by Page no: D68
Table of contents
Source: Hostgator support.
Authorization code
What is My EPP Code or Authorization Key?
An EPP code is an authorization key provided by your old registrar and required by your new registrar to complete a registration transfer for a domain name. You must contact the old registrar to obtain this.
If HostGator is your registrar, you can get your EPP code by completing the steps below. The directions are slightly different depending on when and how your domain was registered.
Before You Request Your EPP Code
All domain management is coordinated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and specific rules are in place for transferring domains between registrars. These are viewable at ICAAN’s site (this external link will open in a new tab):
These rules state that the EPP code may be sent only to the email address listed in the publicly-available WHOIS record for that domain.Per Section 2.1.3 in the document above, authorization can only be given by the Administrative Contact (termed by ICANN the “Transfer Contact”) and requires:
“Consent from an individual or entity that has an email address matching the Transfer Contact email address.”Please make sure your WHOIS information is correct and publicly available in order for your request to succeed.
This article describes how to review and correct your WHOIS information:
Domains Attached to a HostGator Billing Account
If your domain is attached to a HostGator billing account, then you can manage your domain through our website, including obtaining the EPP code.
If you registered your domain via register.hostgator.com or at the same time you purchased your hosting account, a billing account is automatically created when you registered the domain.)
Requesting Your EPP Code for Transfer to Hostgator
- Log in to your domain management page at:
- Once you’re logged in, click Manage Domains.
- You will see a list of domains that you have registered through HostGator. Click the one for which you would like the EPP code.
- Under Overview, you will see EPP code in the list of details for your domain name. This will be the EPP code you want.
If your domain does not appear in the domain management tool, please create a ticket to our Billing department with your request.
Transferring a domain to Gandi
1. Pre-transfer Checklist
(for .com, .net, .org. info. .biz, .us domains)
Is the domain eligible for transfer?
For gTLDs (.com/.net/.org/ etc.), verify:
For .co.uk/.org.uk/.me.uk domains, remember that you need to ‘push’ it to Gandi by changing the tag to GANDI at your current registrar.
Tips for minimizing downtime
Depending on your DNS arrangement, there is always the possibility of downtime during a transfer. Optionally, you can take these extra steps to lower the risk:
2. Preparing your domain for transfer
The Basics
Be sure that you have:
Help transferring from your registrar
Below you will find instructions to help you release your domain name from your current registrar.
3. Choosing the domains to transfer
You will then go to the page to transfer your domain. To get there from our home page, you can click “Domain Names” near the top left, and then ”Transfer”.
If it is not, you will go directly to the next step.
4. Choose the contacts
After selecting the domains to transfer, you will be taken to a new page, where the owner and contacts of the domain are created.
The Administrative, Technical, and Billing contact are taken by default from the handle that you logged in under, though you may modify them at this time. It is possible to search for existing handles, or create new ones from the links provided.
(Do you see a red error message saying that some owner information is missing?)
In the lower section, you can select the owner handle of your domain. If you are changing the owner while doing the transfer, please check the box next to the domain under the “Owner Change” section.
If you do not check the “Owner Change” box to specify that it is to be a simultaneous transfer and owner change (a trade), and the Gandi handle of the future owner does not correspond to what the registry has on record, we will have to create a new future owner handle matching the information at the Registry in order to maintain the owner’s rights.When you are done with this page, click “Submit.”
5. Transfer to Gandi: Choose your DNS settings
You will be able to choose whether you would like to :
Once you have clicked on “Submit”, you will be taken to the order preview page, where you must accept the contracts that are applicable to the domains you wish to transfer to Gandi.
Note that you can always switch to Gandi’s DNS later.
6. Transfer to Gandi: Submit your order
On this page, you will see the verification of all your previous steps, as well as being able to view and/or print a Pro-forma invoice.
Lower on the page, you may enter any promotional codes you have in the box provided.
You will also see the links and check-boxes to read and accept the contracts for your domains.
When you are ready, click “Submit” to go to the Billing page, which will be handled according to normal payment procedures.
7. Confirmation Email
Once your order has been placed and we have received your payment, you will receive one or two authorization emails which must be confirmed.
Simply click on the link provided to proceed with the authorization.
8. Transfer Confirmation
After you click the confirmation link from the email, you will be brought to a transfer confirmation message on our website.
Once you read and accept the General Terms and Conditions, you will click “Submit” and the transfer will be considered as confirmed.