Domain transfer lock: what it is and when to remove it

Look your domainDomainYour site's name on the internet, such as horanos.com. You register it for a year or more and renew it to keep it. up in WHOISWHOISA public record of a domain's details: the registrar, the registration and expiry dates, and the name servers. and you may see words like clientTransferProhibited. The most important one is the domain transfer lockTransfer lockA protection on the domain that stops it moving without your permission. Remove it at your current provider before starting a transfer.: a simple setting that stops your domain from being moved to another provider without your consent. This guide explains the lock, the other status codes, and when to remove it.

What the transfer lock is

The transfer lock (also Registrar Lock) is switched on by your registrar. While it is on, every request to transfer the domain is refused, even one that comes with the right transfer codeTransfer code (EPP or Auth Code)A password for the domain from your current provider. It proves you own the domain when you move it to another provider.. WHOIS shows it as clientTransferProhibited, and our tool shows it as "Transfer locked (protects it from transfers without consent)".

Why it protects you

Domain theft does happen: someone gets the password to your e-mail or your provider's panel, requests the transfer code and moves the domain to their own account. From then on they control your site and your e-mail. The lock adds a step that can only be taken from your panel, which makes a transfer behind your back much harder.

The other status codes, in plain words

Status codes come in two kinds. Those starting with client are set by your registrar, and you can usually change them in your panel or by asking. Those starting with server are set by the registry itself and only change through your registrar. A domain often carries several codes at once, which is normal.

• ok: "Active, no locks". Nothing is locked.
• clientTransferProhibited: "Transfer locked". The normal state of a protected domain.
• clientUpdateProhibited: "Changes locked". The domain's details and name serversName serversThe servers that hold your domain's DNS records. Changing them moves the domain's management elsewhere and can take a while to spread. cannot change until this lock is removed.
• clientDeleteProhibited: "Deletion locked". Stops the domain from being deleted by mistake.
• serverTransferProhibited: "Transfer locked by the registry". You cannot remove it in your panel. The registry may set it during a dispute over the domain or at the registrar's request; ask your registrar why.
• pendingTransfer: "Being transferred". A transfer has started and is not finished yet.
• clientHold or serverHold: "On hold: not working on the internet". Site and e-mail are down; ask your registrar for the reason.
• redemptionPeriod: "Expired, in the redemption period". The domain has expired but can still be restored at the same registrar, usually at a higher cost than a renewal. It cannot be transferred in this state.
• pendingDelete: "Being deleted". The redemption time is over; the domain will be deleted and become free to register again.

How to see your domain's status

Type your domain into the WHOIS tool. The "Status" section lists every code with a plain explanation, next to the expiry date, the current registrar and the name servers.

When to remove the lock, and when to put it back

1. 01Remove it right before a transfer only, when you are ready to request the transfer code and start.
2. 02The switch is in your current registrar's panel, in the domain's settings. If it is not there, ask their support.
3. 03Look the domain up in WHOIS and check that "Transfer locked" is gone from the status. The change can take a little while to show.
4. 04Once the transfer is complete, make sure the lock is on again at the new registrar.

.sy domains are not transferred with an unlock and a transfer code but with papers we send to the holder. Every step, for generic and Syrian domains alike, is on the domain transfer page.