Transfer a Domain from IONOS to Cloudflare

At IONOS (formerly 1&1), domains live inside auto-renewing "contracts" — and the classic trap is getting billed while your transfer was underway. Here is the exact order of operations for a clean exit to Cloudflare.

The principle: never pay for a transfer "on top"

A little-known ICANN rule makes transfers effectively free in practice: the year you pay at transfer time is added to your current expiration date. Transferring 30 days before expiry is therefore exactly the same as renewing — but at Cloudflare's at-cost price (zero markup) instead of IONOS's retail price. You don't lose a single day you already paid for.

Step 1 — Move your DNS first (free, today)

Domain registration and DNS management are independent. Start by creating the zone on Cloudflare (Free plan), verify every record was imported — especially MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC if the domain receives email — then replace the nameservers at IONOS with the two Cloudflare assigns you. Your site and email keep working: during propagation, the old and new zones serve identical answers.

Step 2 — Prepare the transfer on the IONOS side

Two different places — that's the IONOS quirk: the domain is managed under Domains & SSL, but the auto-renewal is cancelled under Menu → Contracts & Subscriptions. Cancel the domain contract's renewal first (effective at expiry, not immediately!), or IONOS will charge the next year even mid-transfer.

Then: Domains & SSL → your domain → "Transfer domain" — that page unlocks the domain and displays the authorization (EPP) code.

Step 3 — Transfer at Cloudflare

At day −30: Domain Registration → Transfer domains at Cloudflare, EPP code, one year at wholesale stacked on your current expiry. Confirm IONOS's outbound email if you receive one, to shorten the delay.

Frequently asked questions