closed Transfer Policy Review Working Group Final Report for ICANN Board Consideration

Outcome

Under the ICANN Bylaws, before any action by the ICANN Board of Directors (hereafter “ICANN Board”) on proposed policies that substantially affect the operation of the Internet or third parties, it is required that a reasonable opportunity is provided for the community to comment on these policies.

For the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council-approved Transfer Policy Review Policy Development Process Working Group (hereafter “TPR WG”) Final Report, which included 47 policy recommendations, the ICANN Board allowed for the community to provide relevant feedback during the Public Comment period. The Public Comment proceeding was open from 28 April to 16 June 2025. The ICANN Board received a total of 11 submissions from groups and individuals. These are summarized below.

ICANN would like to thank the community for its valuable input, which will assist the ICANN Board in its decision-making process.

What We Received Input On

Following the GNSO Council’s approval of the TPR WG’s Final Report, the ICANN Board is seeking the community’s input on all areas of the policy recommendations to assist the Board in its consideration of the recommendations. The GNSO Council’s approval of all forty-seven (47) policy recommendations obligates the Board to adopt the recommendations under the ICANN Bylaws, unless, by a vote of more than two-thirds, the Board determines that the policy is not in the best interest of the ICANN community or ICANN.

Input on all areas of the policy recommendations will be greatly appreciated to assist the ICANN Board in its consideration of the recommendations. The TPR WG went through a Public Comment review process for its initial report, factoring in all input received from the community as it created its Final Report.

Background

The Transfer Policy, formerly referred to as the Inter‐Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP), is an ICANN consensus policy that went into effect on 12 November 2004. The policy governs the procedure and requirements for registrants to transfer their domain names from one registrar to another, also referred to as an inter-registrar transfer. The goal of the Transfer Policy was to provide for enhanced domain name portability, resulting in greater consumer and business choice and enabling registrants to select the registrar that offers the best services and price for their needs.

In 2005, the GNSO formed the Transfers Working Group to examine the current policy and recommend further policy work. Over the subsequent decade, five policy development processes were conducted to address different issues and uncertainties within the IRTP. Pursuant to Recommendation 17 of the IRTP Part D PDP Final Report, a Transfer Policy Status Report was delivered to the GNSO Council in April 2019. This Transfer Policy Status Report provided a foundation to review the history and underlying goals of the Transfer Policy and the five PDPs. In 2020, a TPR Scoping Team delivered its Transfer Policy Review Scoping Paper, eventually leading to a Final Issues Report to the GNSO Council. The Issues Report proposed a multi-phased PDP to address eight topics of concern within the Transfer Policy.

In February 2021, the GNSO Council initiated a PDP to review the Transfer Policy, formerly referred to as the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, and the WG was tasked with addressing the following topics:

• Group 1(a): Form of Authorization (FOA) (including EPDP Phase 1, Recommendation 27, Wave 1 FOA issues), AuthInfo Codes, and Denying (NACKing) transfers.
• Group 1(b): Change of Registrant (including EPDP Phase 1, Recommendation 27, Wave 1 Change of Registrant issues).
• Group 2: Transfer Emergency Action Contact and reversing inter-registrar transfers, Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (including EPDP Phase 1, Recommendation 27, Wave 1 TDRP issues), ICANN-approved transfers.