The 60-Day Domain Transfer Rule

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August 13th, 2009 - Posted by Kent

Let's say you registered a domain last month with Register.com. Now, let's say you want to transfer that registration to another registrar, maybe to a web host that you found while reading our reviews. If you did try, you'd find out that you can't. As weird as it sounds, there's a 60-day waiting period between domain purchase and transfer. ICANN, the non-profit corporation that governs Internet naming standards, set down this rule for all its accredited domain registrars.

So, if you bought your domain last month, you have to wait another month before you can move that domain to a new registrar (which would be the case if you're transferring to a webhost). Usually this is where we put in a common-sense reason for the rule, only we haven't found one yet. It probably prevents nefarious web site owners from shuffling around their shady domains to different web hosts. Either way, it's something to be aware of.

If you really feel like you can't wait to get your site up and running, consider signing up with a web host that offers you free lifetime domain registration. Since most web hosts will let you run multiple domains off of one hosting account, you can register an alternate version of your domain (such as a .org or .net). This will allow you to get to work on your site right away. When your 60-days are up, you can transfer over your original domain. It's a good way to protect your brand from typo-squatters, though it does mean you're responsible for two registrations, and any yearly registration fees associated with them.

While you're waiting for your 60-day waiting period to elapse, check out our web hosting reviews and comparisons.