How to Transfer a Domain from NameSilo to Static.app

To transfer a domain from NameSilo to Static.app, unlock the domain in NameSilo's Domain Manager and have the authorization code emailed to you. Then start the transfer at Static.app with that code and approve it in NameSilo's Transfer Manager. Approved, NameSilo says it completes within an hour. Left alone, it takes five to seven days. The one thing to do first is copy your DNS records, because NameSilo switches its DNS off when the domain leaves.

Before you start

• Check the dates. A domain cannot move within 60 days of being registered or transferred, and NameSilo cannot lift that. A change to the owner details does not add a lock at NameSilo: it opts you out of the 60-day lock on your behalf.
• Check the expiry. The domain has to be active or in its expired grace period. A domain pending deletion cannot move.
• Check the admin email address. NameSilo emails the code to the Admin email address on the domain. Make sure you can read that inbox before you start.
• Copy your DNS records. NameSilo's terms say that when a domain is transferred away, its DNS service with NameSilo is terminated. If the domain uses NameSilo's nameservers, your records stop answering once the move is done. NameSilo does not describe an export, so write down every record, especially the MX and TXT records your email depends on.
• Check what else is tied to the domain. Email or URL forwarding set up at NameSilo runs on that same DNS, so plan as if it stops too.

Step 1: Unlock the domain at NameSilo

1. Sign in to NameSilo and open the Domain Manager.
2. Tick the box next to the domain.
3. From the action menu, choose Unlock Domains, then Submit.

Step 2: Get the authorization code

1. In the Domain Manager, click the domain name.
2. Find the Authorization Code section under Transfer & Lock.
3. Choose Send Email.

The code arrives at the Admin email address. It is case-sensitive, and some email programs change it when you copy it, so copy it carefully. If the domain has expired, NameSilo gives the code through the CSV download at the top of the Domain Manager instead: tick the domain, download the file and open it in a spreadsheet or text editor.

If Static.app says the code is wrong after you have checked it, choose Reset Auth Code under Transfer & Lock and use the new one.

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 NameSilo. 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 NameSilo

You do not have to wait out the week. Once Static.app has sent the request, the transfer shows in NameSilo's Transfer Manager. Approve it there. You may also get an email from NameSilo that lets you cancel the transfer if you did not start it.

NameSilo says an approved transfer completes within 30 minutes to an hour. If you do nothing, most transfers complete by themselves in five to seven days.

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 NameSilo: 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 NameSilo take?

About an hour if you approve it in the Transfer Manager, and five to seven days if you do not. The wait before that is usually the 60-day rule.

Do I lose the time I already paid NameSilo 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. NameSilo does not refund the time you move. Its terms also warn that a transfer within 45 days of a renewal at NameSilo may not get the extra time, so avoid renewing there just before you move.

Will my website or email stop working?

Not if your DNS is with another company. If the domain uses NameSilo's nameservers, yes: NameSilo ends its DNS for the domain once it has left, and your website and email stop until the records are set up again. Move DNS to Static.app the moment the domain shows Active, using the copy you made.

Do I have to turn off WHOIS privacy first?

It is safer to. NameSilo recommends removing privacy before a transfer, because some privacy services hide the admin email address the transfer messages go to. It is not always required: if you can receive mail at the domain's admin address, you can leave it on. You can add WHOIS privacy at Static.app once the domain has arrived.