Choose your Route 53 transfer type - Amazon Route 53
Transfer domain registration to Route 53Use Route 53 for DNS hosting only
Services or capabilities described in Amazon Web Services documentation might vary by Region. To see the differences applicable to the China Regions, see Getting Started with Amazon Web Services in China (PDF).

Choose your Route 53 transfer type

When you want to use Amazon Route 53 with your domain, you have two options. Understanding the difference will help you choose the right approach for your needs:

Transfer domain registration to Route 53

With this option, Route 53 becomes your domain registrar. This means you'll manage your domain renewals, contact information, and DNS settings all through Route 53.

Choose this option if you want to:

  • Consolidate domain management and DNS hosting in one place

  • Take advantage of Route 53 domain management features

  • Simplify billing by having domain renewals on your Amazon bill

What to expect:

  • Time to complete: 5-7 days

  • Prerequisites: Authorization code from current registrar, unlock domain, verify registrant email

  • Who you pay for renewals: Route 53

Next step: Complete the Pre-transfer checklist for domain transfers to prepare for the transfer.

Use Route 53 for DNS hosting only

With this option, you keep your current domain registrar but use Route 53 as your DNS service.

Choose this option if you want to:

  • Keep your existing registrar relationship

  • Use Route 53 advanced DNS features without changing registrars

  • Get started quickly with minimal prerequisites

What to expect:

  • Time to complete: Up to 2 days (depends on DNS propagation)

  • Prerequisites: None

  • Who you pay for renewals: Your current registrar

Next step: Go to Configuring Amazon Route 53 as your DNS service to set up DNS hosting.

Important

You don't have to transfer your domain registration to use Route 53 as your DNS service. You can keep your existing registrar and use Route 53 only for DNS hosting.