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Daily provides two methods for transferring SIP and PSTN calls:
  • PSTN and SIP Call Transfer — redirects the far end of the call to a new SIP or PSTN destination while keeping the original SIP connection anchored to Daily.
  • SIP REFER — hands the call off to the originating SIP system, removing Daily from the call entirely.
SIP Call Transfer: Both the original and new connections stay active after the transfer. Usage is billed on both legs for the duration of the transferred call.
SIP REFER: Daily exits the media path when the REFER succeeds. A one-time SIP REFER fee may apply. Contact support for pricing.

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SIP Call Transfer

Use sipCallTransfer when you want to redirect a caller to another Daily room or external destination while Daily remains in the media path. This preserves session continuity, analytics, and room state. Works for both dial-in and dial-out connections.

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Transfer scenarios

1. Room-to-room transfer Alice is in Room A (via dial-in or dial-out). Transfer her to Room B: 
await call.sipCallTransfer({
  sessionId: 'alice-session-id',
  toEndPoint: 'sip:room-b@domain.sip.daily.co',
});
Alice leaves Room A (participant-left, dialin-stopped / dialout-stopped fire) and joins Room B. Transfer webhooks (triggered, initiated, answered, complete) fire in Room A. 2. External SIP transfer Transfer Alice to an external SIP endpoint: 
await call.sipCallTransfer({
  sessionId: 'alice-session-id',
  toEndPoint: 'sip:callme@sip.somewhere.com',
});
Alice leaves Room A, but the call continues to route through Daily to the external destination. 3. PSTN transfer Transfer Alice’s phone call to another phone number: 
await call.sipCallTransfer({
  sessionId: 'pstn-session-id',
  toEndPoint: '+123456xxx',
  callerID: '99ae8ddd-d32c-4786-9bb4-62235a4e7d55', // optional: ID of purchased number to use as caller ID
});
SIP-to-PSTN and PSTN-to-SIP cross-type transfers are supported. Billing depends on the connection types (e.g., two PSTN connections = two PSTN minutes per minute). If no callerID is provided, Daily uses a phone number from your account. To present the original caller’s number (number masquerading), contact support — this feature requires account enablement.

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SIP REFER

Use sipRefer to fully hand off a call to an external SIP system, removing Daily from the call flow: 
await call.sipRefer({
  sessionId: 'sip-session-id',
  toEndPoint: 'sip:external-ivr@sip.example.com',
});
When the REFER succeeds, the original SIP caller connects directly to the target. participant-left and dialin-stopped / dialout-stopped events fire in the Daily room, and transfer webhooks are emitted. Common use cases:
  • Returning a call to an IVR, PBX, or call-center platform
  • Handing off between SIP providers without Daily staying in the loop
If the originating SIP system doesn’t support SIP REFER, use sipCallTransfer instead. The call remains anchored to Daily and usage accrues during the transfer.

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Choosing the right method

ScenarioMethod
Transfer caller between Daily roomssipCallTransfer
Transfer to external SIP/PSTN destination, Daily stays in pathsipCallTransfer
Hand call fully back to originating SIP systemsipRefer
Add a new SIP/PSTN participant to the current roomstartDialOut()

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Implementation

REST API: Client SDK: