In this guide · 8 sections
- 01How a .sg domain transfer works
- 02Before you start: check the registrant and contacts
- 03Step by step: transfer a .sg domain to a new registrar
- 04What moves with the domain, and what does not
- 05Keeping your website and email up during the transfer
- 06Common problems and how to fix them
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Ask your current registrar for the domain transfer password, give it to the new SGNIC-accredited registrar, and they submit the request. If the old registrar neither approves nor rejects it, SGNIC approves the transfer after 7 days. Copy your DNS records first so email keeps working.
How a .sg domain transfer works
Domains ending in .sg, .com.sg, .org.sg and the other Singapore categories are run by SGNIC, not by ICANN, so the rules differ slightly from a .com transfer. SGNIC's domain registration FAQ sets out the process:
- The registrant gets a domain transfer password from the current registrar (other registrars call it an auth code or EPP code).
- The registrant gives that password to the new registrar, which SGNIC calls the winning registrar.
- The winning registrar submits a transfer of registrar request to SGNIC.
- The current (losing) registrar may require outstanding payments first, and may explicitly approve or reject the request.
- If the losing registrar does neither, SGNIC approves the transfer 7 days after the request.
In practice, most transfers finish within a day or two when the old registrar approves quickly, and in about a week when it simply lets the request run. Plan for the full 7 days and avoid starting a transfer days before the domain expires.
Before you start: check the registrant and contacts
Most failed or messy transfers trace back to who the domain is registered to, not the transfer itself. Do these checks first.
Who is the registrant?
The registrant is the legal holder of the domain. Look the domain up in the WHOIS search on SGNIC's site. SGNIC masks the email addresses and phone numbers of the registrant, admin and billing contacts, but the registrant name and the current registrar are shown. If the registrant is your web agency, a former staff member or a designer personally, fix that first.
Changing the registrant is a different procedure from changing the registrar. SGNIC's FAQ says to consult your registrar on its procedure for transferring to another registrant. Ask the current registrar to change the registrant to your business, then transfer.
Is the registrant eligible for .com.sg?
SGNIC's category rules say .com.sg applicants must be registered, or in the process of registering, with ACRA, Enterprise Singapore or a professional body in Singapore. A foreign company can hold one if it appoints a local agent as administrative contact. Plain .sg is open to all persons, with the same local agent rule for foreign applicants.
Can the admin contact log in to SGNIC?
SGNIC's VerifiedID@SG rules say the administrative contact for every .sg extension must be an individual with Singpass or an organisation with Corppass, to complete identity verification. If the admin contact is someone who has left, update it at the current registrar before transferring.
Step by step: transfer a .sg domain to a new registrar
Set aside 30 minutes for the work, then up to 7 days for the transfer to finish.
Export or screenshot every DNS record
Log in to wherever your DNS is hosted and record every entry: A, CNAME, MX, TXT (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification codes) and any SRV records. This is your safety net if DNS breaks during the move.
Check renewal date and clear any unpaid fees
If the domain expires within the next few weeks, renew it first or plan carefully. SGNIC lets the losing registrar ask for outstanding payments before it releases the domain.
Confirm the new registrar accepts .sg transfers
Check it is on SGNIC's accredited list and read its transfer page for the price and what it needs from you, such as your UEN for a .com.sg.
Get the domain transfer password
Request it from your current registrar's dashboard or support team. Store it in your password manager; anyone with it can start a transfer.
Start the transfer at the new registrar
Enter the domain and transfer password, check the registrant details match your business, and pay. The new registrar submits the request to SGNIC.
Ask the old registrar to approve, or wait 7 days
Approval from the old registrar speeds things up. If it does nothing, SGNIC approves after 7 days. If it rejects, ask for the reason in writing.
Check DNS, email and the website the same day
Once the transfer completes, compare the live DNS records with your export, send a test email in and out, and load the website over HTTPS.
Lock it down
Turn on auto-renew, two-factor login on the registrar account, and set a role email such as domains@ as the contact so renewal notices are not lost.
