Transferring a domain from one registrar company to another usually entails the use of a special transfer authorization code, which different registrar companies call an EPP key, a domain name password or an Auth code. This code can be used as a security mechanism against unauthorized transfer attempts with all generic and with most country-code extensions. It can be obtained only by the owner of the particular domain name and is issued by the present registrar. It must be given to the new registrar because the transfer cannot be started without it. The code is case-sensitive and frequently contains numbers and special characters, so as to hinder unauthenticated individuals from hijacking it. Some domain registrars even alter the codes of domains registered through them after a particular period of time for greater security.
