Transferring a .CO domain name means moving it from your current registrar (the losing registrar) to a new registrar of your choice (the gaining registrar). The domain name itself, its registration period, and your ownership rights all remain intact — only the registrar managing the domain changes.
The process is standardised across all accredited .CO registrars and is governed by the .CO Registry. From start to finish, a transfer typically completes within minutes of approval — or automatically after five calendar days if the losing registrar takes no action.
Quick summary: To transfer a .CO domain you need (1) the domain's authInfo (authorisation) code from your current registrar, and (2) a new registrar to submit the transfer request. The transfer completes within 60 seconds of approval.
Before You Begin — Transfer Eligibility Checklist
Not every domain can be transferred at any time. Check all of the following before initiating a transfer:
Requirement
What to check
60-day Registration Hold
The domain must be at least 60 days old (from its original registration date). Newly registered domains cannot be transferred during this window.
60-day Transfer Hold
If the domain was transferred recently, another 60 days must pass before a new transfer can be requested.
Domain must be Active
The domain cannot be in pendingDelete, redemptionPeriod, or pendingTransfer status. Resolve any status issues before initiating a transfer.
No clientTransferProhibited status
If this EPP status code is applied, the current registrar must remove it before the transfer can proceed. Contact your registrar to request removal.
Sufficient account balance (gaining registrar)
The gaining registrar must have enough credit balance to cover the mandatory 1-year renewal that accompanies every transfer.
Valid authInfo code
You need the current authInfo (EPP authorisation) code for the domain. Your current registrar is obligated to provide this to you upon request.
Important: All .CO domain transfers include a mandatory 1-year renewal. This means your domain's expiry date will be extended by at least one year when the transfer completes. The renewal fee is charged to the gaining registrar as part of the transfer.
Step-by-Step Transfer Process
The following steps walk through a complete .CO domain transfer from the registrant's perspective.
Step 1: Request Your authInfo Code
Contact your current registrar and request the authInfo code (also called the EPP auth code, transfer code, or authorisation code) for your domain.
Your registrar is required by the .CO Registry's rules to provide this code upon request. They may deliver it via email, their control panel, or customer support. If your registrar refuses or delays unreasonably, contact the .CO Registry at support@registry.co.
Step 2: Remove the Transfer Lock (if applied)
Check whether your domain has the clientTransferProhibited status. This status blocks all transfer requests and must be removed by your current registrar before the transfer can proceed.
To check: look up your domain on the .CO WHOIS service at whois.registry.co. If 'clientTransferProhibited' appears in the Domain Status field, contact your current registrar and ask them to remove the transfer lock.
Step 3: Initiate the Transfer at Your New Registrar
Log in to the new registrar's platform (the gaining registrar) and start a domain transfer. You will be prompted to enter:
The domain name you want to transfer (e.g. yourbrand.co)
The authInfo code provided by your current registrar
The gaining registrar then submits a domain:transfer request to the .CO Registry via EPP, using the authInfo code to authenticate the request.
Step 4: Wait for the Losing Registrar to Respond
Once the transfer request is submitted, the .CO Registry immediately notifies your current registrar (the losing registrar) via email and the EPP message queue. The losing registrar then has 5 calendar days to take one of three actions:
Explicitly approve the transfer — the domain moves immediately.
Explicitly reject the transfer — the process stops. You will need to resolve the reason for rejection and restart.
Take no action — after 5 calendar days the transfer is automatically approved by the Registry.
Step 5: Transfer Completes
Once the transfer is approved (either explicitly or by auto-approval), the domain is transferred to the gaining registrar within 60 seconds. Both registrars are notified.
At this point:
Your domain is now managed by the new registrar.
The domain's expiry date has been extended by 1 year (the mandatory transfer renewal).
Any in-bailiwick nameserver host objects (nameservers subordinate to your .CO domain) are also automatically transferred.
A new 60-day Transfer Hold Period begins — another transfer cannot be requested until this window passes.
Transfer Timeline at a Glance
Stage
Timeframe
You request authInfo from current registrar
Usually immediate — your registrar is obligated to provide it promptly.
Current registrar removes transfer lock (if needed)
Depends on your registrar — typically same day if requested through their support.
You submit transfer at new registrar
Immediate — takes a few minutes to complete the form.
Registry notifies losing registrar
Immediate — notification sent as soon as the gaining registrar submits the EPP transfer request.
Losing registrar approves or transfer auto-approves
Up to 5 calendar days. Explicit approval completes the transfer instantly.
Domain transferred after approval
Within 60 seconds of approval.
Total typical duration
A few minutes (if approved immediately) to up to 5 calendar days (if waiting for auto-approval).
What Does a Transfer Cost?
