CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

Core CiviCRM has no way to transfer an event registration from one person to another.  If you are not a developer you may find the following approach works for you, however this only works if your event uses a price set. ( I use price sets for absolutely everything, no matter how simple the options are, as it gives you so much more flexibility.)

• In your event price set, create an admin only price field called something like Credit for payment already made.  It should be an optional checkbox field and there should be one option for each costed option that  people can select when they register.  All amounts need to be -1 x the original option cost. (You don't have to add these all at once - just add them as you need them.) 
• Create a new payment instrument called something like "Paid by third party"
• Complete a back office registration for the husband and select the appropriate options from Credit for payment already made so that the total amount for his registration is zero. Set the payment method to "Paid by third party".  In the transaction Id you can enter the wife's name or her id and name - just something so you know who the third party was.
• Set the duplicate registration for the wife to "Cancelled"  This keeps the contribution intact.
• If you want to, make a note somewhere in the second contribution for the wife to say that this contribution was credited to the husband for his registration