If you already own a domain somewhere else, we can move the registration into your portal account. You need the transfer (EPP) code from the account that currently holds the name. We start the move from a support ticket.
Need a new name instead? Search and register at /domains. See Register a domain name.
You must be signed in so the domain attaches to your account. If you cannot get in, open a support ticket.
What a transfer does
A transfer moves who holds the registration. It does not, by itself, create a website, mailboxes, or hosting.
The site and email keep using the current nameservers until you change them. Once the name is with us, DNS is in the portal: Domains → the domain → DNS. AtlasDNS is the default. Do not send the name to a third-party DNS host.
Moving a live site onto our hosting is a separate job. Do that first if the site is already live: Migrate your website to us with minimal downtime. You do not have to transfer the registration for the website to load here.
Before you start
The name should be:
- Active and not expired. Renew it in the current account first if it is close to expiry.
- Unlocked. On generic extensions (
.com,.net, and similar) turn the transfer lock off..au(including.com.auand.net.au) does not use a registry transfer lock. The transfer code is the authorisation. - Outside the 60-day window on most generic extensions, after a new registration or a change of registrant.
.audoes not use that lock. - Yours to move. The registrant email must be current and monitored. Approval mail often goes there.
.com.au, .net.au, and .org.au still need an Australian business number (ABN, ACN, or registered business number). Have it ready.
We invoice the transfer. We do not list prices here. For many generic extensions the term is extended by a year. We confirm the dates and the invoice on the ticket.
1. Unlock the name and get the transfer code
A transfer code (also called an EPP code or authorisation code) is the password we need to pull the domain to us. We cannot issue that code for a name we do not hold.
- Sign in to the account that currently has the name.
- Open the domain settings.
- Turn the transfer lock off if that control is there.
- Request the transfer, EPP, or auth code.
- Copy it exactly. Watch for extra spaces.
If ID protection is on and you never see the confirmation mail later, turn privacy off in that account so the registrant address can receive it.
Cannot find unlock or the code? Open a support ticket and we will walk you through it.
The EPP article is for names we already hold: Get your EPP/transfer code and enable domain privacy.
2. Open a ticket so we can start the move
- Sign in at the portal.
- Open a support ticket.
- Use a subject such as
Transfer example.com.au to us. - Include:
- The full domain name
- The transfer (EPP) code
- Confirmation that the name is unlocked (if the lock applied)
- The Australian business number, for
.com.au,.net.au, or.org.au - Whether you also want shared hosting or LochStudios Mail
Do not reply to invoice or registry mail for help. Use the ticket.
We check the code, raise the invoice, and submit the transfer after payment. Leave the name unlocked at the other account until we say it is done.
3. Approve the transfer if you are asked
After we submit the request:
- Watch the registrant inbox (and junk mail). The current registrar may ask you to confirm the move.
- Approve it if you are asked. The transfer waits until that happens.
- Keep an eye on the ticket. We update it as the registry status changes.
Most transfers finish in a few days. Generic names often take up to about five days. .au is usually quicker. The website and email stay up during that window if you leave nameservers alone.
4. After the name is ours
The domain appears under Your registered domains. Click Manage.
From there you can:
- Read Next due and Expiry
- Open DNS and edit records
- Turn auto-renew on (leave it on)
- Turn ID protection on if the extension allows it
- Turn transfer lock on (recommended once you are not moving it again)
- Edit registrant contacts
New and transferred names should have auto-renew on. See Domain renewals, expiry and auto-renew.
ID protection is a setting with us. After a transfer in, check Domain settings and turn it on if you want it and the extension allows it. .au policy requires registrant details in WHOIS, so the toggle is not available there.
DNS for a domain registered with us is in the portal: Domains → the domain → DNS. AtlasDNS is the default. Our nameservers are:
ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.auTo put a website on the name, see Point your domain at your hosting. After hosting is ready, start with Getting started after you order hosting.
The domain, shared hosting, and LochStudios Mail are separate services.
If something looks wrong
I cannot find the transfer code
Sign in to the account that currently lists the name. Public WHOIS still names the current registrar even when contact details are hidden, which can help you find the right account. Stuck? Open a support ticket.
The transfer has not started
- Copy the code again, with no extra spaces.
- Confirm the transfer lock is off (not used on
.au). - On generic extensions, check you are outside the 60-day window after registration or a registrant change.
- Confirm the name is not expired.
I was asked to confirm, but I have no email
Check junk mail and the registrant address (not only the portal login). Turn privacy off in the current account if it is hiding that inbox. Tell us on the ticket and we will resend or look it up.
The name still shows as not available in search
That is expected while someone else holds it, including you. Do not try to register it again. Use the ticket to transfer it.
I only wanted hosting, not to move the registration
Point the existing name at AtlasDNS and leave the registration where it is until you are ready. See Point your domain at your hosting.
Need a hand at any step? Open a support ticket.