Glossary of domain payment terms

The vocabulary that appears in domain deals, registrar control panels and escrow flows, defined without jargon.

Terms

Term	Meaning
Auth code	The credential that allows a domain to move between registrars. Also called an EPP code, AuthInfo or transfer code depending on the registry.
AuthInfo	DENIC term for the .de authorisation code. Between eight and sixteen characters, and it expires automatically after thirty days.
Auto renew	A registrar setting that renews a domain before it expires. Worth switching on after a purchase and off after a sale.
Chargeback	A reversal of a card payment initiated by the cardholder bank, which can happen long after the domain has been handed over.
Change of registrant	Updating the registered holder of a domain. On generic extensions it can trigger a sixty day inter-registrar transfer lock.
Clearing	The stage where a payment instruction is processed between banks, before the money is finally available to the recipient.
clientTransferProhibited	The status code for a registrar level transfer lock. Normal on a domain at rest, and it must be removed before a transfer.
Escrow	An arrangement where a third party holds the buyer funds, releases them only when the domain has been handed over, and returns them if it has not.
Expiry date	The date the current registration term ends. A transfer between registrars of a generic extension normally adds a year to it.
Gaining registrar	The registrar receiving the domain in a transfer. It submits the transfer request and the authorisation code.
Holding period	The window during which funds sit with an escrow provider or a payment processor before release.
Inspection period	The time a buyer has, after handover, to confirm the domain arrived as described before escrow funds release.
IPS tag	The label identifying a registrar in the Nominet system. A .uk domain moves by changing this tag rather than by using a code.
Losing registrar	The registrar currently holding the domain, which is asked to release it in a transfer.
Lease to own	Paying for a domain in instalments while it stays under a holding arrangement until the final payment.
Nameservers	The servers that answer DNS queries for a domain. Changing them is the fastest visible proof that someone controls a name.
Push	Moving a domain between two accounts at the same registrar. Fast, no code required, and it does not extend the registration term.
Quarantine	A period after cancellation during which a name cannot be registered again by anyone. Several European registries apply one.
RDAP	The successor protocol to WHOIS. It returns structured registration data and is served by the registry and the registrar directly.
Redemption period	A stage after expiry where a domain can be restored by the previous holder but cannot be transferred or sold normally.
Registrant	The person or organisation recorded as the holder of the domain. Not the same thing as the person with the login.
Registrar	The company accredited to register domains and to hold them on behalf of registrants.
Registry	The organisation running an extension and its central database, such as Verisign for .com or SIDN for .nl.
Registry lock	A lock applied at the registry, shown as serverTransferProhibited, which cannot be lifted from a control panel and needs an out of band check.
Reseller	A company selling registrations through an accredited registrar rather than holding the accreditation itself.
Reverse charge	A tax mechanism where the buyer accounts for the tax rather than the seller charging it, used between businesses in different member states.
Sponsoring registrar	The registrar recorded at the registry as responsible for the domain. It changes on a transfer, not on a push.
TAC	Transfer Authorisation Code, the newer term for the authorisation code used on generic extensions.
Token	The credential used to transfer a .nl domain. The losing registrar has to supply it on request within five days.
Transfer lock	Any setting preventing a domain moving between registrars, whether applied by the registrar, the registry or a policy period.
WHOIS	The older lookup protocol for registration data. Most contact fields are now redacted, but registrar, dates and status codes remain visible.

Using these terms in a deal

Two of them cause most confusion. Registrant and account holder are different: the registrant is the recorded holder, the account holder is whoever can log in, and a handover is only finished when both are the buyer.

Push and transfer are also different, and agreements that say only that the seller will transfer the domain leave room for either. Name the mechanism explicitly, using the differences described in how a domain name changes hands.

The registry specific credentials and their expiry rules are collected in the extension rules table, and the finance side vocabulary is covered in payment terms explained.