Why is my domain locked for 60 days?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires domain providers to lock most domains for 60 days after registration, transfer, or as an option when changing contact information. When your domain is locked, you can’t transfer it to a different provider. We can’t unlock a Squarespace domain during this 60 day period.

This guide reviews the types of 60 day domain locks and options for directing your domain to another site while you wait for the lock to end.

Note: As a security measure, Tucows domains have a 10 day lock whenever the domain contact email address is updated. Learn more in Domain contact information.

Domains without 60 day locks

Most domains have three possible types of 60 day locks. The following country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) don't lock:

• .co.uk, .org.uk, and .uk domains
• .au and .com.au domains
• .de domains
• .eu domains
• .nl domains

If you have one of these ccTLDs you can transfer it at any time, you don't need to wait 60 days. If your domain ends in any of our other TLDs, your domain has a 60 day lock.

Types of 60 day domain locks

There are three ways your domain can lock for 60 days:

• Contact update lock - When you change your domain’s contact information, your domain may lock for 60 days. How the lock works depends on your domain’s registrar:
  • If your domain’s registrar is Squarespace Domains LLC, you can enable this lock after you change the domain owner’s contact information. Once enabled, this lock can’t be disabled until the 60 day period is over.
  • If your domain’s registrar is Tucows and your domain is hosted by Squarespace, there’s no contact update lock.
  • If your domain’s registrar is a third-party (such as GoDaddy or Google), some providers will lock your domain for 60 days if you change the domain’s contact or registrant information. To avoid locking your domain, reach out to your domain provider before taking these actions.
• Registration domain lock - The mandatory 60 day domain lock after you initially register your domain.
• Transfer domain lock - The mandatory 60 day domain lock after you transfer your domain to a new provider.
  • If your domain's registrar is Squarespace Domains LLC, this lock doesn't apply to your domain. Domains registered with Squarespace Domains LLC don't have a 60 day domain lock once they are transferred into Squarespace. This also applies to domains that are transferred into Squarespace whose registrar is Squarespace Domains LLC. You can transfer your domain away at any time.
  • Domains registered with Tucows do have a 60 day lock once they are transferred into Squarespace.

60 day locks prevent transfers

You can only transfer your domain from one provider to another if it doesn’t have a 60 day lock in place. If you want your domain to take visitors to a new or different site during a 60 day lock, connect the domain to the site instead. To learn more about the difference, visit Transferring vs. connecting domains.

If your domain's registrar is Squarespace Domains LLC, you'll see an option to uncheck the lock domain setting in the Domains panel. This setting is for generating a transfer authentication (or EPP) code; it doesn't affect 60 day locks. We recommend keeping it locked to protect your domain from accidental transfers.

Note: If you're moving a Tucows domain away from Squarespace and changed the domain contact email address, your domain is automatically locked for 10 days. You can transfer the domain away from Squarespace after the 10 day lock has ended.

Connecting a locked domain

While you can’t transfer your domain during the 60 day lock period, you can connect it to your site. When you connect your domain it will take visitors to your site while the domain remains with its current host. To learn more about the two domain processes, visit Transferring vs. connecting domains.

How you connect the locked domain depends on the domain’s host:

Connecting a Squarespace domain

If your Squarespace domain is locked and you want to use it with a different website host, you can point it to a site outside of Squarespace. After the 60 day lock has ended, you can transfer your domain away from Squarespace.

Connecting a third-party domain

If your locked domain is hosted by a third-party (such as Google or GoDaddy) and you want to use it with a Squarespace site, you can connect it to your site. After the 60 day lock has ended, you can transfer your domain to Squarespace.