60-day transfer lock

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60-day transfer lock, explained

ICANN's Transfer Policy lists both cases as reasons a registrar may deny a transfer, and registrars commonly apply them. A separate rule requires a 60-day inter-registrar lock after a change of registrant, meaning a material change to the registrant's name, organization or email, unless the registrant opted out before the change. None of these locks stops a push to another account at the same registrar, and ccTLDs set their own rules.

For sellers, the lock matters at delivery. A freshly caught, hand-registered or recently transferred name cannot move to a buyer at another registrar until the window passes, so check the creation and last-transfer dates before promising delivery, and offer a push if the buyer can open an account at your registrar. If a sale is pending, opt out of the change-of-registrant lock before updating your details.

Change is coming but is not yet in force. ICANN's Board adopted the Transfer Policy Review recommendations on June 7, 2026: a mandatory 30-day lock after registration and after a registrar transfer, and no 60-day lock after a change of registrant. The project is queued for implementation with no effective date, so the 60-day rules apply today.

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