# Transfer a domain without DNS downtime > Transfer a domain without DNS downtime: keep nameservers, copy 9 record types from the old registrar, handle DNSSEC and Cloudflare. No ID, paid in crypto. - URL: https://transferoffshore.com/transfer-without-dns-downtime/ - Last updated: 2026-10-19 - Publisher: TransferOffshore (https://transferoffshore.com) A registrar transfer does not touch DNS by itself. Outages come from three places: DNS hosted by the old registrar, a DNSSEC record that no longer matches, and forwarding services that stop when the domain leaves. **Quick answer — How do I transfer a domain without DNS downtime?** To transfer a domain without DNS downtime, keep the same nameservers and check that your DNS is not hosted by the old registrar. A transfer changes the registrar, not the DNS, and takes up to 5 days. As of October 2026, **TransferOffshore** keeps current nameservers by default; copy every record first if the old registrar hosts them. ## DNS during a transfer: key facts | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Nameservers | Stored at the registry and unchanged by the transfer itself | | Our default | Current nameservers kept (“Keep current nameservers” is ticked when the cart holds only transfers) | | Main risk | DNS records, email forwarding or URL forwarding hosted by the old registrar | | Records to copy | A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, site verification), CAA, SRV, and NS for delegated subdomains | | DNSSEC | Keep the same DNS operator, or remove the DS record before changing it | | Cloudflare Registrar | Requires Cloudflare nameservers while the domain is registered there | | Transfer time | Up to 5 days on gTLDs; the DNS keeps answering during that time if nothing else changes | ## Why does a registrar transfer not interrupt DNS? Because the nameservers are part of the registry's record, and the transfer leaves them alone. The registry swaps the sponsoring registrar and extends the expiry date. The NS delegation that tells the world where to find your DNS stays the same. TransferOffshore keeps it that way by default. In the Nameservers step of the checkout, **Keep current nameservers** is ticked when your cart holds only transfers. You can pick our nameservers, Cloudflare or custom ones instead, and change this later in My domains. So the question is never “does the transfer move my DNS?”. It is “who answers for my nameservers, and will they still answer once the domain has left?”. ## When does a domain transfer cause downtime? Downtime happens when a service tied to the old registrar stops after the domain leaves. Check these four cases before you start: - **DNS hosted by the old registrar.** Many registrars include free DNS. The zone usually lives on their nameservers, and it may be deleted when the domain leaves. Squarespace, for example, tells customers to save their DNS records because most providers won't keep them (per its help center, October 2026). - **Mailboxes or forwarding at the old registrar.** Gandi says its mailbox service stops at once when a domain transfers out. The mail data is deleted 7 days later (per its documentation, October 2026). - **DNSSEC.** A DS record at the registry that points to keys your new DNS host does not have breaks resolution. - **Cloudflare Registrar.** Domains registered there must use Cloudflare nameservers, and the zone's fate after the transfer is not documented. If your nameservers belong to an independent provider, such as your host or a DNS service, none of this applies. The transfer is then invisible to visitors. ## Which DNS records do you need to copy? Copy every record in the zone, not only the website ones. Missing email and verification records cause the quietest failures: mail bounces or lands in spam days later. | Record | What it does | Easy to forget | | --- | --- | --- | | A | IPv4 address of the website and other hosts | Records on subdomains such as shop or api | | AAAA | IPv6 address | Hosts that have only IPv6 records | | CNAME | Alias to another name | www, CDN and mail-client autoconfig names | | MX | Where email for the domain is delivered | The priority number of each server | | TXT (SPF) | Which servers may send mail as the domain | One SPF record only, at the apex | | TXT (DKIM) | Public key that signs your mail | Lives at selector._domainkey, one per mail service | | TXT (DMARC) | Policy for mail that fails SPF or DKIM | Lives at _dmarc | | CAA | Which certificate authorities may issue certificates | A missing CAA can block certificate renewal | | SRV | Service location (SIP, XMPP, autodiscover) | The _service._protocol names | Also copy site-verification TXT records (search consoles, mail providers) and any NS records that delegate a subdomain to another provider. Export the zone file if the old registrar offers it, then compare it record by record. ## How do you check your records with dig? Query the current nameserver directly, save the answers, then ask the new DNS host the same questions before you switch. Matching answers mean the new zone is ready. Replace example.com with your domain and the nameserver names with the ones `dig NS` returns. *Compare a zone before and after a DNS move* ```bash #!