Also called ICANN 60-day lock · 60-day lock
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.
Example. Because the buyer's registrar would refuse a transfer of a name caught three weeks earlier, the seller delivered it by registrar push instead.
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- ICANN — Transfer Policy (version updated Feb 21, 2024)
- ICANN GNSO — Transfer Policy Review final report recommendations (Feb 2025)
- ICANN GNSO — Transfer Policy Review PDP status, Council adoption Mar 12, 2025
- ICANN — Policy implementation projects, Transfer Policy Review listed in queue (accessed Oct 1, 2026)
- ICANN Board — Approved Resolutions, Regular Meeting, June 7, 2026 (resolution 2026.06.07.04, Transfer Policy recommendations)
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