The 60-day transfer lock, explained

The rule

ICANN’s Transfer Policy requires registrars to block transfers to another registrar for 60 days after two events: the initial registration, and any change of registrant (the legal owner’s name, organization, or email). This is anti-hijacking machinery — it stops a thief who compromises your account from immediately moving your domain somewhere you can’t reach it.

What starts (and restarts) the clock

• Registering a new domain — 60 days before it can transfer out.
• Changing the registrant’s name, organization, or email — 60 days again, at most registrars (some let you opt out of the post-update lock when both old and new contacts approve; policies vary).
• A completed transfer also blocks the next transfer for 60 days.
• Renewals, nameserver changes, and WHOIS privacy toggles do not restart it.

Planning around it

Buy the domain where you want it to live — the lock makes registrar mistakes cost two months. If you’re consolidating a portfolio, do the registrant-info cleanup after the moves, not before, or each contact change re-arms the lock.

To transfer any domain you also need it unlocked at the losing registrar and an auth/EPP code from them. Both are your right under the policy; “retention offers” are not allowed to block them.