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How to Unfreeze Credit at Experian, Equifax and TransUnion

Unfreeze credit by contacting each bureau separately. Choose a temporary lift or permanent removal, and use the bureau’s free official website, phone or mail process.
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To unfreeze credit, request a temporary lift or permanent removal from each bureau where you placed a freeze. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion manage separate credit reports, so a change at one does not affect the other two. Requests are free through the bureaus’ official channels.

Choose a temporary lift or permanent removal

Option What happens When it fits
Temporary lift (also called a thaw) The freeze is suspended for a selected period or date range, then resumes according to the bureau’s process. Use it when a lender needs to check your credit for an application and you want the freeze back afterward.
Permanent removal The report remains unfrozen until you place a new freeze. Use it if you no longer want that bureau’s freeze in place.

Before choosing dates, ask the lender which bureau or bureaus it will check and when. Then lift the freeze at each relevant bureau. If the lender cannot tell you which reports it will use, request a lift from all three.

How to unfreeze credit at each bureau

Experian

  1. Open Experian’s credit freeze page and sign in or create a free account.
  2. Select permanent removal or schedule a temporary thaw for the dates you need.

Experian says online freeze changes take effect in real time. Its freeze stays in place until you remove it; a scheduled thaw makes the report available during the dates selected. Experian also says you no longer need a PIN to manage a freeze online.

Equifax

  1. Sign in to or create a myEquifax account and manage the freeze there, or call 888-298-0045.
  2. Choose a temporary lift or permanent removal.

For a mail request, use the current forms, address and identity-document requirements on Equifax’s security freeze page. Equifax says changes are free and apply only to your Equifax report; contact the other bureaus separately.

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TransUnion

  1. Sign in to the TransUnion Service Center and open freeze management.
  2. For a temporary lift, choose “Temporarily Lift Freeze” and enter the dates. TransUnion says an online lift can be scheduled up to 15 days ahead.
  3. For phone or mail options, follow the instructions on TransUnion’s credit freeze page.

TransUnion advises waiting a few minutes after an online temporary lift before the lender requests your report. For mailed changes, it says processing may take up to three business days after receipt. Its freeze FAQ has additional guidance.

How long does an unfreeze take, and does it cost anything?

USAGov’s guidance, updated November 13, 2025, says a bureau must complete an online or phone lift request within one hour, or a mailed request within three business days. These are stated completion deadlines; account-access or identity-verification problems can add practical delay. Check the bureau’s current instructions if you need to send documents.

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Lifting a freeze is free at the three nationwide bureaus. Use the official bureau website or a phone number listed on its official page, and verify the current mailing instructions before sending identity documents.

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What an unfreeze does—and does not do

  • A freeze limits access to your credit report for new-credit applications; changing it does not freeze or unfreeze an existing credit card. TransUnion says a credit freeze does not affect the card itself.
  • A credit freeze is distinct from a paid credit lock or monitoring subscription. You can manage the freeze through the bureaus’ free channels; a paid product is not required.

For the general process and federal timing rules, see USAGov’s guide to placing or lifting a security freeze.

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