How to Transfer a Domain from Dynadot to Static.app

To transfer a domain from Dynadot to Static.app, unlock the domain on its page at Dynadot and copy the authorization code shown there. Then start the transfer at Static.app with that code. Dynadot creates a transfer away order and emails you about it, and approving that order in your Dynadot account lets the transfer go ahead. The one thing to do first is save a copy of your DNS records.

Before you start

• Check the dates. A domain cannot move within 60 days of being registered, or within 60 days of being transferred to Dynadot. A change to the contact details does not add a lock: Dynadot opts every account out of that 60-day lock by default. You can check the setting under Contact Records, in the IRTP Info part of the contact.
• Check the expiry. Dynadot recommends starting at least two weeks before the domain expires. An expired domain can still move until its Renewal Grace Period ends. A domain bought on the Dynadot aftermarket cannot move until its Buy Lock or Auction Lock is over.
• Check the Whois email. The code is shown on screen, but Dynadot asks for an accurate Whois email, since the new registrar may send a confirmation there. If you use Dynadot's privacy service, Dynadot forwards that email to your account email, so you can leave privacy on.
• Save your DNS records. If the domain uses Dynadot's own DNS, its records live in your Dynadot account. Dynadot says a domain that has moved can no longer be managed there, and does not say whether its DNS keeps answering, so plan as if it will not. Write down every record, especially the MX and TXT records your email depends on.
• Check what else is tied to the domain. If you use Dynadot email or the Dynadot website builder on the domain, sort them out first. Dynadot does not say what happens to them after a transfer.

Step 1: Unlock the domain at Dynadot

1. Sign in to Dynadot and choose My Domains, then Manage Domains, in the left menu.
2. Click the domain name.
3. Scroll down to the Authorization Code section.
4. If the domain is locked, press Unlock Account first, then Unlock.

These are two different locks: one on your account, one on the domain. Dynadot locks the account again on its own within an hour, but the domain has to stay unlocked until the transfer is done.

Step 2: Copy the authorization code

The code appears in the Authorization Code section on the same page. Dynadot does not email it. Copy it exactly as shown. If you need a different code, press New Code.

Step 3: Start the transfer at Static.app

Sign in to Static.app, open Domains, and choose Transfer Domain. The form has three parts:

1. Which domain are you moving? Type the whole name, such as yourbusiness.com. Static.app checks at once whether it can move, what the transfer costs, and which company holds it now.
2. Authorization code: paste the code from Dynadot. Copy it exactly, with no space before or after.
3. Owner contact: the registry records these details against the domain, so use an email address you read.

Tick the terms box and choose Continue to Payment. A transfer is charged like a registration and adds a year to the domain (two years on a .ai name, which is sold two years at a time). The transfer is sent to the registry once the payment goes through.

Static.app keeps the domain on the nameservers it uses today, so the transfer changes who you pay for the name and nothing else. Your website and email keep working, as long as the DNS behind those nameservers keeps answering.

Not every ending can move here yet. Country endings such as .uk, .de and .eu are not supported, and the form tells you as soon as you type the name.

Step 4: Approve the transfer at Dynadot

Once Dynadot hears about the request, which can take a little while, it creates a transfer away order and sends you a Transfer Away email to confirm it. Dynadot asks you to approve that order in your Dynadot account, on its domain transfer page. Dynadot does not say how fast the domain is released after you approve, so check the domain page at Static.app for progress.

Step 5: Finish setting up the domain at Static.app

When the domain shows as Active in your Domains list, it is registered with Static.app. If the transfer does not go through, the domain stays where it was, the payment is refunded, and the domain page says why and offers Try the Transfer Again. The usual causes are a lock that is still on, a wrong or expired code, or a domain that changed hands in the last 60 days.

What is left depends on where your DNS lives:

• Your DNS is with a company you are keeping, such as Cloudflare or your hosting company: nothing changes. To open a Static.app website on the domain, add its records there, or move DNS here as below.
• Your DNS was at Dynadot: move it to Static.app the moment the domain shows Active, since that DNS may stop answering once the domain has left. The steps are in the next point.
• You want Static.app to run the DNS: open the domain, choose Edit beside Nameservers, then Reset to Default and Update Nameservers. Static.app writes the records for any website connected to the domain. Add everything else, such as your email records, in Manage DNS or Email & Forwarding right away, using the copy you made before the transfer.

To open one of your websites on the domain, choose Assign beside Website on the domain page and pick the website. With the DNS here, the records and the SSL certificate are set up for you. A paid plan is needed to publish a website on your own domain.

Moving a domain from another company? See every transfer guide.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a transfer from Dynadot take?

It depends mostly on how soon you approve the transfer away order. Dynadot does not give a time for an approved transfer. Before that, allow for the 60-day rule and for Dynadot to notice the request.

Do I lose the time I already paid Dynadot for?

No. For .com and the other common endings, the time left on the domain comes with it and the transfer adds a year on top. Dynadot says there is no fee or penalty for moving a domain away.

Will my website or email stop working?

Not because of the transfer itself: Static.app keeps your nameservers as they are. The risk is DNS that lived at Dynadot. If it stops answering after the move, your website and email stop with it until the records are set up again, which is why the copy you saved matters. Moving DNS to Static.app as soon as the domain arrives takes a few minutes.

Why is my domain locked again?

Usually it is the account lock, which Dynadot puts back within an hour, not the domain lock. Check that the domain itself still shows as unlocked in the Authorization Code section, and leave it that way until the transfer finishes.