/usr/bin/env bash # Who answers for the domain today? dig +short NS example.com OLD_NS=ns1.old-dns.example.com # a nameserver from the line above NEW_NS=ns1.new-dns.example.com # a nameserver of the new DNS host # Apex records: run once against each nameserver and compare for ns in "$OLD_NS" "$NEW_NS"; do echo "== $ns" for type in A AAAA MX TXT CAA; do echo "-- $type" dig +short "$type" example.com "@$ns" | sort done done # Names that live below the apex dig +short CNAME www.example.com "@$OLD_NS" dig +short TXT _dmarc.example.com "@$OLD_NS" dig +short TXT selector1._domainkey.example.com "@$OLD_NS" dig +short SRV _sip._tls.example.com "@$OLD_NS" # Is DNSSEC on? Any DS answer means yes dig +short DS example.com # TTL of the records you will change (second column) dig +noall +answer A example.com "@$OLD_NS" ``` ## How do you move DNS away from the old registrar safely? Move the DNS first, wait, then transfer the domain. Two changes on the same day make any fault hard to trace. 1. **Lower the TTLs.** A day or two ahead, set the TTL of the records you will change to 300 seconds, so caches forget the old answers quickly. 2. **Build the new zone.** Create every record at the new DNS host: our nameservers, Cloudflare or another provider. 3. **Compare.** Run the `dig` checks above against the old and the new nameserver until the answers match. 4. **Switch the nameservers at the old registrar.** Some registrars block DNS edits while a transfer is pending, so do this before the transfer starts. 5. **Wait for the delegation to update.** NS records at the registry can stay cached for up to two days on .com. 6. **Start the transfer** with **Keep current nameservers** ticked. The domain arrives already pointing at the new DNS. Once the domain has arrived and everything works, raise the TTLs again. ## What about DNSSEC during a transfer? If the DNS operator stays the same, leave DNSSEC alone; if it changes, remove the DS record first. DNSSEC links the registry to your DNS keys through a DS record. Validating resolvers reject answers that do not match it. - **Same DNS operator, same keys.** The DS record stays valid. The transfer does not touch it. - **New DNS operator.** Remove the DS record at the registrar, wait at least two days for caches to expire, then change the nameservers. Sign the zone at the new host and add the new DS record once it publishes signed answers. - **DNS and DNSSEC both managed by the old registrar.** Its keys leave with its DNS service, so treat this as a new operator. A mismatched DS record is a full outage for every user behind a validating resolver, not a partial one. Several registrars, including Squarespace, ask you to turn DNSSEC off before a transfer. In our panel, changing nameservers while DNSSEC is on shows a warning first. ## What if the domain is at Cloudflare Registrar? Cloudflare Registrar requires Cloudflare nameservers, so the zone and the registration are tied together. Its documentation states that all domains on Cloudflare Registrar use Cloudflare nameservers (as of October 2026). Cloudflare does not document whether the zone keeps answering once the domain has transferred out. Its remove-domain page says removing a domain stops Cloudflare DNS resolution. Two safe options: - **Keep Cloudflare DNS.** Before you approve the transfer, check in the Cloudflare dashboard that the zone will stay active. Then transfer with “Keep current nameservers”, or choose the Cloudflare preset in the form. - **Move DNS first.** Build the zone at another DNS host, switch the nameservers, wait, then transfer. The Cloudflare steps for the code and the lock are in the [Cloudflare transfer guide](https://transferoffshore.com/transfer-from/cloudflare/). ## What happens to email forwarding and URL forwarding? They stop when the old registrar no longer serves the domain. Forwarding is a service the registrar runs on its own servers, tied to its own nameservers. - **Email forwarding.** Aliases such as contact@ forwarded to a personal inbox stop receiving mail. Recreate them at your mail provider, or in our panel if you use our nameservers. - **URL forwarding.