Overview

Yes, since there is not a way to change the region of a domain once it has been created (due to possible GDPR implications), there is a process that can allow you to migrate the domain (and most of its properties) from one region to another.

By far, the most common migration we see customers utilize is moving their domain from the US to the EU region. Nonetheless, the steps to migrate from the EU to the US region are virtually identical. This guide will follow the framework for migrating a domain from the US to the EU region.

More general info on our EU region in our blog post here

Action plan for migration

There are two options to transfer a domain between US and EU regions. The action plan would depend on two elements: 1. Your use case, and 2. Your desired final configuration.

Option 1: Using a subdomain

First, we know that moving your currently configured domain to a new region can cause service disruptions; without planning, it's just deletion from one region and addition in the other. However, you could create a new subdomain in the EU region instead to potentially avoid this. Having one domain in the US region and another in the EU region allows for you to split your sending between the regions.

1. Inside the Mailgun Control Panel, click on the Sending option on the left-hand side of your Mailgun control panel, then select the Domains suboption, and finally click the Add New Domain button.

2. While you wait for your newly added DNS records to propagate, begin exporting Mailing Lists, Routes, Suppressions, SMTP credentials, and any Webhooks from the US-hosted domain.  

3. Verify your data is complete and import the legacy services to the EU domain and dashboard. 

4. Finally, update your application's configuration to utilize the new SMTP information, domain SMTP credentials, and/or API endpoint.

Option 2: Transferring domain data via deletion from one region and creation in the other region

Domains are globally unique within our platform, meaning the same exact domain cannot exist in both US and EU regions. As such, if you wish to move the exact domain from the US to the EU platform, the domain would need to be deleted from the US platform first. 

Please Note When Using This Option: Once a domain is deleted, the domain data cannot be recovered. Therefore, if you require this data, you'll need to export all data before deleting the domain. Measure twice, cut once! This process is further explained below:

1. Begin exporting all your data first; this includes items such as Mailing Lists, Routes, Webhooks, Suppressions, and SMTP credentials. 

2. Inside the Mailgun Control Panel, click on the Sending option on the left-hand side of your Mailgun control panel, then select the Domains suboption, and finally click the Add New Domain button.

3. While the DNS records propagate, import the exported data to the newly created domain. 

4. Once the data import is complete and the domain has been verified, update your application's configuration to utilize the new SMTP information, domain SMTP credentials, and/or API endpoint.

Exporting data

In order to migrate your domain's data from one region to another, this data would need to be exported from the domain in the current region and imported to the domain in the new region.

Currently, through the Mailgun control panel, you can export Suppressions and Mailing Lists.

Suppressions

Inside the Mailgun Control Panel (options displayed down the left-hand side on a dark column), use the following instructions:

1. Click on the Sending option on the left-hand side of your Mailgun dashboard.
2. Click on the specific domain for which you would like to view the Suppressions.
3. You will click on the Suppressions option.
4. Click on the Export button for each Suppression type (Bounces, Complaints, Unsubscribes), which you'll find next to the green Add Recipient button.

Mailing Lists

Inside the Mailgun Control Panel (options displayed down the left-hand side on a dark column), use the following instructions:

1. Click on the Sending option on the left-hand side of your Mailgun dashboard and then select Mailing Lists.
2. Select the specific mailing list that you wish to export.
3. Click on the Export Recipients button.

API requests

What if you have hundreds of lists or thousands of emails you need to export? For customers interested in migrating data to the EU platform quickly, Mailgun has a full set of RESTful APIs. Below are links to our API documentation:

1. Logs (Events)

2. Suppressions (Bounces, Complaints, Unsubscribes, Whitelists)

3. Mailing Lists

For features such as Routes and Webhooks, these will need to be recreated within the customer UI or programmatically through the API.

Regional differences

Additionally, new endpoints for our services were created for the EU region as well! These changes apply to our SMTP, API, MX records, and Click tracking services. See below for these endpoints:

*PLEASE NOTE*: If you currently have domains in the US region and use a dedicated IP, but are migrating any or all sending to the EU and wanting to continue to use a dedicated IP, you will need to acquire an EU dedicated IP as well. Dedicated IPs are region-bound; thus specific dedicated IPs cannot be used in both regions.

Need Support?

Our Support Team here at Sinch Mailgun is happy to help! Reach out to us in the Support page of your Mailgun Control Panel, and we'll be with you shortly!