Real people, on-site in Ireland.
Real people, on-site in Ireland.
To transfer a .ie domain you need an Authcode from your current registrar or from the .ie registry (IEDR, now trading as weare.ie), which you hand to your new registrar. The registry's page lists no separate charge for the code; you pay the new registrar a transfer fee that renews the domain, and the change goes live at the next zone update. This guide covers the order of steps and the things that quietly stall a move. The general process is in our guide to how a domain transfer works; this one is about the .ie specifics.
An Authcode is a random code tied to one domain. It proves that the person asking for the move is allowed to ask. The registry describes the code itself as the authorisation for the move.
You can get it two ways. Ask your current registrar, or ask the registry's Registration Services team to generate it. If the registry issues it, it is emailed to the Registrant Contact and Administrative Contact addresses on the domain. The registry says it will not give out Authcodes by phone, and that your new registrar cannot retrieve it for you.
The registry's policy document also describes a self-service request in its IEDR Console. All of this is set out on the registry's page for finding or changing your registrar, linked in the sources below.
The most common reason a .ie transfer stalls is that the Authcode goes to an address nobody reads any more. That is often a former web designer, an old ISP mailbox or a person who has left the business. If the Administrative Contact address is out of date, ask your current registrar to update it first. The registry's guidance says a registrar can do this on your behalf.
Work out who is actually the registrar of record. The WHOIS record for a .ie domain shows the sponsoring registrar, and the registry's WHOIS policy confirms it lists the registrar's abuse contact details. You can look it up with our WHOIS lookup. For many small businesses the registrar is not the company they think they pay: a web designer or an old host may be holding the domain in their own account.
Do these in this order and you avoid most surprises.
The registry's page lists no separate Authcode fee. What you pay is the new registrar's transfer fee, which either renews the domain for another year or prepays the next renewal. If the domain is not yet due, the transfer still renews it early. The fee is set by the registrar, so compare it before you commit. Figures are not quoted here because registrars change them and run first-year offers.
The registry's policy describes the transfer as automated once the request is submitted. The domain should appear in the new registrar's account quickly, as long as there are no DNS or payment problems. The change is then published at the next .ie zone update. The registry FAQ says these happen every two hours, although another answer on the same site describes reloads at odd hours, so allow a few hours rather than expecting an exact minute.
The registry's 2018 policy states that an Authcode is valid for 14 days from issue, but the registry's current transfer page does not state a validity period, so use the code promptly and ask for a new one if it is rejected or has lapsed. If you are also changing hosts, use the lead time to migrate the site without downtime first, because a domain transfer does not move your website or email by itself.
A transfer changes the registrar, not necessarily your nameservers. If your DNS is held by the old registrar or host, check where it is hosted before you move, and copy every record, including MX and TXT, to the new place. Our guide to pointing a domain at HostBible's nameservers shows the step on our side.
If the domain is signed with DNSSEC and your new registrar does not support it, the registry FAQ says you must file a DNSSEC Registrant Change Request Form to remove the DS records first.
Do not let the domain expire mid-transfer. A .ie domain past its renewal date is suspended and stops working, so websites and email go down. See domain expiry and renewal and our companion guide on what to do when a .ie domain expires.
A domain transfer does not carry your site or mailboxes with it. HostBible's team moves files, databases, email and WordPress sites to a hosting plan for you, tested on a staging copy before you switch DNS. This is general information, so confirm .ie requirements with the registry or your registrar.
See website migration