Domain transfer to CURIAWEB: How the transfer works

When you transfer an existing domain to CURIAWEB, you change the provider through which the domain is managed and renewed. The domain itself remains unchanged.

A domain transfer is not the same as a website migration or a nameserver change. Website, email, and DNS are technically independent components and should be taken into account accordingly during a planned change.

For a domain transfer, depending on the domain extension, you need a transfer or auth code and, if applicable, further requirements from the previous registrar or the responsible registry.

Briefly explained: During a domain transfer, the management of your existing domain is transferred from your previous provider to CURIAWEB. Your domain will keep its name. The website and email are not automatically migrated solely by the domain transfer.

What does domain transfer mean? #

A domain transfer is the change of the registrar or the provider responsible for domain management.

Suppose you own:

meine-firma.ch

and the domain is currently managed by another provider. After a successful transfer to CURIAWEB, the same domain will be managed via CURIAWEB in the future.

The domain itself is neither deleted nor re-registered.

We explain the roles of the registry and registrar in detail at Registry and Registrar: What is the difference?.

What is transferred during a domain transfer? #

The domain transfer primarily concerns the administrative management of the domain.

Following a successful transfer, the domain will be managed by the new provider in the future and renewed according to their procedures.

To be distinguished from this are:

• Website files
• Databases
• Email mailboxes
• DNS zones
• Web applications
• SSL/TLS certificates

These components are not automatically „in the domain“ and therefore are not automatically copied over during a simple registrar transfer.

Important: A domain transfer is not a website migration. If you are changing your hosting at the same time, the website, databases, and, if applicable, email must be migrated or set up separately.

Do I even need to transfer my domain to CURIAWEB? #

No.

If you only want to use CURIAWEB hosting, your domain can remain with your current registrar.

In this case, you can either use the CURIAWEB nameservers or just update the required DNS records with your existing DNS provider.

We explain how this works at Keep domain with another registrar and connect to CURIAWEB Hosting.

A domain transfer is especially useful if you also want to move the management and renewal of your domain to CURIAWEB.

What do I need for a domain transfer? #

The specific requirements depend on the domain extension and the previous registrar.

Typically, you need a transfer code. Depending on the domain extension and provider, this is referred to as, for example:

• Transfer code
• Auth Code
• AuthInfo-Code
• Authorization Code
• EPP code

This code serves to enable an authorized transfer of the domain.

For certain top-level domains, additional transfer locks, confirmations, or other registry or registrar rules may apply.

Important: The transfer rules are not identical for every domain extension. Therefore, for example, transfer rules of a .com-Domain not automatically to a .ch-Domain.

Where do I get the transfer code? #

You generally receive the transfer code from your current provider or domain registrar.

With many providers, the code can be requested or displayed directly in the customer portal. With others, approval must be obtained through support or via a separate transfer process.

The transfer code should be treated confidentially as it can be used to transfer the domain.

What is a Registrar Lock? #

For certain domain extensions, a domain may be locked against transfer.

For generic top-level domains, for example, the status is:

clientTransferProhibited

used.

This protection is intended to prevent a domain from being transferred to another registrar without appropriate authorization.

Before a transfer, such a transfer lock set by the registrar may need to be removed.

Since our previous article on this topic was particularly popular, we are deliberately covering it separately under Unlock domain for transfer: Registrar Lock and transfer lock explained.

Does the Registrar Lock apply to every domain? #

No.

Transfer procedures and status codes depend on the respective domain extension and the responsible registry system.

Therefore, the ICANN transfer rules, which are known for many generic top-level domains, must not be applied universally to all country code extensions.

Especially with .chFor domains, the processes of the responsible Swiss registry/registrar system apply.

Can a newly registered domain be transferred immediately? #

That also depends on the top-level domain.

Numerous generic top-level domains may be subject to transfer restrictions if a domain has recently been registered or already transferred.

Additional restrictions may occur with certain changes to the registrant data.

However, these rules do not automatically apply to every country-code TLD.

Practical Tip: If a transfer is rejected, first check the specific domain extension, the domain status, and the information provided by your current registrar. There is no general „60-day rule for all domains.“.

What happens to the name servers during a domain transfer? #

A registrar transfer and a nameserver change are two different processes.

A domain transfer therefore does not automatically mean that your domain has to use different nameservers right away.

Which nameservers are used during and after the transfer should be planned consciously.

If your domain is to be operated via the CURIAWEB nameservers in the future, they are:

ns1.curiaweb.ch
ns2.curiaweb.ch

You can find more information at Finding and correctly using CURIAWEB nameservers.

Should I perform the transfer and nameserver change at the same time? #

Not necessarily.

