Two different transfers
| Switching registrar | Changing registrant | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | The company that manages the domain for you | The legal holder of the domain |
| Typical reason | Better service, price, or your provider closing | Moving the domain from a volunteer or designer to the charity; a merger |
| Nominet fee via Online Services | £10 + VAT per transaction | £10 + VAT |
Fees from The UK Domain (Nominet), checked 20 October 2026. Registrars may do either for you and set their own charges.
Switching registrar
- Nominet recommends asking your existing registrar first, as they should be able to do it (The UK Domain).
- Alternatively, in Nominet Online Services you choose “Change Registrar” and enter the new registrar’s name or tag. Some registrars have to accept the domain manually and have up to five days to do so (The UK Domain).
- Nominet has published a new inter-registrar transfer policy, effective 9 February 2027, based on transfer authorisation codes. Under it, a losing registrar must remove its transfer locks and provide the code within five days at no charge when the registrant asks (Nominet policy 2026-03).
Changing the registrant
- If your registrar is accredited, it may be able to complete a registrant transfer for you (The UK Domain).
- Otherwise, the current registrant logs in to Nominet Online Services using the current admin contact email, chooses “transfer domain”, and enters the new registrant’s email. The new registrant must accept within five days (The UK Domain).
- If nobody can access the admin email, see who should be the registrant for the re-establish-identity route.
Before you move
- Write down your current DNS records, especially email (MX) records, so email keeps working.
- Check the expiry date. Moving near expiry may need a renewal.
- Check what else is bundled with the old provider (hosting, email mailboxes) and plan for those.
- Agree who will do it and record the decision in trustee minutes.
Questions people ask
Does moving registrar change who owns our domain?
No. Switching registrar changes the company that manages it; the registrant stays the same. Changing the registrant is a separate process.
Our old web designer won’t respond. Can we still move our domain?
If the charity is the registrant and you can access the admin contact email, you can switch registrar through Nominet Online Services. If the designer is the registrant, you’ll need a registrant transfer, which they must start, or Nominet’s processes for lost access.
Will our website go down during a transfer?
Not if DNS settings are kept the same. Problems usually come from email or website records not being copied to the new provider.
Related guides
Who should be the registrant?
Why a charity’s domain should be registered to the organisation, not a volunteer, and how to set it up properly.
Renewals and expiry
How .UK renewals work, the expiry timeline, and how to make sure your charity never loses its domain.
Fake renewal notices & scams
How to spot fake domain renewal invoices, misleading offers and spoof ‘Nominet’ emails, and what to do.
Domain security checklist
A one-page checklist for trustees: access, 2FA, renewals, records and who to call, linked to Charity Commission and NCSC guidance.