Transfer Domain After Purchase: Push, Auth Code, Checks

The money is agreed and sitting in escrow. Now comes the part where deals actually fail: the domain has to move from the seller’s control into yours, and until it does, you own nothing but a promise.

Transferring a domain after purchase is not complicated, but it has a few traps. A seller who just bought the name may be stuck behind a 60-day lock. A push to the wrong account name lands it somewhere else. And a domain that arrives in your account with the seller’s email still on the registrant record can be pulled back by anyone with access to that inbox.

Push or auth code: which method is right?

There are two ways to move a domain, and they differ in speed and cost.

If the seller uses a registrar you are happy with, ask for a push. You can always move the domain later, once any locks have expired.

What the seller has to prepare

Before an inter-registrar transfer can start, the seller needs to:

• Remove the registrar lock (clientTransferProhibited in the status)
• Make sure the domain isn’t within 60 days of its registration or a previous transfer
• Generate the auth code, also called EPP code or transfer code
• Turn off WHOIS privacy if their registrar requires it for transfers (most no longer do)

Check the status yourself in an RDAP lookup before the seller sends the code. If you still see clientTransferProhibited, the transfer will fail at once.

ICANN’s transfer rules for gTLDs are being revised during 2026. Among other things, the registrant rather than an admin contact becomes the person who authorises transfers. Registrars are rolling the changes out on their own schedules, so check your registrar’s help pages for the current process. The current text is on ICANN’s transfer policy page.

The 60-day locks

Two separate locks cause most delays:

1. After registration or transfer: registrars may deny an inter-registrar transfer within 60 days of the domain being registered or last transferred.
2. After a change of registrant: many registrars apply a 60-day transfer lock when the owner’s name, organisation or email changes. Some let the old owner opt out before the change.

The second lock matters for the order of steps. If you change the registrant data first and transfer second, you may wait two months. Transfer first, then update the data at your new registrar. Or ask for a push and accept a delay before moving registrars.

Country codes do it differently

Not every extension follows the gTLD process. For .co.uk and other .uk names, Nominet uses a tag system: the seller changes the registrar tag (IPS tag) to your registrar’s, and no auth code is involved in the classic flow. Other country codes have their own variants, and some require a registrant transfer form. If you buy a ccTLD, ask your registrar how incoming transfers work before you agree a deadline with the seller.

What to change on day one

The moment the domain appears in your account, work through this list in order:

• Account email and password: your own, with two-factor authentication enabled
• Registrant data: your name or company, a mailbox you control
• Nameservers: point to your DNS provider, or keep the old ones until you have copied the zone
• DNS records: recreate MX records first if you need email on the domain
• DNSSEC: if the seller had DNSSEC enabled and you switch nameservers, remove the old DS record first or the domain stops resolving
• Transfer lock: switch it back on
• Auto-renew: enable it and check the expiry date

DNSSEC catches people out. A DS record that points to keys you no longer have makes validating resolvers reject the domain, and the site goes dark for a portion of visitors.

When to release payment

Confirm receipt in escrow only when all of this is true:

Escrow services give you an inspection period for exactly this. The full sequence is in the domain escrow guide. If something looks wrong, such as a seller asking you to “just confirm first, the transfer is processing”, stop. That request appears regularly in domain scams.

Transferring to betadomain

If you want the domain at a registrar with no first-year discount followed by higher renewals, you can transfer it to betadomain: the price you see in the extension price list is the renewal price too. A .com at betadomain costs €14.99 a year. If you manage many domains or want to automate transfers, there is a domain API for developers.

Bought the name but not sure what you paid was fair? The domain valuation criteria help for the next purchase, and the guide to buying from the owner covers negotiating.

Step by step

1. Agree the transfer methodDecide between a push at the same registrar and an inter-registrar transfer with an auth code.
2. Seller prepares the domainThe seller removes the transfer lock, checks the domain is not within a 60-day lock and generates the auth code.
3. Start the transfer at your registrarEnter the domain and auth code, pay the transfer fee and approve any confirmation emails.
4. Wait for completionMost gTLD transfers finish within five days. Watch the status in your account.
5. Take full controlChange registrant data, account email, nameservers and DNSSEC settings to your own.
6. Confirm receiptOnly then release the payment in escrow.