If you are looking to switch to a different (cheaper) registrar then you can follow these steps to complete the process.
- First, log in to your current registrar and do the following:
a. disable auto-renew
b. request an “Auth Code” or “EPP code” – this could take several minutes up to hours for some registrars
c. once the “auth code” is received, unlock the domain and move on to the next step - In a new tab, go to the new registrar’s website and look for an option to “Transfer in a domain.” This is likely a different part of their site than where you would go to search for and buy a new domain so you may want to search for the “transfer domain” to make sure you are in the right place. Once you find it, they should prompt you for the following:
a. enter the domain to transfer
b. enter “Auth Code” or “EPP code”
c. pay for the domain - Check for an email or notification by the original registrar and follow instructions to approve the transfer. Note: The transfer may still take up to 5 or more days to complete even after approval.
- Once the domain successfully transfers in you are ready to update the nameservers (point the domain to where your site is hosted) at the new registrar. If you did not change where your site is hosted, then you can simply copy these over from the old registrar. If you also changed the hosting, you will have to look these up from where you are hosting your site. You should hopefully be able to set these in advance so there will be no downtime once the transfer is complete, but if not, just watch for the confirmation and do what you can to prepare everything in advance.