Should a registrant wish to transfer his/her domain name from one registrar to another, the registrant requires the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) Code. The EPP Code is the authorization key provided by your current registrar for your domain and required by your new registrar to complete the transfer for a domain name. You must obtain the EPP code from your current registrar to facilitate the transfer of your domain name.
The EPP Code also known as authorization code, or transfer code is the domain key to safeguard your domain name against hijackers; the code provides an extra security measure against unauthorized transfers of domain names. The EPP code is unique to that domain name. It protects your right as a domain name registrant and it ensures that you have permission to transfer your domain from one registrar to another.
The EPP code is usually a 6-16-bit combination of alpha-numeric characters assigned by the domain registrar. Registrars are contractually required to provide the code upon a registrant’s request; it is not possible to initiate a domain name transfer without an EPP code.
All Registrants must take note and understand the importance of the EPP code for the safety of their domain names. For .ng domain names, there are two (2) ways to transfer a .ng domain name from one registrar to another:
- The domain registrant needs to contact the domain registrar on record with the intention to transfer the domain name to another registrar. The proposed registrar will manually initiate the domain transfer request on the .ng Registry Platform and send a follow-up email with a proof of authorisation to initiate the domain transfer. The losing registrar has a period of 7 days to accept the request or reject the transfer request. Usually, if the registrant does not owe the registrar, the registrar would provide the EPP code within this stipulated time otherwise the request would automatically be cancelled after the 7th day.
- The second way to transfer the domain is to get the domain EPP code from the registrar on file. This can be requested from the registrar or copied from the domain client account login on the registrar’s platform. The code would be sent to the new registrar for the domain transfer.
Registrants are advised to take extreme care when they obtain the EPP code from their registrar for their domain transfer. With EPP code and human intervention, anyone can transfer the domain name. Exposing the code to an unauthorised person could lead to a hijack of the domain. You need to note that the EPP Code is one of the safeguards against the unauthorised transfer of domains and protects your rights over your domain names.