For a domain in production use, it can even make sense to consciously separate the individual steps from one another.

For example, if the website and email are already working correctly, the registrar transfer can be carried out first without simultaneously restructuring the entire DNS infrastructure.

Alternatively, in the event of a complete hosting migration, the new hosting environment can be prepared first and the DNS then switched selectively.

Which order makes sense depends on the existing configuration.

Basic rule: Do not change the registrar, nameserver, website, and email of a live domain all at once on a whim. The clearer the individual steps are separated, the easier it is to identify and resolve a problem.

What happens to my website during the transfer? #

If the nameservers and DNS records remain unchanged and the previous hosting continues to run, the website can generally remain accessible via the same infrastructure during a pure registrar transfer.

The domain transfer itself does not move any website files.

If, on the other hand, you transfer your hosting to CURIAWEB at the same time, the website must be migrated to the new hosting environment separately.

What happens to my emails? #

Email mailboxes are not automatically transferred during a domain transfer either.

Crucial for receiving e-mails are, among other things, the DNS configuration and in particular the MX records of the domain.

If the existing email infrastructure and the required DNS records remain unchanged, email operations can also continue independently of the registrar change.

If nameservers or email providers are changed at the same time, the email configuration must be prepared separately.

What happens to my DNS records? #

Special attention is required here.

DNS records belong to the DNS zone that is provided via the currently authoritative nameservers. They are not simply part of the registrar account that is automatically transferred identically with every transfer.

That is why you should know before a transfer:

• Which nameservers is the domain currently using?
• Where is the DNS zone managed?
• Should these nameservers continue to be used after the transfer?
• Should the DNS zone switch to CURIAWEB?

You can use the currently publicly visible DNS configuration with the CURIAWEB DNS-Check check.

You can find a detailed guide at Check DNS records: View current DNS configuration of a domain.

Which DNS records should I document before a migration? #

For an existing domain, you should pay particular attention to the following records before making any changes:

• A
• AAAA
• CNAME
• MX
• TXT
• SPF
• DKIM
• DMARC
• Subdomains
• Verification entries of external services

We explain what the individual record types mean under DNS Records Explained: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, and CAA.

How does a domain transfer to CURIAWEB generally work? #

The exact procedure depends on the respective domain extension. However, the basic principle can be broken down into a few steps.

1. Check with which provider the domain is currently managed.
2. Check the current DNS, website, and email configuration.
3. Request the required transfer code or transfer approval from your current provider.
4. Lift an existing transfer lock, provided this is necessary for the domain in question.
5. Start the domain transfer to CURIAWEB and provide the required transfer information.
6. Confirm any required transfer requests if applicable.
7. Wait for the completion of the registrar transfer.
8. Then check the domain status, name servers, website, and email.

Depending on the TLD, individual steps may be omitted or additional requirements may apply.

Do I need to confirm the transfer with my current provider? #

That depends on the transfer procedure of the respective domain extension and the registrar involved.

Additional confirmations may be required for certain transfers. Other top-level domains use different procedures.

Therefore, pay attention to communications from both CURIAWEB and your previous provider during an ongoing transfer.

How long does a domain transfer take? #

There is no universal duration for this either.

Depending on the domain extension, registry, current registrar, and required confirmations, a transfer can be completed at varying speeds.

Some transfers occur comparatively quickly, while for other domain extensions, several days may be scheduled.

Since this question has its own search intent and our old article has already been used for it, we will cover it separately under How long does a domain transfer to CURIAWEB take?.

Can my domain experience downtime during the transfer? #

A cleanly prepared registrar transfer does not automatically have to lead to an outage of the website or email.

Above all, it is crucial that the DNS and hosting infrastructure required for the services remains accessible and correctly configured.

Problems often arise not from the transfer itself, but when nameservers are changed at the same time and the new DNS zone is incomplete, or when the previous hosting is deactivated too early.

Should I cancel my previous hosting before the domain transfer? #

No, if your live website, email mailboxes, or other required data are still located there.

The old hosting should only be terminated once all required services have been completely transferred to the new environment and tested.

Transferring a domain does not automatically delete the old hosting, but premature cancellation can cause website or email outages.

Should I renew my domain shortly before the transfer? #

That cannot be answered generally, because renewal and transfer rules depend on the respective TLD.

With some domain extensions, a transfer may be associated with an extension of the registration period, while other procedures apply to others.

When a domain is close to its expiration date, the specific TLD rule should therefore be checked before planning renewal and transfer.

Important: When transferring domains, do not rely on rules you know from another top-level domain. Registration duration, transfers, renewals, and expiration procedures can vary between .ch, .com and other TLDs.