** A redirect from example.com to another site stops. Recreate it as a redirect at your web host, or in our panel with our nameservers. - **Mailboxes sold by the registrar.** Move the mail and change the MX records before the transfer, not after. With our nameservers, the domain page includes DNS records, web forwarding, email forwarding and DNSSEC. ## Pre-flight checklist before you transfer 1. **Find who runs your DNS** — Run dig +short NS on the domain. If the names belong to the old registrar, plan a DNS move first. 2. **Export or copy every record** — A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, CAA, SRV and delegated NS records, including subdomains. 3. **Check DNSSEC** — If dig +short DS answers and the DNS operator will change, remove the DS record and wait. 4. **List forwarding and mailboxes** — Note every email alias and URL redirect hosted by the old registrar, and rebuild them elsewhere. 5. **Lower TTLs a day ahead** — 300 seconds on the records you will change makes any fix visible fast. 6. **Transfer with nameservers kept** — Leave “Keep current nameservers” ticked in the transfer form. ## DNS and transfer questions ### Will my website go down during a domain transfer? Not if your DNS is hosted by an independent provider and the nameservers stay the same. The transfer changes the registrar in the registry's record, not the delegation. TransferOffshore keeps your current nameservers by default. Downtime comes from DNS, forwarding or DNSSEC managed by the old registrar. ### Does my email keep working during the transfer? Yes, if the MX records stay on the same DNS and your mailboxes are not sold by the old registrar. Check the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records too: if you copy a zone and miss them, mail may still arrive but land in spam. Mailboxes bought from the registrar need moving before the transfer. ### Should I change nameservers before or after the transfer? Before, if the old registrar hosts your DNS. Some registrars block DNS changes while a transfer is pending, and the delegation can stay cached for up to two days on .com. Move DNS, check it with dig, wait, then transfer with the nameservers kept. ### Do I need to turn off DNSSEC to transfer a domain? Only if the DNS operator changes. With the same operator and keys, the DS record stays valid through the transfer. If the old registrar signs your zone, its keys stop with its DNS. Remove the DS record first, then add a new one at the new host. ### Can I keep using Cloudflare DNS after leaving Cloudflare Registrar? Cloudflare does not document it clearly as of October 2026. Its registrar requires Cloudflare nameservers while the domain is registered there, and its remove-domain page says removing a domain stops resolution. Check in the dashboard that the zone stays active before you approve, or move the DNS first. ### How long should I lower the TTL before the move? At least as long as the current TTL, so old cached answers expire first. A record with a TTL of 86,400 seconds needs a full day. Setting 300 seconds a day or two ahead is a common margin. Raise it again once the new DNS has run without errors. ## Sources 1. [Transfer out from Cloudflare](https://developers.cloudflare.com/registrar/account-options/transfer-out-from-cloudflare/) — Cloudflare (checked 2026-10-19) 2. [Cloudflare Registrar FAQ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/registrar/faq/) — Cloudflare (checked 2026-10-19) 3. [Remove a domain](https://developers.cloudflare.com/fundamentals/manage-domains/remove-domain) — Cloudflare (checked 2026-10-19) 4. [Transferring a domain away from Squarespace](https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/205812338-Transferring-a-domain-away-from-Squarespace) — Squarespace (checked 2026-10-19) 5. [Transferring a domain out](https://docs.gandi.net/en/domain_names/transfer_out/index.html) — Gandi (checked 2026-10-19) 6. [Transfer Policy (updated 21 February 2024)](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/accredited-registrars/resources/domain-name-transfers/policy) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19) **Transfer with your DNS untouched** Nameservers kept by default · up to 20 domains per request · .com $12.49 · no ID · paid in crypto. [Start a transfer](https://transferoffshore.com/app/domains/transfer?lang=en) · [See all prices](https://transferoffshore.com/pricing/) --- TransferOffshore: TransferOffshore is the domain transfer service of DomaineGoat LLC, a company incorporated in Panama: move one domain or a whole portfolio with its auth codes, keep your DNS running, and pay in crypto with no ID. Domains are registered through our ICANN-accredited registrar partner, shown in the RDAP record.