What moves with the domain, and what does not
A registrar transfer moves the registration: who manages renewals, which account the domain sits in, and where you change nameservers. It does not, by itself, move your website or email.
| Item | Moves with the transfer? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Domain registration and renewal | Yes | Renew at the new registrar from now on |
| Registrant (legal holder) | Stays the same | Change it separately if it is wrong |
| Nameservers | Usually kept as they are | Confirm they did not reset to the new registrar's defaults |
| DNS records hosted at the old registrar | Not guaranteed | Recreate them, or move DNS to a host you control first |
| Website hosting | No | Hosting is a separate service and contract |
| Email (Microsoft 365, Google Workspace) | No | Email keeps working only if MX, SPF and DKIM records survive |
| Email forwarding bundled with the old registrar | No | Set up forwarding or real mailboxes elsewhere first |
The biggest trap is DNS hosted at the old registrar. If your nameservers point to the old registrar and you cancel the account, the zone may be deleted and your website and email go dark. The safe order is to move DNS to the new registrar or to a DNS host such as Cloudflare first, check everything works, and only then transfer the registration.
Keeping your website and email up during the transfer
Treat DNS as a separate move from the registrar transfer. If you change both at once and something breaks, it is hard to tell which step caused it.
- Leave nameservers alone during the transfer if DNS is already hosted somewhere you control. The domain changes registrar but keeps resolving the same way.
- If DNS lives at the old registrar, recreate the full zone at the new DNS host, compare it record by record with your export, then switch nameservers. Wait until the change has spread before you start the registrar transfer. Our guide to how long DNS changes take explains the waiting time.
- Watch for RegistryLock. SGNIC's RegistryLock FAQ says a locked domain can still be transferred and renewed, but nameserver and DNSSEC changes are blocked until it is unlocked. Unlock it before any nameserver switch.
- Check DNSSEC. If DNSSEC is on and you move DNS hosting, the old DS record must be removed or replaced, or the domain can stop resolving for some visitors.
After the move, check email authentication again. Our guide to emails going to spam and SPF, DKIM and DMARC lists the records that most often go missing.
Common problems and how to fix them
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Registrar will not give the transfer password | Unpaid invoice, or the requester is not the registrant | Pay outstanding fees; ask in writing from the registrant's own email |
| Transfer rejected | Old registrar rejected the request | Ask for the reason in writing, fix it and resubmit |
| Domain held in an agency's or ex-staff member's name | Registrant was set up wrongly | Change of registrant first; see our agency handover guide |
| Domain expired before the transfer finished | Transfer started too late | Renew at the current registrar first; see domain expired: what to do |
| Email stopped after the transfer | MX or SPF records lost | Restore records from your export |
If the old registrar or agency simply stops replying, keep a record of each request with dates. Under SGNIC's process, a request that is not rejected is approved after 7 days, so a silent registrar does not stop a valid transfer for long.
Do it yourself or get help?
If your DNS is already on a host you control and the registrant is your business, a .sg transfer is a simple job you can do yourself in half an hour plus the waiting time. Our comparison of domain registrars for Singapore businesses helps you pick where to move it.
Before you request the transfer password
If the domain is held by an agency, DNS sits at the old registrar, or your email runs on it, get help so nothing goes dark. Domain & DNS Setup (S$99) transfers the domain into your name, rebuilds and checks the DNS records for website and email, and turns on auto-renew. IT Sorted does not resell domains or take registrar commission; you pay the registrar directly.
Frequently asked questions
Under SGNIC's process, the new registrar submits the request and the old registrar can approve or reject it. If the old registrar does neither, SGNIC approves the transfer 7 days after the request. Quick approval by the old registrar usually means a day or two. Plan for a full week.
It is the code your current registrar gives you to prove you are allowed to move the domain. Other registrars call it an auth code or EPP code. You give it to the new registrar, which uses it to submit the transfer request to SGNIC. Keep it private, since anyone holding it can start a transfer.
Not if your DNS records survive. Email depends on MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, not on which registrar holds the domain. Problems happen when DNS was hosted at the old registrar and the zone is deleted or reset. Export every record first and check them again once the transfer completes.
SGNIC's FAQ says the losing registrar may require outstanding payments before the transfer and may explicitly approve or reject the request. If it rejects, ask for the reason in writing and fix it. If it does not respond at all, SGNIC approves the transfer after 7 days.
No. A registrar transfer moves the domain to a different registrar but keeps the same legal holder. A change of registrant moves ownership to a different person or company. SGNIC says to consult your registrar on its procedure for transfers to another registrant. Fix ownership first if the domain is in the wrong name.