TL;DR — Unlock the domain at your current registrar, grab the EPP code, pay us in crypto, paste the code—done. No passport scans, no "business verification," no paper trail.
Your current registrar just asked for a utility bill to "verify" your account. Or they forwarded a DMCA notice and want you to reply within 48 hours. Or they simply don't take Monero and you're tired of linking bank accounts to domain ownership.
Time to move.
Transferring a domain anonymously isn't complicated—registrars just make it feel that way to keep you locked in. Strip out the friction, skip the identity theater, and you can migrate in under an hour.
Why transfer anonymously
Most registrars play compliance theater. They ask for ID uploads, phone verification, credit card billing addresses. They log your IP, store your email in cleartext, and hand over records when a lawyer emails their abuse desk.
You don't need a three-page manifesto to justify wanting less exposure. Maybe you run a whistleblower drop box. Maybe you publish adult content. Maybe you just prefer crypto payments and no questions.
Offshore registrars exist for this. We don't verify identity. We don't store payment details. We don't reply to DMCA notices or nuisance legal letters. We don't care what your site does as long as it doesn't touch our infrastructure liability (no phishing control panels, no child abuse material, no malware C2—everything else is your business).
Pre-transfer checklist
Before you initiate a transfer, handle these at your current registrar. Miss one and the transfer fails or stalls for weeks.
Unlock the domain
Domains are locked by default to prevent accidental transfers. Log into your current registrar's control panel and flip the "registrar lock" or "transfer lock" setting to off. Some registrars bury this under "domain settings" or "security."
If you can't find the unlock option, check their support docs—or just leave. If they make unlocking hard, they're not worth your time anyway.
Get the EPP authorization code
Also called an auth code or transfer key. It's a password for the domain itself, usually 8–16 characters like Xy9$mK2p!vQz. You'll paste this when initiating the transfer at the new registrar.
Most registrars email it to the domain's admin contact. Some show it directly in the control panel. If they make you open a support ticket to get your own EPP code, that's a red flag.
Check expiry date
The domain must have more than 60 days until expiration. ICANN rules block transfers in the final two months before expiry (to prevent domains from vanishing mid-transfer). If you're close, renew first—then transfer.
Disable WHOIS privacy temporarily (maybe)
Some legacy registrars reject transfers if WHOIS privacy is active, claiming they can't "verify" the admin email. Modern registries don't care. If your transfer fails with a vague error, try dropping privacy for 24 hours, then re-enable it after the transfer completes.
At bunkerdomains, WHOIS privacy is permanent and free—no toggle, no upsell, no opt-in. We just don't publish your details.
Step-by-step transfer at bunkerdomains
1. Add the domain to your cart
Go to our transfer page. Enter the domain name. We check if it's eligible (unlocked, not expired, not in redemption).
2. Pay in crypto
We take Bitcoin, Monero, Litecoin, and a few others. No credit cards. No PayPal. No bank wire with your name on it.
Payment is on-chain. Wait for confirmations (usually under 30 minutes). Your transfer order activates when the blockchain settles.
3. Paste the EPP code
After payment, you'll land on a transfer-confirmation page. Paste the EPP code from your old registrar. Hit submit.
We send the transfer request to the registry. The registry emails the domain's admin contact (the one listed in WHOIS at the old registrar) with an approval link.
4. Approve the transfer
Check that admin email inbox. Click the approval link in the registry's message (subject line usually says "Transfer Request" or "Domain Transfer Confirmation").
Approval is instant. The registry moves the domain to our nameservers within a few minutes.
If you don't approve within five days, the transfer auto-approves anyway (ICANN rule). But clicking the link speeds it up.
5. Update nameservers (if needed)
If you're using custom nameservers (Cloudflare, AWS Route 53, your own DNS server), update them in our control panel after the transfer completes. If you were using the old registrar's default nameservers, your site will break until you point to new ones.
We provide free DNS hosting—two nameservers, no query limits, no upsell. Or bring your own. Your call.
Common failure modes
Most transfers fail for dumb reasons. Here's what to check if yours stalls.
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "Domain is locked" | You didn't unlock it at the old registrar | Log back in, disable transfer lock |
| "Invalid auth code" | Typo, or the code expired | Request a fresh EPP code, try again |
| "Transfer rejected" | Old registrar blocked it manually | They can't legally do this—file an ICANN complaint or threaten to |
| "No approval email" | Wrong admin email in WHOIS, or it went to spam | Check spam folder; update WHOIS email at old registrar first |
| "Expired domain" | Domain expired during transfer | Renew it, wait 24 hours, retry |
If the old registrar refuses to unlock or provide an EPP code, that's an ICANN violation. Registrars must allow transfers. File a complaint at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/complaints-transfers-2013-01-11-en. They usually fold within 48 hours.
If something breaks
Transfers rarely fail permanently. If yours does, here's the recovery path:
- Check transfer status in our dashboard. We show real-time updates from the registry (pending, approved, rejected, failed).
- Retry the EPP code if you got an "invalid" error. Codes sometimes change if you request a new one while the old one is still active.
- Contact the old registrar (annoying, but sometimes necessary). Ask them to manually approve the transfer on their end. Most will comply if you escalate.
- Wait it out. If you did everything right and the registry is just slow, the transfer auto-completes in five days.
We don't offer phone support or live chat. We answer tickets within 24 hours (usually faster). If your issue is urgent, include "URGENT" in the subject line—we triage those first.
If the old registrar is actively sabotaging the transfer (some do), document it and email us. We've filed ICANN complaints on behalf of customers before. We'll do it again.
Transfers take minutes when done right, weeks when done wrong. Unlock, grab the code, pay in crypto, approve—done. No ID checks, no billing addresses, no audit trail. The domain moves. The old registrar loses. You stay anonymous.