Domain registration and transfer durations

Wondering how long it takes for a domain registration or transfer to complete? It depends on the TLD.

This article explains the two categories of TLDs and what determines the lead time.

The rough answer

• A generic TLD such as .com, .shop or .app: often the same day, with 6 days as the realistic worst case.
• A country-code TLD such as .nl, .be, .fr or .uk: depends on the registry. Contact Cyberfusion support for a firm timeline.

Either way, sorting out the three preconditions below before you request the transfer is what usually decides whether it's quick or slow.

Before you start

1. Auth code

Get the authorisation code — also called the EPP code or transfer token — from the current registrar. They generate it on request. Sometimes it is self-service in their control panel, sometimes you have to ask their support.

Without the right code, the gaining registry rejects the request.

A few TLDs work differently. .uk uses an IPS tag instead: the current registrar changes the tag to point at the new one. Treat that as the equivalent step.

2. Transfer lock

A domain can be locked against transfer for two reasons:

• It was newly registered or recently transferred. For generic TLDs, ICANN policy locks a domain for 60 days after registration and again for 60 days after any transfer. This cannot be waived — you wait it out.
• The registrar lock is on. A separate setting in the current registrar's control panel. Turn it off before requesting the transfer.

3. Contact email

The transfer flow sends notifications and approval requests to the registrant's email address on file with the registry. If that mailbox is stale — a former employee's address, a dead forwarder — the transfer cannot be approved.

Check it, and update it at the current registrar if needed, before you start.

Generic TLDs

.com, .shop, .app, .site, .work, .online and most other non-country-coded TLDs follow the same flow:

1. The gaining registrar submits the transfer with the auth code.
2. The losing registrar gets a notification, the Form of Authorization (FOA), and has up to 5 days to respond.
3. They approve → the domain moves immediately.
4. They don't respond within the window → the transfer completes automatically.
5. They reject → the transfer is cancelled. Rejection must be for a permitted reason, for example the domain is locked, the auth code is wrong, or the registration is too recent.

So 6 days end to end is the realistic worst case for a correctly prepared generic TLD. Most land sooner, often the same day, when the losing registrar processes the FOA quickly or offers one-click approval.

Country-code TLDs

.nl, .be, .es, .fr, .uk and the rest each run on their own registry rules. Each registry decides:

• What unlocks the transfer — an auth or EPP code (the .com style, used by .be and many others), an IPS tag change (.uk), a registry-issued token (.nl), or registrant verification against a national ID or business register (.fr and some others).
• How approval works — some auto-approve once the technical preconditions are met, others require the registrant to confirm in the registry's portal, a few need a signed paper form.
• How long processing takes once everything is in.

There is no single per-TLD duration list; the canonical answer is in each registry's own documentation. For a firm timeline on a specific country TLD, contact Cyberfusion support.

When forms are involved

Some TLDs require forms or identity documents before the transfer can start. The transfer clock does not start until those are in.

Why durations vary at all

A transfer goes through a registry — the organisation that runs the TLD, such as Verisign for .com or SIDN for .nl. Each registry sets its own rules for how a transfer is approved and how long it takes.

For generic TLDs, ICANN has largely standardised the process. For country-code TLDs, every registry has its own rules.