How to transfer a .de domain (DENIC AuthInfo)

How do I transfer a .de domain?

With a DENIC AuthInfo code. Your current registrar issues it, you pass it to the buyer or the escrow service, and the buyer’s registrar uses it to pull the domain across. It usually takes hours to days, not the up-to-five-days approval window a gTLD transfer can involve.

What is DENIC’s nameserver check?

DENIC will not accept a delegation unless at least two nameservers answer correctly for the zone. That check runs before the delegation takes effect, not after, so a half-configured DNS setup is refused rather than silently broken.

This matters when you delegate a .de domain to a for-sale page. nics.dev serves every listing from two names on separate addresses, ns1.nics.dev and ns2.nics.dev, with a real zone created for the domain before you are asked to change anything at the registrar. That way the check has something to find.

Does the 60-day lock apply?

No. The 60-day rule is ICANN’s, for gTLDs. .de is a country-code domain run by DENIC with its own rules. Registrars sometimes add restrictions of their own after a registration or an ownership change, so ask before you commit to a date with a buyer.

What about the holder change?

A sale generally means two things happen: the domain moves to the buyer’s registrar, and the holder on the record changes to the buyer. Depending on the registrars involved these can be one operation or two. Agree in writing which one you are doing and by when. That is what a checklist on the deal thread is for.

How is delivery proved?

Through RDAP or WHOIS. When the registrar and holder of record show the buyer, the domain has been delivered. Escrow services poll that record and release the money on it, rather than on either party saying the transfer went through.

The short version, in order

1. Agree price and payment route; use escrow with a stranger.
2. Unlock the domain if your registrar locks it.
3. Request the AuthInfo code from your current registrar.
4. Pass it to the buyer or the escrow service.
5. The buyer’s registrar initiates the transfer.
6. Confirm RDAP shows the new registrar and holder, then release payment.

Questions

What is an AuthInfo code?

The authorization code for a .de domain, issued by the registrar that currently holds it and used by the gaining registrar to complete the transfer. It is the .de equivalent of the EPP code used for gTLDs.

Does the ICANN 60-day lock apply to .de?

No. .de is run by DENIC, which sets its own transfer rules rather than ICANN's. Individual registrars may still apply their own waiting periods.

Why did my nameserver change get rejected?

DENIC runs a pre-delegation check and requires at least two working nameservers that answer correctly for the zone. nics.dev serves every listing from ns1.nics.dev and ns2.nics.dev, which satisfies that check.

How does the buyer prove the domain arrived?

Through the public registration record. RDAP or WHOIS showing the new registrar and holder is what escrow services check before releasing payment.