The 60-day domain transfer lock
Under ICANN's Transfer Policy a domain cannot be transferred to a new registrar for 60 days after it is first registered or after a previous transfer. Separately, a change of registrant (the registered owner's details) can trigger its own 60-day lock. The rule is anti-hijacking, and there is no way to shorten a registration/transfer lock — you wait it out.
What triggers a 60-day lock
Three common events start a 60-day clock:
- Registering a brand-new domain
- Transferring the domain to a registrar (a fresh lock starts at the new registrar)
- Changing the registrant contact (the Change of Registrant lock) — this one can often be opted out of at the time of the change
Why it exists
The lock is a security measure. Requiring a 60-day settling period after registration or an ownership change makes domain hijacking — where an attacker grabs a domain and immediately moves it away — much harder to pull off cleanly.
How to plan around it
There is no way to shorten the registration or post-transfer lock — if you know you'll want to move a newly registered domain, register it at (or near) your intended long-term registrar. For the Change of Registrant lock, many registrars let you opt out of the 60-day transfer lock when you update the registrant, so choose that option if you plan to transfer soon.
ICANN's 60-day transfer lock: a domain cannot transfer to a new registrar for 60 days after registration or after a prior transfer. A change of registrant can start a separate 60-day lock, which many registrars let you opt out of at the time of the change. The registration/transfer lock cannot be shortened. Purpose: anti-hijacking.