If you are working out how to transfer a domain to another person, you are usually doing one of three things: selling it, handing a business name to a partner or client, or tidying up names held in the wrong account. In each case the mechanics are the same, and most of the mistakes come from treating the account move and the ownership change as one action.
This guide covers the push at three registrars, the registrant change under ICANN’s rules, and the order to do things in. Registrars change their menus and terms, so everything here is as checked on 16 October 2026.
How to transfer a domain to another person: push, then registrant change
A push moves the domain from your account to another account at the same registrar. Nothing changes at the registry, and no other registrar is involved. A registrant change replaces the name, organisation or email on the domain’s record. ICANN calls this a “Change of Registrant”, and its Transfer Policy treats any change to the registrant’s name, organisation or email address as one.
The two do not always happen together. Cloudflare moves WHOIS contact information “as is” between accounts. Namecheap offers a “Use Current Contacts” option. Either way, the recipient can end up controlling a domain that is still registered to you. Make sure the record is updated, not just the account; our post on domain ownership history covers how that record is read later.
How to push a domain at Namecheap
Namecheap’s guide to moving a domain between accounts sets out three steps. Open Domain List and click Manage next to the domain. Go to the Sharing & Transfer tab, find Change Ownership, enter the new owner’s email address or Namecheap username and click Change. Then enter your password and choose the Registrant Contact. “The process is free of charge.”
The recipient usually gets an email invitation, and “The link is active for 7 days”. They must be logged in and click it in the same browser. If they have set their account to accept incoming domains automatically, “the domains will be moved right away”. If they have no Namecheap account yet, you can still send the invitation to their email; they create the account with that same address and accept.
Once the move completes, responsibility moves too. Namecheap says “the new domain holder becomes responsible for all the domain payments”, and auto-renewal settings stay as they were. If the domain is close to expiry, agree who renews it before you push, because the recipient inherits that date along with the name.
Read the tips before you press the button:
- “The domain ownership change is final, and we will not be able to reverse it.”
- Expired domains cannot be pushed; “They should be renewed first.”
- Domains listed in Namecheap’s Marketplace must be delisted first, “otherwise, the push will not be completed.”
- For some country codes, including .uk, .de, .eu and .us, choose “Use Current Contacts”.
- DNS moves with the domain, so “there will be no downtime”. Private Email, hosting and SSL certificates need extra steps.
Change domain ownership at GoDaddy and Cloudflare
At GoDaddy, open the domain in your Domain Portfolio, and under Transfer select “Transfer to another GoDaddy account”. Enter the recipient’s email twice, optionally their customer number, choose whether to copy the current contact details, and send the request. The recipient accepts under “Transfers In”. “The account transfer will expire if the domain isn’t accepted within 10 days.” DNS settings move, but “any connected products, such as a website or email, do not transfer with the domain.”
Cloudflare Registrar moves registrations between accounts only “when the source and target account both confirm the move”, and the receiving side must act “within five days of the request”. The domain must have been “registered more than 10 days ago”, among other conditions. Contacts move “as is”, “No other configuration will be moved”, and “After successful move, the registration will be transfer-locked for 30 days.”
| Registrar | Recipient must accept within | Cost | What moves | Lock after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | 7 days (email link), or instantly with auto-accept | Free of charge | DNS, Domain Privacy, PremiumDNS; Apps stay behind | No 60-day lock on a contact change (registration agreement opts you out) |
| GoDaddy | 10 days | Not stated | DNS settings; website and email do not | 60 days only if chosen at registrant-change approval |
| Cloudflare Registrar | 5 days | Not stated | WHOIS contacts “as is”; no other configuration | 30 days after the move; 60 days on a later registrant change unless opted out |
The 60-day lock and the order of operations
ICANN’s Transfer Policy says “The Registrar must impose a 60-day inter-registrar transfer lock following a Change of Registrant”, but it may let the registrant opt out before the change. Both the prior and new registrant must confirm the change, and the registrar processes it “within one (1) day of obtaining the confirmations”. A pending UDRP proceeding blocks it; see our guide to domain name dispute resolution.
Registrars handle the opt-out differently. Namecheap’s registration agreement says you “explicitly opt out of any 60-day inter-registrar transfer lock” that a Change of Registrant would impose. GoDaddy asks at approval: “Lock domain transfers for 60 days” or “Do not lock domains transfers for 60 days”. Cloudflare locks on Accept unless you tick “Do not apply 60 day transfer lock”, and “Only the current registrant may opt out”.
So if the new owner wants the domain at a different registrar, ICANN’s policy has registrars advise the current registrant to request the inter-registrar transfer before the Change of Registrant. Otherwise, opt out at approval where it is offered. Note that these rules cover ICANN domains such as .com, .net and .org; country-code domains follow their own registries.
Before you push a domain to a buyer
A push is final, so a sale needs the money secured first. Never hand over a name before payment; use escrow, as our guide to domain escrow explains, and see how to sell a domain name for the seller’s side of the deal.
On the SERPHeroes Domain Marketplace, sellers verify ownership with a DNS record or a file, and “Escrow.com holds your payment, the seller transfers the domain, and the seller is paid only once you confirm you have it.” Its FAQ puts transfer time at “Usually hours to a few days. A push between accounts at the same registrar is fast; a transfer to another registrar typically takes up to five days.” It is one way to sell; the transfer steps above apply wherever you do.
A buyer may also ask whether the move resets the domain’s age. None of the registrar pages says a push changes the registration date. The Domain Age Checker reads the registration date, so you can check it before and after. One limitation: we have only the registrars’ own documentation here, not a record of how every edge case plays out, so for an unusual extension ask the registrar first.
Receiving the domain rather than sending it? How to accept a domain push covers the buyer’s side at Dynadot, Porkbun, NameSilo, Spaceship and Namecheap, and how long a domain transfer takes sets out the timings.
Frequently asked questions
Can a domain push be reversed?
Not by the registrar. Namecheap says the ownership change “is final, and we will not be able to reverse it”; you would have to ask the new owner to push it back.
Does transferring a domain to someone else cause downtime?
Not at Namecheap or GoDaddy, which both keep DNS settings on a push. Email and hosting may need moving separately. At Cloudflare, no configuration other than contacts moves.
Can I push an expired domain?
No. Namecheap requires renewal first, and GoDaddy excludes domains that are expired or within one day of expiry.
Does the recipient need an account first?
At Namecheap, no: they can create one from the invitation using the same email address. At Cloudflare, the target account must already exist and accept.
The takeaway Secure payment, push the domain, then make sure the registrant record shows the new owner, and decide on the 60-day lock before you approve that change.
