Maintaining your domain registration and hosting services within the same account allows you to manage both services with only one login password, making it easier for you to stay on top of everything related to your website. This article explains the process of transferring your domain to Bluehost, so there are no surprises along the way.
This process includes transfers to/from our MX partners.
Important:
- You can transfer the following domain extensions to us: com, net, org, us, co, info, and biz.
- To avoid any delays, please complete all five steps before initiating the transfer.
- Avoid transferring your domain within 45 days of a domain that has been recently renewed, or you could lose that renewal year.
Review Your Contact Information
Your contact information is included on your domain’s record in the WHOIS database, as required by ICANN. Upon transfer, the gaining registrar will use the information on the domain’s record to email critical information regarding the transfer to the administrative contact, so you need to correct it. It’s best to avoid using an email address associated with the domain; use a public email service, like Gmail, instead.
Updating the registrant contact information (name, organization, or email address) for a general top-level domain (gTLD) will initiate a Change of Registrant process, which requires additional verification before the new information is saved. Each registrar handles this process differently, so check with yours to see what you need to do.
Update Your Name Servers
Name Servers direct the traffic for your domain to the host server. If you’ve already moved the website to your Bluehost account, you’ll want to update your nameservers now to minimize downtime during the transfer; otherwise, you’ll have to wait until the transfer is complete. You cannot make DNS changes while the transfer is in progress, so it is important that you do it now.
Our nameservers are:
- ns1.Bluehost.com
- ns2.Bluehost.com
Your new DNS settings will begin to propagate as soon as you save your changes. Each ISP updates at a different rate, usually taking 24 – 72 hours to complete worldwide. During this time, your emails will be down, and your web traffic will be directed to either the old or new host, depending on the visitor’s ISP.
Unlock the Domain
The next step is to unlock your domain, making it available for transfer. Some registrars allow you to unlock your domain manually, while other registrars will do it for you.
Obtain the EPP Code
Finally, you need the EPP code, also called the Authorization or Auth code. It’s essentially a unique password for the domain, made up of letters, numbers, and special characters required to authorize the transfer. For example: 1e20459-438b211db# or N7HS-V24-T16-B81. If you’re unsure how to get your EPP code, please contact your current Domain Registrar for assistance.
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