What Is the 60-Day Domain Transfer Lock?

Policy status notice

This article describes the ICANN Transfer Policy in effect on September 1, 2026. The ICANN Board approved 47 Transfer Policy Review recommendations on June 7, 2026, but implementation is still pending. Recheck the current ICANN policy and NiceNIC workflow before relying on this article.

Direct answer

A "60-day transfer lock" can refer to different restrictions on an inter-registrar transfer. Under the currently effective policy, a registrar may deny a gTLD transfer during the first 60 days after initial registration; a transfer within 60 days after a previous inter-registrar transfer is also a permitted denial ground, subject to policy exceptions. A material change of registrant is governed by separate current confirmation and lock provisions, under which an advance opt-out may be offered by the registrar.

These rules are not identical. A ccTLD may use a different transfer system. The restriction normally concerns the registrar transfer, not ordinary website, hosting or DNS changes.

Identify the exact restriction

Newly registered gTLD

The current Transfer Policy permits the registrar to deny an inter-registrar transfer when fewer than 60 days have passed since initial registration. Ask the registrar for the exact creation date and the first eligible date.

Recently transferred gTLD

The current policy permits denial when the domain is within 60 days after a previous inter-registrar transfer, except where a stated policy exception applies.

Change of registrant

A material change to registrant information can trigger the current Change of Registrant confirmation process and a 60-day inter-registrar lock. A registrar may allow an opt-out before the change; it is not required to offer one. Review the warning before confirming a holder update.

Ordinary registrar lock

The EPP status clientTransferProhibited is often an account-controlled registrar lock. It is not itself proof of which 60-day rule applies. An eligible holder should have a documented way to request removal when no separate policy or security restriction applies.

How to diagnose a rejected transfer

Check the creation and last-transfer dates in RDAP or the registrar account.
Review recent registrant-name, organization and email changes.
Check the EPP status and the registrar's rejection message.
Distinguish a 60-day policy issue from an incorrect auth code, expiry state, dispute, fraud review, court order or unpaid prior registration period.
Ask the current registrar to identify the precise policy or contract ground and the date it ends.

What the restriction normally does not change

A transfer restriction does not by itself move website files, mailboxes or DNS. Nameserver and DNS-record changes are usually separate operations. Account pushes are registrar-specific and may have their own eligibility, holder-change and security rules.

Can the restriction be removed early?

An ordinary registrar lock may be removable by the eligible account holder. A policy-based denial ground may not be removable. ICANN does not place or lift an individual domain's lock. For a current Change of Registrant lock, an opt-out may have been available before the change but may not be available afterward.

NiceNIC troubleshooting

When transferring to NiceNIC, keep the existing nameservers unless a separate DNS move is planned, confirm eligibility, request the current authorization code through a trusted channel and submit the transfer. If rejected, provide NiceNIC Support with the domain and the losing registrar's exact message. Never publish or send the authorization code through an untrusted channel.

Expected result and exceptions

You should identify the exact restriction and earliest eligible action. ccTLD policy, court orders, UDRP or URS proceedings, registry status, security review and payment issues can create separate restrictions that are not resolved merely by waiting 60 days.

What this answer is based on

ICANN is the authority for the currently effective gTLD Transfer Policy. Registrars document account status and any permitted opt-out or security process. Future Board-approved recommendations do not change the current workflow until implementation becomes effective.