Transferring a domain is one of those operations that sounds simple, sometimes is, and occasionally takes a perfectly functional business offline for three days because of one missed checkbox. Here's the safe playbook we walk every customer through.
Why transfer at all?
Two reasons people move domains: (1) the current registrar is gouging on renewal prices ($25+ per year for what should cost $13), or (2) the current registrar has terrible support, surprise upsells, or a clunky control panel. Modusdom solves both — same price every year, no upsells, real humans answering email.
Before you start: the pre-flight checklist
- Confirm the domain is more than 60 days old. ICANN forbids transfers within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. There's no workaround.
- Confirm the domain isn't within 60 days of expiry. If you're cutting it close, renew at the current registrar first, then transfer (the +1 year added by the transfer stacks on top of the renewal).
- Unlock the domain at the current registrar. There's usually a "transfer lock" toggle in their control panel.
- Get the EPP code (also called auth code or transfer code). The current registrar emails it to the registrant address on file.
- Confirm the registrant email is current. If the email on file is one you no longer access (common for old domains), update it before requesting the EPP code or you'll never receive it.
- Note your DNS records. Take a screenshot of your current DNS zone — A records, MX records, TXT records — so you can recreate them at the new registrar if anything resets.
The "without losing email" part
This is where most transfers go wrong. By default, when you transfer a domain, the new registrar takes over DNS hosting too — which can wipe your MX records and break email for hours or days.
The safe approach:
- Either (a) keep DNS hosted where it currently is and only transfer the domain registration, or
- (b) recreate all your DNS records at the new registrar before the transfer completes, so the moment DNS flips, email keeps flowing.
At Modusdom we walk customers through this — we pre-stage your DNS records before flipping the switch.
The actual transfer steps
- Submit the transfer request on the new registrar's site (for us: /transfer).
- The new registrar requests the transfer at the registry.
- The losing registrar emails the registrant: "Approve this transfer?" Click Approve.
- 5–7 day waiting period (ICANN rule).
- Transfer completes. The domain is yours at the new registrar, with +1 year added to expiry.
What can go wrong (and how to fix it)
- EPP code rejected. Either a typo (copy-paste, don't retype) or the current registrar didn't generate a fresh one. Re-request it.
- "Domain is locked." Toggle the transfer lock at the current registrar and resubmit.
- Approval email never arrived. Check the registrant email on the WHOIS record — it's where the approval went. If outdated, you'll need to update it at the current registrar first.
- Transfer denied at registry. Usually means the domain was registered or transferred within the last 60 days. Wait and retry.
How Modusdom makes this painless
We don't charge a transfer fee. The +1 year on your domain that ICANN requires gets added at our base renewal price (e.g. $14.99 for a .com) — that's the entire bill. We pre-stage your DNS records, watch the transfer for you, and email when it lands. Average time from "Start transfer" to "domain now lives at Modusdom" is 5 days.
