The SME leaves a US host "for GDPR". The site switches Friday evening; Monday forms stop sending — forgotten webhook. Tuesday emails bounce — MX still at old provider. European sovereignty was the slogan; preparation was missing.
Moving to a European host is an ops project — not a logo change.
Migration phases
| Phase | Actions |
|---|---|
| 1. Inventory | Apps, databases, cron, env vars, DNS records |
| 2. EU target | Choose region, DPA, certified scope if needed |
| 3. Copy | rsync, SQL dump, object storage |
| 4. Staging | Functional and performance tests |
| 5. Cutover | Low TTL, A/AAAA change, MX if ready |
| 6. Monitoring | 48 h monitoring, rollback plan |
| 7. Exit | Final export old host, termination |
See Cloud reversibility and Backup location. Double run: old and new in parallel until proven — not faith in DNS propagation.
DNS without blind spots
Export current zone (A, AAAA, CNAME, TXT SPF/DKIM/DMARC). Lower TTL twenty-four to forty-eight hours before. Cut over in quiet window; rollback = restore old records. Purge CDN cache after cutover.
Data and compliance
Sign new European processor DPA. Update processing register and legal notices. Document backup location on new host. Review logs and analytics for non-EU transfers.
The climax: successful migration, illusory sovereignty
Decide and move forward without blind spots
Plan two to four weeks for a typical SME. Test full restore before cutover. Choose host via directory and comparator. See our migration guides for detailed steps.
Frequently asked questions
Where to start migration to an EU host?
Full inventory: files, databases, cron jobs, email, DNS, certificates, API integrations. Then copy to new European environment and test before touching production DNS.
What DNS TTL before cutover?
Lower TTL to 300 seconds several hours before cutover for quick rollback. Keep old host active until propagation confirmed.
How to handle contractual reversibility?
Check current contract end (notice, export), export format (SQL, files), egress fees. Require tested export before termination.
Do emails migrate with the site?
Not automatically. MX, IMAP migration or overlap — plan separately from website to avoid mail loss.
Moving to Europe succeeds when DNS and email follow files — not when the quote shows an EU flag.