The change of registrant (COR) process applies to generic top-level domains (gTLDs) under the ICANN Transfer Policy. When you change key owner contact details on a gTLD domain, the system starts a trade process that requires approval from both the current and the new registrant. This page explains how the COR process works and how the Designated Agent option can streamline it.
About the change of registrant process
Under the ICANN trade policy, you cannot update a registrant's identifying information through a routine contact modification. Any change to the owner contact's first name, last name, organization name, or email address triggers a trade that must be approved before it takes effect.
To avoid the approval emails, registrants can use the Designated Agent option, which authorizes Tucows to approve a change of registrant on their behalf.
Note: The COR process is not triggered for domains with Contact Privacy enabled. Contact changes on those domains are processed without approval emails.
How the ICANN trade process works
When you change the first name, last name, organization name, or email address of a domain's owner contact, the trade process runs as follows:
- An approval email is sent to the new registrant contact. The new owner has seven days to accept or reject the change.
- If the new owner accepts, an approval email is sent to the current owner contact. The current owner also has seven days to accept or reject.
- If the current owner approves, the requested contact change is processed.
- If either party declines, or the request times out after seven days, the trade is canceled and the current owner details stay in place.
- A confirmation email is sent to both the current and the new owner.
Designated Agent behavior
Enabling the Designated Agent (DA) option sets Tucows as the DA for all existing and future registrants in your account. With the DA set, Tucows approves the change of registrant so registrants do not receive approval emails.
For resellers who had DA enabled before the COR process was temporarily suspended, individual registrant DA preferences are preserved: the setting stays enabled for registrants who opted in and disabled for those who opted out.
Next steps
- Review the Designated Agent option to decide whether to authorize Tucows to approve changes of registrant.
- Understand the Registrant Email Verification process, which can run alongside contact changes.
- Learn about Contact Privacy Service and how it interacts with COR.
Questions? Contact OpenSRS Support.
How helpful was this article?
Thanks for your feedback!
Do you still need help? If so please submit a request here.