Domain Transfers

How domain transfers work.

Moving a domain to UKBox is simpler than it sounds — and your website and email stay up throughout, because a transfer changes who manages the domain, not where it points. There are two routes, depending on the ending.

Start your transfer Stuck? Call 0330 088 2279 and we'll do it with you
The two routes
.uk domainsIPS tag → PDR-IN
.com & the restAuth code (EPP)
.uk transfers are free and don't change your renewal date. Other endings include a full extra year at checkout.

Pick your route

Find your domain's ending below and follow the steps — most transfers complete the same day.

.uk domains

.co.uk · .uk · .org.uk · .me.uk

UK domains don't use transfer codes. Nominet, the .uk registry, uses an IPS tag — a label saying which company manages your domain.

Ask for the tag change to
PDR-IN
  1. Ask your current registrar to change your domain's IPS tag to PDR-IN — use their control panel or support; Nominet's rules require them to action it promptly.
  2. Start the transfer on our transfer page so the domain lands in your UKBox account.
  3. Done — usually within minutes to a few hours of the tag changing.

.uk transfers are free and don't change your renewal date.

Everything else

.com · .net · .org · and the new endings

These transfer with an authorisation code (also called an EPP code) from your current registrar.

  1. Unlock the domain in your current registrar's control panel (look for "registrar lock" or "transfer lock").
  2. Switch off domain privacy (WHOIS privacy / ID protection). Transfer confirmations go to the domain's registered email address — a privacy mask can swallow them or block the transfer outright. Turn it back on once the move completes.
  3. Request the authorisation / EPP code — they must provide it, usually instantly or by email.
  4. Enter the domain and code on our transfer page and approve any confirmation email you receive.

The transfer price at checkout includes a full extra year added to your domain — you're not losing time you've already paid for.

Before you start: make sure your contact email at the current registrar is one you can access (confirmation emails may go there), and if the domain expires within the next couple of weeks, renew it first — transferring a domain on the edge of expiry is asking for a bad day.
The important reassurance

Will anything go offline? No.

A transfer changes the company managing your domain — your DNS settings travel with it unchanged, so your website and email carry on exactly as before. If you're also moving your hosting to us, that's a separate (and equally painless) process: our free migration handles it, and our nameservers & IPS tag page has the reference details.

Questions, answered

Including what to do when your old provider drags their feet.

My current provider is dragging their feet — what can I do?

For .uk domains, Nominet's terms oblige registrars to action IPS tag changes promptly — remind them of that, and if they still stall, Nominet itself can move the tag for you. For other endings, an unlocked domain with a valid code completes automatically within 5 days even if the old registrar never clicks approve.

When do I pay?

.uk transfers: nothing to pay. Other endings: at checkout when you start the transfer — and remember that price includes a year's extension.

What's an authorisation / EPP code?

A short one-time code proving you own the domain — the equivalent of a PAC code when switching mobile networks. Your current registrar must give it to you on request.

Can I transfer away from UKBox later?

Yes, always — free, never withheld, exactly as our terms promise. We keep customers by being good, not by locking doors.

Ready? It's one form.

Enter your domain, follow the route above, and it lands in your UKBox account.

Start your transfer