If your domain runs its own nameservers, a registrar transfer normally does not wipe the glue records. For standard EPP-based registries, the subordinate host objects move with the parent domain.
Short answer
If you use nameservers such as ns1.example.com for example.com, those are subordinate host objects. The EPP standard says they transfer with the domain object. You should still verify them after the move, especially before changing any nameserver IP addresses.
Glue records are one of those domain settings most people never need to think about. If your domain uses Cloudflare, your web host's nameservers or another third-party DNS provider, you probably do not have any custom glue records to move in the first place.
They matter when the domain is acting as the parent of its own nameservers. A common example is example.com using ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com. In that setup, the registry needs the IP addresses of those nameservers so DNS can get started without going in circles.
The useful bit is buried in the EPP domain specification. RFC 5731 says that transferring a domain object must implicitly transfer host objects that are subordinate to that domain.
So if example.com transfers from Registrar A to Registrar B and ns1.example.com already exists as a host object, that host object is part of the transfer. You are not supposed to lose it simply because the sponsoring registrar changes.
For an in-zone nameserver such as ns1.example.com, the registry stores the nameserver hostname together with its IPv4 and/or IPv6 address. That address is the glue. Without it, a resolver could be told to ask ns1.example.com how to find example.com while still needing example.com in order to find ns1.example.com.
Nominet describes the same relationship for its EPP host objects: in-bailiwick host objects transfer between registrars when their superordinate domain transfers. That is a useful real-world confirmation of how the model is meant to work.
That decides whether the host object is part of the same transfer at all.
This is an in-bailiwick or subordinate nameserver. The host object belongs underneath the domain being transferred, so it should move with that domain at registry level.
This nameserver belongs underneath dnsprovider.com, not example.com. Transferring example.com does not transfer that provider's host object. You are simply continuing to delegate to it.
This is why most ordinary transfers do not need any special glue work. If you use a third-party DNS service, the domain normally keeps the same nameservers through the transfer. Namecheap and Porkbun both document that the assigned nameservers normally remain unchanged when a domain moves between registrars.
If you are deciding whether to move the registration at all, our domain transfer price comparison is useful for comparing the cost side separately from the DNS setup.
If the existing hostnames and IP addresses are correct, I would normally leave them alone during the registrar move. With more than 300 domains to manage, I prefer separating changes: move the registrar first, confirm the domain still resolves, then change DNS infrastructure afterwards if I actually need to.
The situation gets riskier if you transfer the domain and also change the IP address behind ns1.example.com or ns2.example.com. The glue at the registry has to match the real nameserver addresses.
GOV.UK warns that mismatched glue records can make services work intermittently or stop altogether, including web and email. If you change a custom nameserver's IP address, update the registry glue as well.
Those are separate issues. A registrar transfer itself is not the same thing as changing DNS. That distinction is also why changing nameservers does not, by itself, trigger a 60-day transfer lock; I cover that separately in our 60-day nameserver lock guide.
If a custom nameserver is missing from the new registrar's interface, I would not immediately delete and recreate it. The registry may still have the correct host object even if the control panel has not surfaced it properly. Ask the gaining registrar to confirm the existing host object and glue first.
For a normal `.com` transfer, the registrar move itself can still take several days even when the DNS stays untouched. Our guide to how long a .com domain transfer takes explains that timing separately.
A domain delegated to Cloudflare, your hosting company or another external DNS provider normally has no glue records of its own to move. In that case, your main concern is keeping the same authoritative nameservers and making sure the old registrar is not also providing DNS that disappears after transfer.
Bottom line
If the nameservers are subordinate to the domain, the EPP model transfers those host objects with the parent domain. I would still record the existing glue before the move and verify it afterwards. The point where I would slow down is when you are also changing nameserver IP addresses, DNS provider or DNSSEC at the same time.