Can I still transfer an expired domain? #

That depends on the domain status and the respective domain extension.

For certain TLDs, there are different phases after expiration during which renewal or restoration may still be possible. Other registries use different lifecycles.

For a status like redemption period or a so-called redemption procedure, special conditions apply.

We cover this topic separately under Domain expired or PendingRedemption: What does the domain status mean?.

What are the special considerations for .ch domains? #

.ch is the country code top-level domain of Switzerland and has its own registry/registrar system.

The administration of a .chDomain registration is handled by a registrar. Transferring to another provider depends on the .ch applicable procedures.

That is why rules specifically for generic top-level domains like .com apply, not without checking .ch be transferred.

This applies in particular to statements regarding transfer locks, deadlines, and the domain lifecycle.

What needs to be considered with .com and other generic TLDs? #

Standardized transfer procedures exist for many generic top-level domains.

This typically includes an auth code and, if applicable, a transfer lock.

Under certain conditions, a registrar transfer may be temporarily blocked, for example shortly after a new registration, a previous registrar transfer, or certain changes to the registrant data.

Which restriction actually applies should be checked based on the domain in question and its status.

Why was my domain transfer rejected? #

A failed transfer can have various causes.

Possible reasons include, for example:

• incorrect or invalid transfer code
• active transfer ban
• a transfer period applicable to the TLD in question
• a required confirmation was not carried out
• The domain is in a status that does not allow a normal transfer.
• The domain has expired or is in a special redemption period.

The exact cause should be checked based on the error message and domain status.

Can I use the transfer code multiple times? #

Transfer codes are security-related information. Whether and for how long a code remains valid depends on the respective registrar or transfer procedure.

Therefore, treat a transfer code like a confidential access credential and only enter it where you are actually initiating the desired domain transfer.

If a code no longer works or may have become known to third parties, you should request a new or valid transfer code from your current registrar.

Does my domain change as a result of a domain transfer? #

No.

From:

meine-firma.ch

does not suddenly become a different domain just through a transfer.

The domain name and its top-level domain remain unchanged. The responsible domain registry is being changed.

If you want a completely different domain name, it is not a transfer, but the registration of a new domain.

Does a domain transfer affect SEO? #

A simple registrar transfer changes neither the domain name nor automatically the URLs of your website.

Therefore, a cleanly executed registrar transfer is fundamentally different from a domain transfer.

However, SEO problems can arise indirectly if DNS or hosting is incorrectly changed during the transfer, causing the website to be unavailable for a longer period of time.

Therefore, domain transfer, DNS modification, and hosting migration should be planned in a controlled manner.

How do I check the transfer after completion? #

After the successful transfer, you should not only check whether the domain appears in the new customer area.

Also check:

• whether the domain is active
• which nameservers are used
• whether the website is accessible
• whether HTTPS works
• whether emails can be sent and received
• whether important subdomains work
• whether external services are still correctly connected

With the CURIAWEB DNS-Check can you then check which DNS information is publicly visible.

Domain transfer and DNS propagation #

A mere registrar transfer does not automatically cause DNS propagation.

However, if nameservers or DNS records are changed in connection with the transfer, DNS caches can cause different resolvers to temporarily use different information.

We explain the background at What is DNS propagation and why does a DNS change take time?.

A secure process for domain and hosting combined #

If both domain and hosting are to be transferred to CURIAWEB, a controlled procedure has proven successful.

1. Document existing domain, DNS, website, and email configuration.
2. Prepare new hosting.
3. Transfer website and, if applicable, email data.
4. Test new environment.
5. Execute domain transfer or DNS change in a planned manner.
6. Check public DNS data.
7. Test website, HTTPS, e-mail and subdomains.
8. Only terminate the old hosting once the migration is fully completed.

This prevents multiple interdependent systems from being shut down simultaneously without reason.

Summary #

During a domain transfer to CURIAWEB, the management of an existing domain is transferred from the previous provider to CURIAWEB. The domain name itself remains unchanged.

Depending on the domain extension, a transfer or auth code is required for the transfer. For certain TLDs, additional transfer locks, confirmations, or time restrictions may apply.

Website files, databases, and email mailboxes are not automatically transferred by a domain transfer. Likewise, registrar changes and nameserver changes are technically different processes.

If you only want to use CURIAWEB hosting, a domain transfer is not strictly necessary. Your domain can remain with your current registrar and be connected to CURIAWEB via the appropriate DNS configuration.

For a secure transfer, it should therefore be clarified first what is actually supposed to change: only the domain management, only the hosting, or both. Afterwards, the domain transfer, DNS, and hosting migration can be carried out in a controlled manner and without unnecessary changes.