How to Transfer a Domain from Name.com to Static.app

To transfer a domain from Name.com to Static.app, unlock the domain in your Name.com account and copy the authorization code it shows you. Then start the transfer at Static.app with that code. Name.com has no button to approve it early: the transfer takes five to seven days, unless you ask Name.com support to speed it up. The one thing to do first is export your DNS records, because Name.com says they are gone once the domain has left.

Before you start

• Check the dates. A domain cannot move within 60 days of being registered or transferred, and Name.com cannot lift that. Changing the owner's name, organization or email also locks it for 60 days, unless you tick the opt-out box in the verification window when you make the change. That box is unticked by default.
• Check the expiry. An expired domain can still move while it is in your account. If it has dropped out of the account, open a ticket with Name.com to have it put back first.
• Know where the code appears. Name.com shows the code on screen in your account, so you need your Name.com sign-in, not access to a particular inbox.
• Export your DNS records. Name.com says that if you use its nameservers, the nameservers and DNS stop working shortly after the domain transfers out, and the records are not available once the transfer is complete. Use Name.com's export to save the DNS records as a CSV file, or copy every record by hand, especially the MX and TXT records your email depends on. Name.com also says nameservers cannot be changed while a transfer is pending.
• Check what else is tied to the domain. Name.com's email forwarding and URL forwarding only work on Name.com's default nameservers, so plan as if they stop when the DNS does.

Step 1: Unlock the domain at Name.com

1. Sign in to Name.com and click MY DOMAINS at the top right.
2. Click the domain to open its Domain Details page.
3. On the left, under Quick Actions, switch Domain Locked off.

Step 2: Copy the authorization code

On the same page, find the Domain Actions section and click Show Transfer Authorization Code. Copy the code that appears.

If it says "Unavailable", the domain is not eligible to move yet, usually because of the 60-day rule above. If the domain is older than 60 days and the code is still unavailable, contact Name.com support.

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 Name.com. 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: Wait for Name.com to release the domain

Name.com does not offer a button to approve an outgoing transfer. It says the transfer takes roughly five to seven days. To make it faster, contact Name.com support and name the domain in your request: it cannot speed up a transfer when the domain is not listed.

Until the transfer is finished, Name.com can still cancel it for you if you change your mind. Afterwards the domain may still appear in your Name.com account for up to a week, but you cannot manage it there.

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 Name.com: 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 Name.com take?

Five to seven days by default, or less if Name.com support expedites it. The wait before that is usually the 60-day rule.

Do I lose the time I already paid Name.com 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. Name.com does not charge for transferring a domain away.

Will my website or email stop working?

Not if your DNS is with another company. If the domain uses Name.com's nameservers, Name.com says they stop working shortly after the transfer, and your website and email stop with them. Move DNS to Static.app the moment the domain shows Active, using the CSV you exported.

Do I have to turn off Whois Privacy first?

Not necessarily. Name.com says some registrars require it, but many no longer do. You can add WHOIS privacy at Static.app once the domain has arrived.