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How long does a domain transfer take? The ICANN timeline, step by step

Source: ICANN Transfer Policy and ICANN standard forms, fetched September 27, 2026 · Updated

In short

Once the new registrar sends the transfer request with a valid EPP code, the registry completes a generic TLD transfer within 5 calendar days unless your current registrar rejects it, and silence counts as approval. Getting the code can add up to 5 more calendar days if your registrar has no self-service option. So a transfer that nobody blocks is done within about 10 days of asking for the code, plus the time you take to pass it on. It can finish the same day if your current registrar approves it at once, and it adds one year to the registration.

The steps of a registrar transfer

ICANN's Transfer Policy fixes who does what, and how long each side may take. It starts with you: "The Registered Name Holder is the only party that has the authority to approve or deny a transfer request to the Gaining Registrar." You get the EPP code from your current registrar, which must send it and remove its transfer lock within 5 calendar days if you cannot do both in your account. The EPP code page covers that step and the reasons a registrar may refuse.

Next, the new registrar, called the gaining registrar in the policy, asks "that the Registry Operator database be changed to reflect the new Registrar." The registry "MUST (1) verify that the "AuthInfo" code provided by the Gaining Registrar is valid in order to accept an inter-registrar transfer request and MUST (2) transmit an electronic notification to both Registrars." From that moment the clock runs.

Your current registrar, the registrar of record, then writes to you, and quickly: "The FOA should be sent by the Registrar of Record to the Registered Name Holder as soon as operationally possible, but must be sent not later than twenty-four (24) hours after receiving the transfer request from the Registry Operator." ICANN's standard wording tells you "If you want to proceed with this transfer, you do not need to respond to this message." If nobody objects in time, "the transfer will proceed."

StepDeadlineSection
You get the EPP code, lock removedAt once in your account, or within 5 calendar days of askingI.A.5.2
The new registrar sends the request; the registry checks the codeWhen you give the code to the new registrarI.A.2.2, I.A.6.1
Your current registrar messages youWithin 24 hours of the registry noticeI.A.3.4
The registry completes the transferUnless rejected within 5 calendar days; silence counts as approvalI.A.3.5, I.A.6.2
One year is addedAt completion, never more than 10 years left in totalI.A.8
The next move to another registrarThe new registrar may refuse for 60 daysI.A.3.7.6

Domain transfer timeline calculator

Pick the day you ask for the EPP code and how your current registrar hands it out. The calculator applies the deadlines of ICANN's Transfer Policy and gives the latest date for each step and the new expiration date. It runs in your browser and sends nothing.

Your current registrar
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Source: ICANN Transfer Policy (updated February 21, 2024), section I.A, fetched September 27, 2026. Dates are calendar days; the latest dates assume every side uses its full time.

Why five days, and how to finish sooner

The five days are a maximum, not a waiting rule. Two clauses set it: "Failure by the Registrar of Record to respond within five (5) calendar days to a notification from the Registry regarding a transfer request will result in a default "approval" of the transfer." and "The Registry Operator shall complete the requested transfer unless, within five (5) calendar days, Registry Operator receives a NACK protocol command from the Registrar of Record." If you ignore the message, "the default action will be that the Registrar of Record must allow the transfer to proceed."

To finish sooner, reply to your current registrar and approve the transfer if its message offers that. The protocol allows it: "The current sponsoring client MAY explicitly approve or reject the transfer request." Two steps can add days: waiting for the code when there is no self-service, and a transfer lock that is still on. A lookup that shows pendingTransfer means the request sits inside the five-day window; the domain status codes page explains that code and what to do about a transfer you did not ask for.

The gaining registrar's own consent form is on hold. ICANN writes that its compliance team "will defer enforcement of Section I(A)(2.1) of the Transfer Policy until the matter is settled in the GNSO Council's Transfer Policy review." The policy also says that when a gaining registrar cannot see the current registration data, it "is not required to obtain a Form of Authorization from the Registered Name Holder."

After the transfer

When the registry has updated its database, it "will transmit an electronic notification to both Registrars." The move renews the name as well: "The completion by Registry Operator of a holder-authorized transfer under Section I.A shall result in a one-year extension of the existing registration, provided that in no event shall the total unexpired term of a registration exceed ten (10) years." A name renewed far ahead can therefore gain less than a year.

The new registrar may then refuse another move for 60 days, except a transfer back that both registrars agree to. The calculator gives that date.

If a transfer happened that you did not want, act fast. Registrars keep an emergency contact for each other, and "Responses are required within 4 hours of the initial request, although final resolution of the incident may take longer." Once a valid notice arrives, such as both registrars agreeing that a transfer was a mistake, "The Registry Operator must undo the transfer within five (5) calendar days of receipt of the notice". Formal disputes under the Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy are filed by registrars, and "A dispute must be filed no later than twelve (12) months after the alleged violation of the Transfer Policy." If a transfer is refused for a reason outside the policy, ICANN's advice is that "you should then submit a formal Transfer Complaint with ICANN."

What changes when the adopted rules take effect

The ICANN Board adopted the Transfer Policy Review recommendations on June 7, 2026. ICANN lists the implementation as "Currently in the planning/resourcing process.", and new policies come with "a window of at least six months for contracted parties to update their operations", so today's timeline stays in force until ICANN announces an effective date.

The recommendations keep the five days but count them in hours and stress that "120 hours is the maximum and not the standard period in which the TAC is to be issued." The code gets a lifetime: "The TAC MUST be valid for 336 hours from the time it is set at the Registry, enforced by the Registry." The gaining registrar's form goes for good: "The Working Group recommends eliminating from the Transfer Policy the requirement that the Gaining Registrar send a Gaining FOA." The current registrar's message becomes a Transfer Confirmation that "MUST NOT include a mechanism for immediately approving the inter-Registrar transfer." Your former registrar must confirm the finished transfer "no later than 24 hours after the transfer is completed." And the next move waits a set period, with a few listed exceptions: "The Registrar MUST restrict the RNH from transferring a domain name to a new Registrar for 720 hours from the completion of an inter-Registrar transfer."

Domain transfer time: frequently asked questions

How long does a domain transfer take?
Under ICANN's Transfer Policy for generic TLDs, up to 5 calendar days from the moment the new registrar submits the request with a valid EPP code, plus up to 5 calendar days to get the code if your registrar has no self-service option. It can finish sooner if your current registrar approves the transfer.
Why is my domain transfer still pending?
A pendingTransfer status means the registry is waiting for your current registrar to approve or reject the request. If neither happens, the registry completes the transfer after 5 calendar days. Approving the transfer in reply to your current registrar's message can speed it up.
Do I have to reply to the email from my current registrar?
No, if you want the transfer: ICANN's standard message says you do not need to respond to proceed. Reply only to stop a transfer you did not ask for, and do it quickly.
Does a domain transfer add a year to the registration?
Yes. A completed transfer adds one year to the existing registration, but a name can never have more than 10 years left, so a name renewed far ahead may gain less than a full year.
Can I transfer my domain again right after a transfer?
Not always. For 60 days after a completed transfer the new registrar may refuse another one, except a transfer back to the previous registrar when both agree. Under the rules adopted on June 7, 2026, not yet in force, this becomes a required 720 hours, with a few exceptions.
What if my domain was transferred without my permission?
Contact your previous registrar at once. Registrars keep an emergency contact for each other that must answer within 4 hours, and a registry must undo a transfer within 5 calendar days of a valid notice, such as both registrars agreeing it was a mistake.

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