A move to another registrar is in progress.
A transfer request has been accepted and is waiting to complete, typically while the losing registrar has a few days to approve or reject it.
- EPP code
- pendingTransfer
- In RDAP
- pending transfer
- Set by
- The registry (server status)
- Defined in
- RFC 5731 §2.3
- How serious
- Check this
Why it matters
If you started it, this is expected. If you didn’t, someone may be trying to move your domain.
When you’d see it
For many gTLDs the losing registrar has five days to act on a transfer request, and the status shows during that window. If you didn't start a transfer, contact your current registrar during that window and ask them to reject it.
How it shows up in a lookup
In a gTLD WHOIS lookup it appears as “Domain Status: pendingTransfer https://icann.org/epp#pendingTransfer”; RDAP shows it as “pending transfer”. It is managed by the registry as a result of an operation (RFC 5731 §2.3), not a setting you or your registrar toggle directly.
What to do
If you didn’t request a transfer, contact your current registrar now and ask them to reject it, then turn on the transfer lock.
Combination rules
Must not be combined with clientTransferProhibited or serverTransferProhibited (RFC 5731 §2.3).
Related codes
Sources
Sources
- RFC 5731 §2.3 (EPP Domain Name Mapping) · checked 5 Oct 2026
- ICANN: EPP Status Codes, What do they mean, and why should I know? · checked 5 Oct 2026
- RFC 8056: EPP and RDAP status mapping · checked 5 Oct 2026