The cost of a .CO domain transfer is determined by your new (gaining) registrar's pricing. However, there are two important billing points to understand at the registry level:
Mandatory 1-year renewal: Every transfer includes a minimum 1-year renewal. The gaining registrar is charged the standard (or premium) renewal fee for the domain as part of the transfer transaction. Your domain's expiry date will be extended accordingly.
Transfer Grace Period (5 days): After a transfer completes, there is a 5-day Transfer Grace Period. If the gaining registrar deletes the domain within this window, they receive a credit for the renewal fee charged on transfer. This is a registrar-level credit, not a refund directly to you.
Premium domains: If your domain is a .CO premium domain, the transfer renewal fee equals the domain's full annual premium renewal price (which matches the original registration price). For example, a Tier 6 premium domain costs $1,000 to transfer (the renewal fee). The gaining registrar must explicitly acknowledge this premium fee in the EPP transfer command.
Note: The transfer process is charged to the registrar, not directly to you as the registrant. Your registrar may pass this cost on to you as a transfer fee. Check your new registrar's pricing before initiating.
What Happens to My DNS and Website During a Transfer?
Your domain's DNS settings and nameservers are preserved through the transfer. Your website, email, and other services will continue to function normally during the transfer process — DNS resolution is not interrupted.
After the transfer completes, your new registrar will have the ability to update your nameservers and DNS settings. You do not need to take any action unless you specifically want to change your DNS configuration.
Caution: If your current registrar also provides your DNS hosting (not just domain registration), migrating DNS away from them before or alongside the transfer could cause downtime. Ensure your new DNS is configured and propagated before changing nameservers.
What Happens to My Domain's Contact Information?
After a transfer, the gaining registrar becomes responsible for maintaining the domain's contact records (Registrant, Administrative, Technical, and Billing contacts). The new registrar may ask you to recreate or verify your contact details in their system.
Contact objects can technically be transferred between registrars, but in practice most registrars find it simpler to create new contact objects for transferred domains. Either way, your registrant information remains linked to your domain.
Hold Periods — When Can I Transfer Again?
Two hold periods directly affect domain transferability. Both last 60 days:
Hold Period
Description
Registration Hold Period
Applies for 60 days after a domain is first registered. A brand-new .CO domain cannot be transferred to another registrar during this window.
Transfer Hold Period
Applies for 60 days after a successful transfer completes. Once your domain has been transferred, it cannot be transferred again for another 60 days.
Hold periods only restrict transfers — they do not affect renewals, DNS updates, or other domain management operations.
Common Issues & Troubleshooting
My transfer request was rejected — what do I do?
A transfer rejection means the losing registrar explicitly declined the request. Common reasons include:
Incorrect authInfo code: Ask your current registrar to confirm or reset the authInfo code, then restart the transfer with the new code.
clientTransferProhibited still active: Request that your current registrar removes the transfer lock before you try again.
Domain is within a hold period: Check the domain's age and previous transfer history. If within a 60-day hold, you must wait until the period expires.
Account dispute or billing issue: Your current registrar may have placed a hold due to an unpaid balance or dispute. Resolve the issue with your registrar directly.
My current registrar is not providing my authInfo code
Registrars are required by the .CO Registry's rules to provide the authInfo code to registrants upon request. If your registrar is withholding it without valid reason, you can escalate to the .CO Registry by emailing support@registry.co. If the authInfo code is unknown to the registrar, they must reset it to a new value and provide you with the updated code.
The transfer has been pending for more than 5 days
If 5 calendar days pass without the losing registrar explicitly approving or rejecting, the .CO Registry automatically approves the transfer. If you believe the 5-day window has elapsed and the transfer has still not completed, contact your new registrar first — they can check the transfer status via the EPP system. If the issue persists, contact support@registry.co.
My domain transferred but the expiry date has not changed
Every .CO transfer includes a mandatory 1-year renewal. If the expiry date appears unchanged, allow a short time for the new registrar's system to sync. If it still shows incorrectly after 24 hours, contact your new registrar's support team to verify the renewal was processed correctly.
I transferred my domain but my website is now down
The transfer itself does not change DNS settings. If your website is down after a transfer, the most likely cause is that your nameserver configuration changed, or that your DNS was hosted with your old registrar and is no longer active. Log in to your new registrar's control panel, verify your nameservers are correctly set, and check your DNS records are in place.
I transferred a premium domain and the cost was higher than expected
Premium .CO domains are subject to a premium renewal fee on transfer, which can range from $30 to $10,000 per year depending on the domain's tier. The renewal and transfer price for a premium domain always equals its initial registration price. Before initiating a premium domain transfer, ask your new registrar to confirm the total cost using the EPP Fee Extension domain:check.