How to Transfer a .co.uk Domain: IPS Tags Explained

Transferring a .co.uk domain is genuinely easier than transferring a .com – but only once you know the one piece of jargon involved: the IPS tag. If you have been asked for an “EPP code” or “auth code” for a .co.uk domain and got nowhere, this guide explains why, and walks through the transfer step by step.

What is an IPS tag?

Every .uk domain (.co.uk, .org.uk, .me.uk, .uk) is held on Nominet’s registry, and each registrar has a short identifying label there called an IPS tag – for example a host’s tag might be its company name in capitals. Which registrar controls your domain is determined entirely by which tag the domain carries. Transferring a .uk domain is simply changing its IPS tag from the old registrar’s to the new one’s.

No auth codes, no approval emails, no 60-day locks: those belong to .com transfers. The .uk system is push-based – your current registrar pushes the tag; the domain arrives at the new one, usually within minutes.

How to transfer, step by step

1. Get the new registrar’s IPS tag. Any UK host or registrar will publish it, or tell you when you order a transfer-in.
2. Ask your current registrar to change the tag. Most have a “change IPS tag” or “transfer away” option in the control panel; some require a support ticket. They must action it – Nominet rules do not allow registrars to hold correctly-owned domains hostage, though a few drag their feet.
3. Confirm arrival at the new registrar. Once the tag changes, the domain appears in your new account, typically within minutes to a few hours. Complete any “accept incoming domain” step the new registrar has.
4. Check your registrant details. The transfer moves management, not ownership – the registrant stays the same. This is the moment to verify the registrant is your business, with a current contact email.

Will my website and email go down?

Not if you plan the DNS. A tag change does not itself alter your nameservers, so the site and email keep working exactly as before – unless your old registrar also hosted your DNS and deletes the zone when the domain leaves. To be safe:

• Note your current DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT) before transferring;
• Recreate them at the new provider first, or move nameservers after the transfer completes – our guides to pointing a domain at new hosting and Switchweb’s nameservers cover the details;
• Keep the two changes (registrar move, nameserver move) as separate steps a day apart, so if anything misbehaves you know which change caused it.

How .uk transfers differ from .com transfers

• .co.uk: IPS tag change; no code; minutes to hours; free at the registry level (some registrars charge an admin fee – many, including us, do not).
• .com/.net/.org: unlock the domain, obtain an EPP/auth code, approve the transfer, wait up to 5–7 days, and note the rule that a transfer usually is not possible within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. The transfer also typically adds a year’s renewal, paid to the new registrar.

If you manage both types, do not let .com’s friction put you off moving a .co.uk – they are different systems, and the .uk one is quick.

Common problems and fixes

• “My registrar wants a fee to release the domain.” Release/admin fees for .uk tag changes are frowned upon and Nominet lets registrants change registrar via Nominet directly in some circumstances. Query the fee, and mention Nominet – it often evaporates.
• “The old registrar isn’t responding.” If you can prove you are the registrant, Nominet’s online services let you manage the domain and change tag independently of an unresponsive registrar.
• “The domain expired during the transfer.” Renew first, then transfer. Expired domains cannot change tag until renewed – see our guide to domain renewals.

FAQs

Does transferring my .co.uk change the renewal date?

No. Unlike a .com transfer, a tag change does not extend or reset the registration period – you keep your existing expiry date and renew at the new registrar’s rates thereafter.

Can I transfer a domain and keep hosting where it is?

Yes. The registrar and the host can be different companies. Keep the nameservers unchanged and nothing about the live site moves.

What is Switchweb’s IPS tag?

Order a domain transfer through our domain registration page and we will confirm the tag and walk the transfer through with you – including copying DNS records across first so nothing skips a beat.

Is there a cost for changing IPS tag?

No there is no cost to move a .uk domain to Switchweb.

The short version

A .co.uk transfer is a tag change: get the new tag, have the old registrar apply it, verify your DNS survives the trip. Ten minutes of admin, no downtime, no waiting a week. If you would like us to handle it as part of moving your hosting, that is what we are here for.

Explore more

Transferring is often prompted by a renewal notice, and our tracker of domain renewal price increases explains why those bills jump. If the domain has already lapsed, read what happens when your domain expires first, since an expired domain cannot change hands until it is renewed. Once the transfer completes, our guide to pointing your domain at your hosting covers the DNS side.