Sources and technical references
Related guides
Was this guide helpful?
If you accepted optional analytics, your Yes/No answer and this guide’s page address are sent to Google Analytics. No written feedback is collected. Read our privacy statement or change your choice in .
Need help with your service?
Open your client area or contact Novasean. Describe the symptom and checks you have performed. Keep passwords, recovery codes and private keys out of your message.