Domain transfers
To transfer a business domain without losing email, first confirm who controls the registrar account and save a copy of every DNS record, especially MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Then unlock the domain at the current registrar, request the auth (EPP) code, start the transfer, and re-check the website and inbox once it completes. TwoQM, based in Brownsville, Texas, plans transfers this way for small businesses: it maps what depends on the domain, coordinates the cutover with the mailbox provider, and can run the website, email, and hosting afterward, while the business stays the registrant. Start at twoqmllc.com/start or email juan@twoqm.com.
TwoQM reviews ownership, authorization, DNS, email, website, and renewal dependencies before a transfer begins.
Recovering control comes before any transfer. Look up the domain in ICANN’s registration data lookup to see which registrar holds it and when the registration expires. Registrant names and emails are often redacted for privacy, so the registrar account login is usually the real proof of control.
Write down who set the account up and who can log in today. A former web designer, an old agency, a bundled hosting plan, or an employee who left often holds the login. Ask them to hand over access or approve the transfer while the relationship is still cordial. If nobody can log in, start with the current registrar’s account recovery process, not with a transfer.
A full transfer moves the registration, renewals, and billing to a new registrar. Pointing nameservers keeps the domain at the current registrar but lets another provider manage DNS, the records that route your website and email. Sometimes neither is needed: if the account is already in your name and renewals are under control, cleaning up stale DNS records may be the whole job.
TwoQM reviews which option fits before anything moves. Some businesses only need nameserver pointing, and we will tell you when that is the case.
Work through these steps in order. Skipping the DNS snapshot is the most common way a transfer turns into an email outage.
Registrars can block a transfer for a period after a domain is first registered, after a previous transfer, or after a change to the registrant’s name, organization, or email. The exact windows are set by ICANN’s Transfer Policy and your registrar’s terms, so check both before you pick dates. Country-code domains such as .mx follow their own registry’s rules. How long the transfer takes after you start also depends on the registrar and the domain extension, so we do not promise a number of hours.
Email depends on DNS, not on the registrar. MX records tell the internet which provider receives your mail. SPF lists the services allowed to send as your domain. DKIM adds a signature receivers can verify, and DMARC tells them what to do with mail that fails those checks. If any of these records disappears during a move, mail can bounce or land in spam.
The safe pattern is to copy every record to the new DNS host before switching nameservers, confirm the copies match, and plan a cutover window with your mailbox provider, whether that is Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or TwoQM-managed mail. After the switch, send and receive test messages and confirm that DKIM still verifies.
These patterns come up again and again when a small business tries to move its domain. Each one is easier to fix before the transfer starts than in the middle of it.
TwoQM plans the move from Brownsville, Texas, in English or Spanish. We review who owns the domain, map every service that depends on it, coordinate the unlock and auth code timing with you, move DNS together with your mail records, and verify the website and inbox after the transfer completes. Afterward, TwoQM can run your website, business email, and hosting, or simply manage DNS while you keep your registrar.
Domain transfers and custom DNS work are quoted as part of your project scope, and domains found through our domain search show their exact registration price at checkout.
Business apps and systems start at $449/month, and custom software is quoted individually. Final pricing depends on your requirements and scope; compare all three categories at twoqmllc.com/pricing.
You stay in control of the domain. Under the TwoQM Domain Registration Agreement, you or your organization are recorded as the registrant and beneficial owner, and TwoQM does not register customer domains under TwoQM ownership. You can also host your website yourself after paying the full one-time website price, which is based on the scope of work.
Business Websites
Starting at $199/month
Standard design and setup fee: $500Introductory offer: the $500 design and setup fee is waived for qualifying new clients.*
Includes, subject to the agreed scope
Advanced features, major redesigns, custom integrations, and substantial development may require additional pricing.
*Introductory offer for qualifying new clients. Qualifying waived-fee projects require a 12-month minimum service agreement. Final pricing depends on your requirements and scope.
Compare all pricing: business apps & systems from $449/month, custom software by quote
How long does a domain transfer take? It depends on the registrar, the domain extension, and how quickly the transfer is approved. Your current registrar’s help page and ICANN’s Transfer Policy describe the steps, and TwoQM confirms the expected window when we plan your move.
Will my email go down? It should not, if every DNS record is copied before the switch and the cutover is planned with your mailbox provider. Most outages come from records that were left behind.
Do I need the old web designer’s permission? You need access to the registrar account or approval from the registrant listed on the domain. If the old designer holds the login, ask them to hand it over or approve the transfer.
Can I keep my registrar and still have TwoQM run DNS? Yes. Pointing nameservers lets TwoQM manage DNS while renewals stay with your current registrar.
Do I lose my domain if I leave TwoQM later? No. You are recorded as the registrant and beneficial owner, and a transfer out follows the same registrar and ICANN rules described above.
Do you help in Spanish? Yes. TwoQM works in English and Spanish from Brownsville, Texas, for businesses in the Rio Grande Valley, across Texas, and along the US–Mexico corridor.