pendingTransfer status

A transfer of the domain to a new registrar has been requested and is waiting to be approved, rejected or completed automatically.

pendingTransfer at a glance
EPP status codependingTransfer
RDAP statuspending transfer (per RFC 8056)
Set byRegistry
CategoryLifecycle and pending status
Defined inRFC 5731
ICANN referenceicann.org/epp#pendingTransfer

What pendingTransfer means

pendingTransfer means the registry has received a request to move the domain from its current registrar to another one, and the transfer has not completed yet. In RDAP it appears as pending transfer.

For gTLDs, a transfer usually completes within 5 days. The current (losing) registrar can approve or reject it sooner, and if it does nothing, the registry approves the transfer automatically when the period ends.

The domain keeps working during the transfer, because a registrar transfer doesn't change its name servers. RFC 5731 does not allow pendingTransfer to be combined with clientTransferProhibited or serverTransferProhibited, which is why transfer locks have to be removed first. For most gTLDs, a completed transfer adds a year to the registration and starts a transferPeriod.

Official definition: ICANN, EPP Status Codes: What Do They Mean, and Why Should I Know? (pendingTransfer)

Why a domain has this status

  • The owner requested a transfer to a new registrar using the domain's authorization code.
  • Someone else started a transfer with a valid authorization code, which may mean the registrar account or the code has been compromised.

What you should do

  • If you started the transfer, watch your email: the losing registrar may ask you to confirm it, and some let you approve it straight away to speed things up.
  • If you did not request a transfer, contact your current registrar immediately and ask them to reject it. Then change your account password and get a new authorization code.
  • Avoid making other changes to the domain until the transfer has completed.

Check a domain's status

Look up any domain to see its current status codes, registrar, expiration date and name servers from the registry's RDAP or WHOIS service.

  • clientTransferProhibited: The registrar has locked the domain against transfers to another registrar, the standard protection against domain hijacking.
  • serverTransferProhibited: The registry has locked the domain against transfers to another registrar, often as part of a registry lock or during a dispute.
  • transferPeriod: The domain was recently transferred to a new registrar and is in its transfer grace period, usually 5 days for gTLDs; no action is needed.
  • pendingUpdate: A request to update the domain, such as a contact or name server change, has been received and is waiting to be completed.

Frequently asked questions

How long does pendingTransfer take?

For gTLDs such as .com, up to 5 days. The losing registrar can approve the transfer sooner, and if it does nothing, the registry completes it automatically after 5 days. Transfer procedures for country-code TLDs vary.

Will my website go down during a domain transfer?

No. A registrar transfer doesn't change the domain's name servers, so DNS keeps working. Problems usually only happen if your DNS is hosted by the old registrar and that service is cancelled before the records are moved.

Further reading