How to Transfer a Domain Into Sparkforge

Transferring your domain into Sparkforge consolidates registration, DNS, renewals, and product connections (email, sites, client portals) under one dashboard. The transfer-in flow handles eligibility checks, DNS migration, and EPP authorization in five guided steps, with a final approval step at your current registrar.

Note: Domain Transfer-In may not be enabled on every account. If you don't see the option, contact support to enable it.

What Domain Transfer-In does

Domain Transfer-In moves domain ownership from a third-party registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, IONOS, etc.) into Sparkforge. Once complete, you manage everything — DNS records, renewals, billing, product wiring — from the Domains page in your location.

Sparkforge runs an eligibility check, lets you import or auto-scan DNS records, and finalizes the transfer with your EPP authorization code. Existing domain term carries over and an additional year is added at transfer (TLD exceptions may apply).

Prerequisites

• Domain is older than 60 days (ICANN rule).
• Domain is unlocked at your current registrar.
• WHOIS privacy is turned off.
• DNSSEC is disabled if it was on.
• You have the EPP / Auth code from your registrar.
• Your WHOIS contact email is correct (transfer approval emails route there).
• Your Sparkforge wallet has enough funds for the transfer fee.
• You have a backup of your current DNS settings.

Enable Domain Purchase at the agency level

1. Switch to Agency View using the location dropdown in the top-left.
2. Open Settings.
3. Go to Company and scroll to Domain Purchase.
4. Toggle it on.

Enable for sub-accounts

1. Open agency Settings.
2. Click Domain Purchase.
3. Enable purchasing per sub-account that needs Transfer-In.

Step 1: Start the transfer

1. In the sub-account, open Settings.
2. Go to Domains and URL Redirects → Domains.
3. If the domain already exists as external, click Transfer-In. Otherwise, click Transfer-In Domain or Purchase/Transfer Domain.
4. Enter the domain name and click Continue.

Step 2: Eligibility check

Sparkforge runs an automatic check against ICANN rules and registrar policies. If eligible, you'll see:

• Domain name
• Current registrar
• Current expiration and new expiration (extended by 1 year)
• Applicable extension fee

A domain isn't eligible when:

• Current registrar isn't supported
• It was previously purchased internally
• TLD isn't supported
• It was purchased or transferred in the last 60 days
• EPP status blocks transfers (pendingDelete, redemptionPeriod, serverHold)
• Transfer would push the term past the maximum allowed

If blocked, the Continue button is disabled and an error message explains why.

Step 3: Review and save DNS records

Replicate every DNS record from your current provider before finalizing — missing records cause downtime for sites and email.

Note: Your registrar and DNS provider can be different. If you bought the domain on GoDaddy but pointed nameservers at Cloudflare, Cloudflare manages your DNS — you'll pull records from there.

Option 1: Upload DNS zone file (recommended)

The zone file contains every record (A, CNAME, TXT, MX, etc.) in one shot.

1. Log into your current DNS provider.
2. Open DNS settings for the domain.
3. Export the zone file. Common registrars:
   • GoDaddy: zone export available from DNS settings.
   • Cloudflare: zone export from the DNS tab.
   • Namecheap: no zone file export — recreate records manually or contact Namecheap support.
   • IONOS: domain exports, Cloud DNS, or API.
4. Upload the file in Sparkforge.

Option 2: Auto-scan DNS records

Convenient with no setup. Some records may not be detected — manually cross-check the scanned list against your current DNS provider and add anything missing before continuing.

Review the records

In the DNS table you can:

• View entries grouped by record type (A, CNAME, TXT, MX, etc.)
• Add records with Add Record.
• Edit or delete individual records.
• Search by name, type, or value.

After reviewing, check the confirmation box and click Continue.

Step 4: Finalize transfer

At your current registrar

1. Disable DNSSEC.
2. Remove WHOIS privacy.
3. Unlock the domain.
4. Request the EPP / Auth code (sometimes called Transfer Code or AuthInfo). It'll show on screen or arrive by email.

Notes by registrar:

• Namecheap: disable WhoisGuard before requesting the auth code.
• GoDaddy and IONOS: follow their published transfer-out steps.

In Sparkforge

Click Confirm and Finalize Transfer. Sparkforge will:

1. Validate domain unlock and auth code.
2. Charge your wallet for the transfer fee.
3. Submit the transfer request to the registry.

Step 5: Approve the in-progress transfer

Domain transfers require explicit approval from your current registrar to prevent unauthorized moves. Approve through the registrar's email or dashboard. If you don't act, the transfer may auto-approve after 5–7 days depending on registrar policy.

By registrar

• GoDaddy: approve from the email or the GoDaddy dashboard.
• Namecheap: approve from the transfer-out flow.
• IONOS: sign in, open Domains and SSL, click the domain, and approve the pending transfer prompt.

After approval

• Your domain moves under Sparkforge's registrar partner (Cloudflare).
• It appears under Internal Domains.
• You manage DNS, renewals, and billing in Sparkforge.
• The Manage button activates for further actions.

If the transfer is rejected

Possible reasons: you canceled it, the registrar blocks it (60-day lock), or you didn't approve in time. Status flips to Rejected and the Transfer to Us button reappears so you can retry.

Step 6: After the transfer

1. Verify DNS records — confirm sites, funnels, and email still resolve correctly.
2. Reconnect products: email sending domains, website and funnel domains, client portal or white-label login domains.
3. Set up auto-renew (recommended).

Common issues

• Auth code rejected: verify with the registrar and request a new code.
• No transfer email: check WHOIS contact email and spam folders.
• Domain locked: confirm registrar lock is fully off.
• Transfer over 7 days: some registrars delay releases — check status at the source registrar.
• Site or email outage: revisit DNS records, especially MX, TXT, and CNAME entries.