# Transfer a domain in > Move a domain you already own from another registrar to one you've connected to InfraNest — and find out before you start whether it will actually go through. Source: https://infranest.io/docs/transfer-a-domain Last updated: 2026-08-30 --- Bring a domain you already own into InfraNest by moving it from its current registrar to one you've connected here — this guide is for anyone who wants to consolidate their domains without risking downtime or a failed transfer. ## Overview - A transfer moves management of a domain from one registrar to another, but the move is carried out by the registry, not by InfraNest, and usually takes 5 to 7 days. - Transfers tend to fail quietly — the request is accepted, nothing visibly happens, and you only find out something went wrong a week later. - To help you avoid that, InfraNest checks the most common causes of failure before you start, and tells you exactly what to do about each one. ## Before you start When you open the transfer form, InfraNest runs a set of checks and shows you the results: - **Will the new registrar take it?** Where a registrar can be asked outright whether it will accept a specific domain, InfraNest asks at this point instead of guessing. If the answer is no, pick a different registrar — nothing else matters until this is settled. - **Is it locked?** Most registrars turn on a transfer lock by default. If it's on, turn it off in your current registrar's control panel and start again. - **Is it too new?** A domain can't be transferred within 60 days of being registered, or within 60 days of a previous transfer. If this applies, InfraNest shows you the date it becomes free to move. - **Is expiry close?** A transfer adds a year to whatever time is left, so you don't lose anything you've paid for. But if the domain expires within a couple of weeks, it's safer to renew first rather than race the registry. - **Can the approval email reach you?** The registry emails the domain's administrative contact to approve the transfer. If WHOIS privacy is hiding that address, you may never see the message. Turn privacy off for a day at your current registrar, or approve the transfer from their control panel once it starts. Some registries don't publish all of this information. When InfraNest can't tell, it says so rather than giving you an all-clear it can't back up. > [!NOTE] > None of these checks blocks the transfer. They're advice — the registry has the final say, and you may have good reason to go ahead anyway. ## Transfer a domain 1. At your current registrar, unlock the domain and ask for its EPP / Auth Code (also called a transfer code). 2. In InfraNest, go to **Domains** and select **Add domain**, then search for the domain. A name you already own shows as **Taken** with an **Add transfer** button on each registrar that can take it. 3. Add it to the cart. Under **What else is needed**, paste the auth code for that domain. 4. Read the checks shown underneath and deal with anything flagged — each one says what to do about it. 5. Choose the contacts to use. 6. Select **Add domain**. The transfer runs in the background, and the domain's status updates as it progresses. > [!NOTE] > If the button is greyed out, the cart lists what's missing — usually the auth code, or no contact yet. > [!NOTE] > You can mix them: a search that turns up some free names and some you already own puts both in one cart, and each line does the right thing. > [!NOTE] > Sometimes the search says the accounts below can usually take over a domain like this, but none of them could confirm it for this one. Not every registrar offers a way to ask in advance, so for those InfraNest goes by whether the name is registered at all. You can still add the transfer — the answer comes back when it starts, and a refusal costs you nothing. ## Tips - The domain keeps working during the transfer. Nothing about its nameservers or DNS changes until it completes. - The transfer fee usually buys a year, added to the time already remaining. - Auth codes expire at some registrars. If yours is refused, request a fresh one. Where the registrar can check the transfer in advance, you'll be told before the transfer starts rather than after it has been sitting in progress. - Not every connected registrar accepts transfers for every domain ending — only the ones that do are offered. > [!WARNING] > Turning off WHOIS privacy exposes your contact details publicly for as long as it's off. Only do this briefly, to receive the registry's approval email, and turn it back on afterwards.