Transfer a Domain from OVH to Cloudflare

OVHcloud is a fine host, but its domain renewal prices sit above the registry cost Cloudflare charges. The migration happens in two stages — DNS first, registration at renewal time — and costs nothing before your renewal date.

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 OVH'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 OVH 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 OVH side

In the OVH manager: Domain names → your domain. The "DNS servers" tab handles the nameserver switch; the "General information" tab unlocks the domain (domain status → transfer protection) and provides "Get the transfer code". Remember to disable automatic renewal (Manager → Automatic renewal), or OVH bills before the deadline.

If you automate through the OVH API, note that the /domain/* wildcard does not cover the bare GET /domain route: a token needs both, or you'll hit "This call has not been granted."

Step 3 — Transfer at Cloudflare at day −30

Domain Registration → Transfer domains, transfer code, one year at wholesale. The year stacks on your current expiry. OVH emails an outbound-transfer confirmation: approve it to finish in hours instead of 5 days.

Frequently asked questions