Transferring a Domain to Cloudflare Registrar

Use this page when you want to move a domain's registration from your current registrar (for example GoDaddy) to Cloudflare Registrar, and want to know what to check so that your website and email keep working throughout.

This is not a step-by-step guide. The exact clicks are in the official Cloudflare and GoDaddy documentation. The example here is GoDaddy, but other registrars follow the same rules, because the transfer process is set by ICANN and the domain registries. Only menu names differ.

DNS must already be on Cloudflare

Move your DNS to Cloudflare first, and transfer the registration afterwards. Cloudflare only accepts a transfer for a domain that is already Active in your Cloudflare account, using a full setup with Cloudflare nameservers. A partial (CNAME) setup does not qualify.

Before you start the transfer, all of your DNS records should already be in the Cloudflare zone and working: website and www records, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification TXT records and any service records. The transfer itself does not touch the zone. If the records are complete beforehand, website and email are not affected.

Do not change DNS records, nameservers or the domain's contact details while the transfer is in progress.

Check eligibility first

A transfer is refused, or locked for weeks, if any of these apply:

• The 60-day locks. The domain was registered or transferred less than 60 days ago, or the owner's name, organisation or email changed in the last 60 days. At GoDaddy, domains bought as part of a bundle are locked for 120 days.
• A recent renewal. If the domain renewed shortly before or after its expiry date, Cloudflare advises waiting 45 days after the original expiry date. Otherwise the year you just paid for can be lost.
• The domain ending (TLD). Check that Cloudflare supports it in the TLD policies list. Country-code domains can follow different rules; .uk, for example, does not use an authorisation code.
• The Cloudflare account. Its email address is verified and a payment method is on file.

Do not update the contact details at the old registrar just before transferring. A contact change is what triggers the 60-day lock.

Turn off DNSSEC in the right order

If DNSSEC is enabled, it must be off before the transfer. The order matters, and getting it wrong takes the domain offline.

1. Remove the DS record (turn off DNSSEC) at the current registrar first.
2. Wait at least 24 hours for the old DS record to expire from caches.
3. Only then disable DNSSEC in Cloudflare (DNS → Settings → DNSSEC).

If DNSSEC was never enabled, there is nothing to do here. See Cloudflare's DNSSEC documentation for background.

At the current registrar

At GoDaddy, Transfer → Transfer to Another Registrar prepares the domain and shows the authorisation code. Whatever the registrar, the same things are needed:

• Unlock the domain (domain or registrar lock off).
• Turn off privacy and protection add-ons that block transfers. At GoDaddy, that means Domain Privacy and Domain Protection, fully downgraded. These may require extra identity verification.
• Get the authorisation code, also called the auth, EPP or transfer code. It is also emailed to the registrant address, so make sure someone can read that inbox. Treat the code like a password.
• Approve the transfer out once Cloudflare has started it. GoDaddy lists it under its transfers-out page. Approving there completes the transfer in minutes instead of waiting several days for automatic approval.

At Cloudflare

Start the transfer under Domain Registration → Transfer Domains in the same account that holds the DNS zone, enter the authorisation code, and confirm the contact details and payment. For most generic domains (.com, .net, .org and similar), the transfer fee adds one year to the current expiry date, so no paid time is lost.

Transfers normally finish within minutes of approval, and take up to five business days without it.

After the transfer

• Check the registration under Domain Registration → Manage Domains: expiry date, contact details, payment method, and that auto-renew is on.
• Watch the registrant inbox. Cloudflare may send a contact-verification email. If it arrives, confirm it within 15 days, or the domain can be suspended.
• Re-enable DNSSEC, if you use it. With Cloudflare as both registrar and DNS provider, it is a single switch, and Cloudflare publishes the DS record itself.
• Know the two lasting effects. A domain registered with Cloudflare must keep Cloudflare nameservers, so moving DNS elsewhere later means transferring the registration away first. The domain also cannot be transferred again for 60 days.

Who does what

If you want a second pair of eyes before you start, raise a request in your dedicated Slack channel with the domain name.

Related articles

• Requesting DNS Record Changes
• Ingress, Custom Domains and TLS
• What You Can Do vs. What We Manage