What is an IPS tag?
Every .uk domain is registered through a registrar, a company accredited by Nominet, the organisation that runs the .uk namespace. Nominet knows which registrar looks after a domain from a short uppercase code called an IPS tag (IPS stands for Internet Provider Security). If your domain is with a registrar whose tag is EXAMPLE-TAG, that code is stored against your domain.
Moving a .co.uk domain to a new registrar therefore means changing the tag. Your current registrar, or you through Nominet's online services, changes it to the tag of the registrar you are moving to. Unlike a .com transfer there is no authorisation (EPP) code to copy and paste. Tags are case-sensitive, so copy and paste the whole tag exactly. See IPS tag in the glossary for a short definition.
The same process applies to .org.uk, .me.uk and .uk domains, because they all sit in Nominet's .uk namespace.
Before you start: a checklist
- Check you can read the registrant email. Messages about the change go to the contact email on the domain. If it is an old address, update it with your current registrar first.
- Write down your DNS records. Screenshot or export every record: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX (email), and TXT records such as SPF and DKIM. Some registrars remove a domain's DNS records when they release it.
- Find out where your DNS is hosted. Your nameservers do not change when the domain moves. But if they belong to your old registrar's own DNS service, that service may stop when you leave. Copy the records to your new DNS provider, or point the domain at the nameservers of your hosting, before the transfer completes.
- Look for a lock. A locked domain cannot have its tag changed by your current registrar. Switch the lock off, or change the tag yourself in Nominet's online services (see below).
- Check the domain is not suspended and has not expired. Nominet does not allow a tag change on a suspended domain, and an expired domain should be renewed with your current registrar first.
- Check the expiry date. A tag change does not renew or extend a .uk domain, so if it expires within a few weeks, renew it soon after the move, or before.
Step by step: transferring a .co.uk domain today
- Order the transfer first. At Cloud Cabin you enter the domain on the transfer page and check out in the client area. Do this before you ask your current registrar for anything: the tag change is declined automatically when no transfer order exists.
- Ask your current registrar to change the IPS tag. Look for "transfer away", "change IPS tag" or "release domain" in its control panel, or open a support ticket. If you are moving to Cloud Cabin, give it this tag: REGISTRAR-EU. Copy and paste it, exactly as shown, capital letters included. Once a tag change is sent it cannot be undone: if the wrong tag goes in, ask your registrar to reject the request, or wait about 5 days for it to expire, then start again.
- Wait for the tag to change. Once your current registrar acts, the transfer completes within a few hours. The tag must be changed within 45 days of your order, or the request expires and you order again. The wait is usually on the old registrar, so chase it if nothing has happened in a couple of days.
- Check everything. Load your website, send and receive a test email, and look at your DNS records. Then set auto-renew and WHOIS privacy in your new account.
If your current registrar will not cooperate, has stopped trading, or the domain is locked, the owner can change the tag directly in Nominet's online services. Nominet may charge for this, so ask your registrar first. If the WHOIS record shows no registrar at all (the domain is "detagged"), the owner can also set the tag there.
Moving several domains? Order every one of them before the tags change. Nominet can group tag changes into a batch, and one domain without an order can make the whole batch fail.
What changes on 9 February 2027
Nominet has announced that the .uk namespace moves to new arrangements on Tuesday 9 February 2027. For anyone moving a domain, the main change is that the tag change is replaced by a Transfer Authorisation Code (TAC), much like the codes used for .com domains. The details below come from Nominet's own pages (registrar FAQ (opens in a new tab), preparing for standardisation (opens in a new tab) and the inter-registrar transfer policy (opens in a new tab)).
| Aspect | Until 8 February 2027 | From 9 February 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| How a transfer starts | You order with the new registrar, then your current registrar changes the tag | You ask your current registrar for a transfer code and give it to the new registrar when you order |
| What you need | The new registrar's IPS tag | A transfer authorisation code, and the domain must be unlocked |
| How long it takes | A few hours once the tag is changed. The request expires after 45 days | Immediately, once a correct code is entered |
| What your current registrar may charge | It may charge a release fee | It must give you the code within 5 days, free of charge (Nominet's policy) |
| How long a code lasts | Not applicable | Up to 14 days, and it works once |
| Terminology | IPS tag | Registrars' tags become 'accreditations' (a naming change) |
According to Nominet, a correct code on an unlocked .uk domain completes the transfer immediately. If you are reading this after 9 February 2027, follow the new process and ask your current registrar for the code. The older IPS tag steps above then no longer apply.
