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Domain transfers have a reputation for being risky mainly because of a handful of specific, well-known failure points — not because the process itself is inherently fragile. Knowing those points in advance turns a stressful transfer into a routine one. See Netart’s domain transfer process.
The Actual Cause of Transfer Downtime
Downtime during a domain transfer almost always comes from DNS mismanagement, not the transfer itself — specifically, DNS hosting staying tied to the old registrar while records get disabled prematurely, breaking resolution before the new registrar is actually handling it. Confirming where DNS is actually hosted, and keeping it stable through the transfer, prevents the great majority of transfer-related outages.
Unlocking and the Auth Code
Before a transfer can start, Registrar Lock (also called Transfer Lock) needs to be disabled at the current registrar, and an auth code (also called an EPP code or transfer key) needs to be requested — a unique authorization string proving you control the domain. Some registrars enforce a waiting period, commonly 24 hours, after unlocking before the auth code becomes usable, which is worth planning around rather than discovering mid-transfer.
Start a domain transfer to Netart once you have the auth code from your current registrar.
The Privacy Protection Step People Forget
Domain privacy protection masks the registrant’s real contact email in public WHOIS records — useful normally, but it needs to be temporarily disabled before a transfer, since the transfer confirmation email goes to the registrant address on file. Forgetting this step is a common reason transfer approval emails never arrive and the process silently stalls.
Why the Unlock Window Is a Real Security Risk, Briefly
A domain must be unlocked to transfer, and that unlocked window is exactly when domain hijacking attempts happen — an attacker with access to the registrant’s email can potentially approve an unauthorized transfer during this brief period. Keeping the domain locked until the moment you’re actually initiating a transfer, rather than leaving it unlocked indefinitely, closes this window down to the minimum necessary.
The 60-Day Rule That Catches Recent Buyers Off Guard
ICANN policy locks a domain from transferring for 60 days after either a new registration or a previous transfer — a rule that exists specifically to prevent rapid domain hijacking, but that also means a domain bought recently, or transferred to its current registrar within the last two months, can’t be transferred again yet regardless of how the unlock/auth-code process goes. This is the most common reason a seemingly correct transfer attempt fails outright rather than just running slowly, and it’s worth checking the domain’s registration or last-transfer date before troubleshooting anything else if a transfer won’t initiate.
There’s no way around this window — it’s an ICANN-wide policy, not something any individual registrar can override — so the practical move is simply waiting out the remainder of the 60 days before attempting the transfer again.
Timing a Transfer Around Renewal
Most registrars add a year to the domain’s registration as part of completing a transfer, which is worth factoring into timing rather than treating the transfer as unrelated to renewal. If a domain is close to its existing renewal date, transferring shortly before that date effectively combines the transfer and the renewal into one action rather than paying for a separate renewal at the old registrar first. Conversely, transferring right after a fresh renewal at the old registrar means paying for an extra year sooner than necessary, since the transfer adds another year on top. Checking the current renewal date and timing the transfer around it avoids paying for registration time you didn’t need to buy yet.
Speeding Up the Timeline
A standard transfer can take 5-7 days by default, but manually approving the transfer at both the losing and gaining registrar — rather than waiting for the automatic approval window to expire — typically cuts this down to 24-48 hours. This single step is the most effective way to avoid an unnecessarily long transfer window.
Bottom Line
Confirm DNS hosting stays stable, get the auth code before unlocking, temporarily disable privacy protection so the confirmation email arrives, and manually approve at both ends — in that order, domain transfers are a routine 24-48 hour process, not the multi-day risk they’re often made out to be.
Transfer your domain to Netart
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my website go down during a domain transfer?
Not if DNS hosting stays stable throughout the process. Downtime during transfers is almost always caused by DNS records being disabled prematurely at the old registrar, not the domain transfer mechanism itself.
What if my domain was transferred without my permission?
Contact your previous registrar immediately and report it as an unauthorized transfer. Registrars and ICANN have dispute processes specifically for this, and acting quickly significantly improves the chances of reversing it.
How long does a domain transfer actually take?
Up to 5-7 days by default, but manually approving the transfer at both the old and new registrar typically completes it in 24-48 hours instead of waiting for the automatic approval window.
Why won’t my domain transfer start at all?
The most common cause is the 60-day ICANN lock following a recent registration or previous transfer. Check the domain’s registration or last-transfer date first — if it’s within 60 days, no amount of unlocking or auth-code troubleshooting will work until that window passes.
Does transferring a domain add a year to its registration?
Typically, yes — most registrars add a year as part of completing the transfer. Timing the transfer close to the existing renewal date avoids effectively paying for registration time twice in close succession.