How to Fill Out and Submit the AKC Transfer of Ownership Form

To record a change of ownership with the American Kennel Club, both parties complete the AKC transfer of ownership form printed on the back of the dog’s Registration Certificate, then send it to the AKC. Filing online costs $37.50; filing by mail costs $38.50.¹ The current owner signs, the new owner fills in their contact details, and the AKC issues an updated certificate in the new owner’s name.

What You Need Before You Start

The transfer form is not a separate document you download. It is physically printed on the reverse side of the dog’s original AKC Registration Certificate, so that certificate has to be in hand before anything can happen. The seller is required to hand it over when the dog changes possession.² If the seller cannot produce it at the time of sale, resolve that before money changes hands.

Have the following ready:

Seller: full legal name or names exactly as they appear on the front of the certificate, permanent ink, and the exact date the dog is changing hands.
Buyer: full legal name, current mailing address, phone number, and email address. Every co-owner’s name must be listed if more than one person will own the dog.

If the dog has not yet been given a permanent registered name, the new owner will need to choose one, because naming rights belong to whoever owns the dog when the registration application reaches the AKC.³

Filling Out the Transfer Section

Turn the Registration Certificate over. Work through the labeled fields on the back:

Date of transfer: the actual date the dog physically changed possession, not the day you happen to be doing the paperwork. The AKC uses this date to establish the chain of ownership.
Seller signatures: every person listed as a current owner on the front must sign. On a co-owned dog, one signature is not enough. The AKC will reject a transfer missing any co-owner’s signature.²
Buyer information: print full legal name, mailing address, and phone number. List every new owner if there will be more than one.
Registered name: leave this alone if the dog already has one. Otherwise, fill in the name the new owner has chosen.

Use permanent ink. Do not cross out, white-out, or write over any field. Unauthorized alterations can void the certificate, and you will have to request a corrected one from the AKC before you can move forward.

Choosing a Registered Name

If you are naming the dog as part of the transfer, AKC registered names can run up to 50 characters counting spaces, apostrophes, and hyphens. Names at or under 36 characters are covered by the standard fee; anything longer adds $10.³ Every name is subject to AKC approval, and the club’s online name-check tool lets you confirm availability before you submit. Many breeders expect their kennel prefix to appear in the name, so coordinate with them.

Check Full vs. Limited Registration First

Look at the front of the certificate to see whether the dog is fully or limitedly registered. It matters. A dog with limited registration cannot produce AKC-registerable offspring and cannot be entered in breed conformation shows.⁴ The dog remains eligible for AKC performance and companion events.

Only the original litter owner, not the current owner and not the buyer, can convert limited registration to full. That requires an Application to Revoke Limited Status mailed to the AKC’s Raleigh office with the processing fee.⁴ The AKC will not mediate disputes between buyers and breeders over registration status. If full registration matters to you, get that settled with the breeder before completing the sale.

How to Submit the Transfer

Once the certificate is signed and filled out, you have two ways to file.

Online

The AKC’s online transfer portal is at apps.akc.org/ofp/oct.⁵ You still need the completed, signed physical certificate in front of you, because the portal asks you to enter information from it. Sign in to or create an AKC account, work through the on-screen steps, and pay the $37.50 fee online.¹

By Mail

Mail the signed certificate with a $38.50 check or money order payable to the American Kennel Club to the address printed on the back of the certificate. Confirm the address on your own certificate before mailing; the AKC has used different processing addresses over the years. The Raleigh office address that appears in other AKC registration correspondence is:

The American Kennel Club
8051 Arco Corporate Dr, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27617-3390⁶

The AKC verifies the signatures against its records and confirms the transfer is properly authorized before issuing an updated certificate to the new owner by mail. No guaranteed turnaround time is published, so allow several weeks, especially for paper filings that spend time in transit both ways.

If the Certificate Is Lost or Damaged

No certificate, no transfer. The AKC will not process an ownership change from a bill of sale alone. If the original is lost, destroyed, or too damaged to use, the current owner of record has to order a duplicate first through their AKC online account.⁷ Only someone listed as a current owner can request one. A duplicate certificate costs $20; a correction to an existing certificate, such as a misspelled name, costs $25.¹

If a seller cannot produce the certificate, insist they order the duplicate before you finish paying for the dog.

Special Situations

Some transfers need more than the standard signatures.

The Registered Owner Has Died

The AKC requires a copy of the death certificate and a copy of the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration naming the executor or administrator. The executor signs the transfer form in place of the deceased owner.⁸ Even when a surviving co-owner is simply keeping the dog, the AKC still needs the death certificate and court letters to remove the deceased person’s name from the registration.²

Someone Is Signing on the Owner’s Behalf

The AKC accepts a Power of Attorney Authorization. The owner granting authority completes and signs the form, has it notarized, and mails it to the AKC’s Raleigh office. The authorization lasts one year and lets the designated agent sign in place of the owner on all AKC applications.⁶

Divorce

If a divorce awards the dog to one spouse, the AKC will process the transfer based on a copy of the divorce decree that specifically identifies the dog by its AKC registration information. When the other co-owner refuses to sign or cannot be contacted, submit the certificate (unsigned by the missing party), the transfer fee, the decree showing the property settlement, and the last known mailing address of the non-signing party. If the dog is not clearly identified in the decree, or the missing co-owner cannot be reached, the transfer may not go through.²

A Co-Owner Won’t Sign

Outside divorce, a co-owner’s refusal effectively blocks the transfer. The AKC will not override a co-owner’s rights. It does offer a voluntary mediation and arbitration program through the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR), but both sides have to agree to participate. To start, one party emails CPR at akc@cpradr.org with contact information for everyone involved.⁹ If the other party refuses or mediation fails, a civil lawsuit is the remaining option.

Update the Microchip Separately

Transferring AKC registration does not update your dog’s microchip recovery information. If the dog is enrolled in AKC Reunite, submit a separate transfer through the AKC Reunite customer portal. The previous owner listed as Primary Contact has 30 days to respond; if they don’t, the transfer processes automatically. The full AKC Reunite transfer can take up to 35 days.¹⁰ A chip still registered to the previous owner means a shelter or vet who scans the dog will call the wrong person.

Don’t Fake It

Submitting a false application to register or transfer a dog, including forging a signature, fabricating a sale date, or misrepresenting ownership, can bring an AKC registration suspension ranging from three years with a $500 fine to a lifetime ban with a fine of up to $5,000.¹¹ A suspension means the AKC will not register any litter, individual dog, or ownership transfer involving the suspended person for the length of the penalty.

1
American Kennel Club. Fee Schedule
2
American Kennel Club. AKC Procedures for Registration Matters
3
American Kennel Club. Dog Name Check
4
American Kennel Club. Limited Registration
5
American Kennel Club. Transfer Ownership of Your Dog
6
American Kennel Club. Power of Attorney Authorization
7
American Kennel Club. Online Duplicates
8
American Kennel Club. Transfers Frequently Asked Questions
9
International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution. CPR American Kennel Club ADR Center
10
AKC Reunite. Pet Enrollment Transfer – FAQ
11
American Kennel Club. AKC Discipline Guidelines