Check with your registrar
Dates and details are Nominet's and can change. Registrars write their own instructions for customers, so follow your registrar's help pages for the exact buttons to press.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The tag change was declined. The usual cause is that no transfer order exists yet at the new registrar. Order first, then ask your current registrar again.
- The tag looks wrong. Tags are exact and case-sensitive. A typo, or the tag of a different company, sends the domain to the wrong place. Copy the tag rather than typing it from memory. If a wrong one was sent, ask your registrar to reject it or wait about 5 days for it to expire.
- The domain is locked or suspended. Your registrar cannot change the tag while the domain is locked: unlock it, or change the tag yourself in Nominet's online services. A suspended domain cannot have its tag changed until the suspension ends.
- Nothing arrives by email. Check the spam folder and confirm the registrant email on the domain is one you can read.
- The domain has expired. Renew or reinstate it with your current registrar first. Expired domains generally cannot move.
- The request expired. If the tag was not changed within 45 days, the request fails by itself. Order the transfer again.
- A release fee. Some registrars charge to release a domain. Read their terms before you start, so the fee is no surprise.
- A dispute is open. If the domain is the subject of a dispute, Nominet may block the change until it is resolved.
Moving the website and email as well
You do not have to move the domain, the website and the email on the same day. A safe order is: set up hosting at the new provider, test the site there, then switch your DNS records, and transfer the domain separately when it suits you. That way a domain transfer never sits in the critical path of a website move. The WordPress migration guide walks through the website side, and the SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide covers the email records you should carry across.
Cloud Cabin's migration team can move your website, email and databases as well. Free migrations are available to new customers on eligible plans.
Transferring a .co.uk domain to Cloud Cabin
Our IPS tag is REGISTRAR-EU. Transfers of .co.uk, .uk and .org.uk domains to Cloud Cabin cost £0.00. A tag change does not renew the domain, so there is no extension to pay for, and your expiry date stays the same. Every domain comes with free DNS management, WHOIS privacy where the extension supports it, and domain locking. Prices for other extensions are in the transfer price table.
Frequently asked questions
Not at the moment. .uk domains move by an IPS tag change instead. From 9 February 2027 Nominet switches .uk domains to transfer authorisation codes, so you will then ask your current registrar for a code.
It is REGISTRAR-EU. Order the transfer with us first, then ask your current registrar to change the domain's tag to REGISTRAR-EU. Copy it exactly, because tags are case-sensitive and a wrong one cannot be undone.
A few hours once your current registrar changes the tag. The delay is nearly always the current registrar being slow to act, and the request expires if the tag is not changed within 45 days.
No, as long as your DNS keeps working. The domain changes registrar, not nameservers. The risk is DNS hosted by your old registrar, so copy your records to a new DNS provider before you leave.
No. A tag change does not renew or extend a .uk registration, so the expiry date stays as it was.
Both are run by Nominet and transfer the same way. .co.uk has been the UK's most familiar business address for decades, and .uk is the shorter, newer option. Many businesses register both.
Sources and further reading
- Nominet registrar FAQ: .UK transition date and transfer authorisation codes (opens in a new tab)
- Nominet: preparing for .UK standardisation (transfers, accreditations, grace periods) (opens in a new tab)
- Nominet: UK inter-registrar transfer policy (effective 9 February 2027) (opens in a new tab)
- Nominet: Dragon Domain Manager and online services for registrars (opens in a new tab)
