---
id: "change-of-registrant"
kind: "glossary-term"
title: "change of registrant"
language: "en"
category: "Transfers and EPP"
updated: "2026-10-10T10:28:55Z"
canonical: "https://tldlog.com/glossary/change-of-registrant/"
translations:
  es: "https://tldlog.com/es/glosario/cambio-titular/"
  de: "https://tldlog.com/de/glossar/inhaberwechsel/"
  fr: "https://tldlog.com/fr/glossaire/changement-titulaire/"
  it: "https://tldlog.com/it/glossario/cambio-assegnatario/"
  pt-BR: "https://tldlog.com/pt/glossario/mudanca-titular/"
  ru: "https://tldlog.com/ru/glossariy/smena-registranta/"
  zh-Hans: "https://tldlog.com/zh/cihui/zhuceren-biangeng/"
---

# change of registrant

A major change to a domain's owner details, such as a new owner name or organization, or any new email address. Under the current ICANN Transfer Policy, it needs confirmation and can trigger a 60-day transfer lock unless the owner opts out. Changes adopted in June 2026 will remove that lock once implemented.

A change of registrant is a change to the details of the person or organization that holds a domain name. It happens when a domain is sold or given away, and also when the same holder changes its name, organization or email address. For gTLDs such as .com, both sides must confirm it, and it can stop the domain from moving to another registrar for 60 days.

## What a change of registrant is

As of October 2026, the rule in force is Section II of ICANN's Transfer Policy, in the version updated on 21 February 2024 and mandatory since 21 August 2025. It defines a change of registrant as a "Material Change" to the registrant's name, organization or email address:

- any change to the email address;
- a change to the name or organization that is not merely a typo fix;
- a change to the name or organization together with a new address or phone number.

A registrar may treat every name or organization change as material.

Updates made under a court order, after a UDRP decision or in response to an abuse complaint fall outside the process. The registrar must refuse a change unless both parties properly authorized it, and also while a UDRP, URS or TDRP case is pending, or if it knows of a court order prohibiting the change.

## How it differs from a registrar transfer

In a registrar transfer, the domain moves to another registrar and the holder stays the same. In a change of registrant, the registrar stays the same and the holder's details change. The two are linked by a lock, described below.

Country-code TLDs set their own rules: for .es, a change of holder ("transmisión") and a change of registrar are separate procedures at Dominios.es, the registry brand of Red.es, and Spain's national plan requires the former holder's approval for a voluntary transmisión before the data change.

## The confirmation steps and who must approve

Under the current gTLD rules, the registrar:

1. Checks that nothing prevents the change, such as a dispute.
2. Obtains the new registrant's explicit consent through a secure mechanism, and tells it that it must accept the registrar's registration agreement.
3. Obtains the prior registrant's explicit consent through a secure mechanism, and may use any contact details on file, not only those published in RDDS.
4. Processes the change within one day of both confirmations.
5. Notifies both parties before or within one day of the change, explaining the lock or the prior opt-out.

Each confirmation must arrive within a period the registrar sets, at most 60 days, through a secure mechanism such as an email, call or text message with a unique code.

Either party may act through a designated agent: a person or company it explicitly authorizes to approve the change on its behalf. ICANN's review of the policy found that resellers and registrars often use this role for registrants who, "at times unknowingly", delegate it. Holders can check their registrar's terms to see whether they have named one.

For .es, Dominios.es describes an ordinary procedure: the current holder or administrative contact and the new administrative contact are each notified by email and confirm in the Dominios.es control panel, and the new contact also accepts the conditions. A special route, with supporting documents, covers inheritance, other universal successions and company successions.

## The lock that may follow and how to avoid it

As of October 2026, after a change of registrant the registrar must apply a 60-day lock on transfers to another registrar. Registrars may offer an opt-out but are not obliged to, and the opt-out must come before the change is requested.

The policy gives two ways to avoid the lock: change registrar first and holder afterwards, or opt out beforehand where the registrar allows it.

## Moving a domain between accounts at the same registrar

An internal transfer, or account "push", moves a domain from one customer account to another at the same registrar, so no registrar transfer takes place. Under ICANN's rules, what counts is the registrant data, not the account: if the registrant's name, organization or email changes, it is a change of registrant, with the steps and possible lock above; if only the account changes, it is not.

## Example: selling a domain to a new owner

The holder of example.com sells it to a buyer who uses another registrar. The order matters:

- **Transfer first**, as the policy advises: the seller moves the domain to the buyer's registrar and the holder details are then changed there, with no 60-day lock in the way.
- **Change of registrant first.** Both confirm at the seller's registrar. Unless the seller opted out beforehand, the buyer cannot move the domain to another registrar for 60 days.

For a .es domain, the Transmisión de Dominio procedure above applies.

## Adopted changes, not yet in force

On 7 June 2026, the ICANN Board adopted the recommendations of the Transfer Policy Review (resolution 2026.06.07.04). As of October 2026 they are **not in force**: ICANN lists the project as queued, with no effective date, and a separate Change of Registrant Data (CORD) Policy has yet to be drafted. Once implemented:

- Confirmation by both parties and the 60-day lock will go.
- The designated agent will disappear from the new policy.
- The registrar will notify the holder within 24 hours, listing the fields changed and how to reverse an invalid change; if the email changed, the notice goes to the old address. Registrars may let holders opt out of these notices.
- Adding or removing a privacy service run by the registrar or its affiliates will not count.
- A 720-hour (30-day) lock will follow every registrar transfer, which can be lifted early, for example to complete a documented aftermarket purchase.

## Sources

- [Transfer Policy](https://www.icann.org/en/contracted-parties/accredited-registrars/resources/domain-name-transfers/policy)
- [Final Report on the Transfer Policy Review Policy Development Process](https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2025/correspondence/tpr-team-to-gnso-council-04feb25-en.pdf)
- [Approved Resolutions | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board | 7 June 2026](https://www.icann.org/en/board-activities-and-meetings/materials/approved-resolutions-regular-meeting-of-the-icann-board-07-06-2026-en)
- [Cambiar el titular del dominio | Dominios.es](https://www.dominios.es/es/gestiona-tu-dominio/cambiar-el-titular-del-dominio)

## related terms

- [60-day lock](https://tldlog.com/glossary/60-day-lock/)
- [registrant](https://tldlog.com/glossary/registrant/)
- [domain transfer](https://tldlog.com/glossary/domain-transfer/)
- [Transfer Policy Review](https://tldlog.com/glossary/transfer-policy-review/)