A domain transfer lock stops a domain from being moved to another registrar. For .com, .net, .org and most generic extensions, a newly registered or newly transferred domain is typically locked for 60 days, so a name you just caught, won or bought usually has to stay where it landed for about two months. The lock does not stop you from using the domain: you can point it at your hosting and build on it from day one.
"Transfer lock" covers three different locks, and marketplaces sometimes add a fourth.
What is a domain transfer lock: three locks that get mixed up
| Lock | Where it comes from | How long | Can you remove it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registrar lock | A setting at your registrar, often on by default | Until you switch it off | Yes, in your account |
| Lock after registration or transfer | ICANN's Transfer Policy lets the registrar deny a transfer | 60 days from the creation date or the last transfer | Generally no |
| Change of registrant lock | ICANN's Transfer Policy, after the owner's name, organization or email changes | 60 days from the change | Only by opting out before the change, if the registrar offers it |
The registrar lock: a setting you can switch off
This is the everyday lock. It shows in WHOIS and RDAP as a transfer-prohibited status and stops someone from moving your domain without your knowledge. The guide to domain status codes explains how to read those statuses.
ICANN's FAQ for registrants on transfers says registrars must give name holders a readily accessible and reasonable means to remove the lock status. Switching it off is the first step of any transfer, but it does nothing about the two 60-day locks below.
The 60 day domain transfer lock in ICANN's policy
The ICANN domain transfer lock that buyers run into most is in the Transfer Policy. Among the reasons a registrar may deny a transfer, it lists two:
- the transfer was requested within 60 days of the creation date shown in the registry's record;
- the domain is within 60 days of having been transferred.
Two details matter. First, the wording is "may deny", not "must deny": the policy allows the registrar to refuse and registrars generally do, which is why the lock is treated as a fixed rule. Second, the clock runs from a date you can look up: the creation date in the public record, or the date of the last registrar transfer.
The domain transfer lock period is set by policy, and ICANN revises that policy. The text itself leaves room for "a lesser period" after a transfer. Treat 60 days as the typical figure and confirm the current one with the registrar that holds the domain.
Country-code extensions are outside this policy and set their own rules.
The change of registrant lock and the opt-out
The third lock catches people who thought they were past the first two. ICANN's FAQ puts it this way: you cannot transfer a domain to a different registrar within 60 days of making changes to the registrant name, organization or email address.
Once imposed, this lock is not at the registrar's discretion: the policy lists it among the cases where a transfer must be denied. The escape is the opt-out. A registrar may let the name holder opt out before the change is requested, and ICANN's FAQ notes that some offer this. If your registrar shows an opt-out box when you edit the owner details, use it then. Afterwards is too late.
For buyers this matters because a domain that changes hands inside one registrar, from the seller's account to yours, is a change of registrant.
Which lock applies to which purchase
| How you got the domain | What happened technically | Lock to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Caught at the drop through a backorder | A brand new registration with a new creation date | 60 days from the creation date |
| Won in a registrar's expiry auction | The existing registration moved to your account; the registrant changed | The marketplace's own lock, and possibly the change of registrant lock |
| Bought on a marketplace and transferred to your registrar | An inter-registrar transfer | 60 days from the transfer |
| Bought and pushed to your account at the same registrar | A change of registrant, no transfer | The change of registrant lock, unless an opt-out was used |
The first row surprises people the most. A dropped domain with years of archive history is, at the registry, a new registration. Its creation date is the day it was caught, and the 60 days count from there, whichever backorder service caught it.
The second row depends on the marketplace. An expiry auction sells the name during the previous owner's grace period, as the walkthrough of how GoDaddy Auctions work describes, so the registration is not recreated. The rules there are set by the registrar running the auction.
Marketplace locks on top
Dynadot's is a documented example. A domain won in its expired auctions, closeouts or last chance auctions is put in an "Auction Lock" status for about 15 days, according to Dynadot's help pages. During that time the domain cannot be unlocked, transferred to a different registrar, or moved to another Dynadot account. Setting name servers is allowed.
Other marketplaces set their own holding periods. Read their help pages before you plan a resale.
What you can still do while locked
A transfer lock restricts one thing: moving the domain to another registrar. Everything else is normally open.
- Name servers and DNS. Point the domain at your hosting and set up email records.
- The site. Build it and publish it.
- Renewal. Extend the registration where it sits.
- Account push. Many registrars let you move a domain to another customer's account at the same registrar, which is how a locked domain is usually sold. A marketplace lock can block it, as Dynadot's does, and the push itself can count as a change of registrant.
How to check a lock before you buy or sell
- Look up the domain in RDAP or WHOIS and note the creation date and the status codes.
- If the creation date is recent, count forward. Say the record shows a creation date of March 1: a registrar transfer will typically be refused until the end of April.
- A transfer-prohibited status only tells you the registrar lock is on, not whether a 60-day lock is running underneath.
- When buying from a person, ask when the domain last moved between registrars, since the domain lock after transfer is not visible in the creation date, and whether the owner details changed recently.
Planning around the lock
If you intend to keep the domain, the lock costs you nothing: use it where it is and move it later.
If you intend to resell, decide where the buyer will receive it. A buyer who opens an account at the same registrar can take a push. A buyer who insists on their own registrar has to wait, and the listing should say so.
The route you buy through decides which lock you inherit. Every name on the PendingDelete list at hunter.domains, for instance, will be a fresh registration when it is caught, while names in the live list of expired domains that are still in a registrar's auction follow that marketplace's rules. The routes are compared in how to buy expired domains, and the checks to run first are in the expired domain checker list.
Frequently asked questions
What is a domain transfer lock?
It is any restriction that prevents a domain from moving to another registrar. The term covers the registrar lock you control yourself, the 60-day period after a registration or transfer, and the 60-day period after a change of registrant.
Can I remove the 60-day domain transfer lock?
Generally not. The lock after registration or transfer is applied by the registrar under ICANN's Transfer Policy, and you wait it out. The change of registrant lock can only be avoided by opting out before the change, where the registrar offers it.
Can I sell a domain during the 60-day lock?
Yes, if the buyer accepts delivery at the same registrar through an account push and no marketplace lock blocks it. A sale that requires moving the domain to a different registrar has to wait until the lock ends.
Does the lock stop me from using the domain?
No. You can change name servers, host a site, set up email and renew the domain while it is locked. Only the move to another registrar is blocked.
