An Auth-Code,
also known as an EPP code, authorization code, transfer code,
or Auth-Info Code,
is a generated passcode required to
transfer an Internet domain name between
domain registrar
A domain name registrar is a company that manages the reservation of Internet domain names. A domain name registrar must be accredited by a generic top-level domain (gTLD) registry or a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry. A registra ...
s; the code is intended to indicate that the
domain name
A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet. Domain names are often used to identify services provided through the Internet, such as websites, email services and more. As ...
owner has authorized the transfer.
Auth-Codes are created by the current registrar of the domain. The registrar is required to provide the Auth-Code to the domain name owner within five calendar days of the owner's request, and
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN ) is an American multistakeholder group and nonprofit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces ...
accepts complaints about registrars that do not. Some registrars allow Auth-Codes to be generated by the domain owners through the registrar's website.
Alternative systems
The
.nz
.nz is the Internet country code top-level domain ( ccTLD) for New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five ...
domain registry uses an eight-digit
Unique Domain Authentication Identifier
The Unique Domain Authentication Identifier (UDAI) is a case-sensitive, eight-character-long "password" which is a randomly generated unique identifier for every Internet NZ domain name (code ".nz"). The UDAI is made up of letters in both upper an ...
(UDAI) for domain transfers and name conflict procedures. The UDAI is provided to the domain owner by the domain's current registrar, and expires after 30 days.
The
.uk
.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first country code after .us.
, it is the fift ...
and
.co.uk
.uk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom. It was first registered in July 1985, seven months after the original generic top-level domains such as .com and the first country code after .us.
, it is the fift ...
domain registry, instead of using a passcode, has the domain owner specify the new registrar using the old registrar.
The destination registrar is specified using the destination's registrar tag,
also known as an Internet Provider Security (IPS) tag or
Nominet Provider tag.
See also
*
Domain lock REGISTRAR-LOCK is a status code that can be set on an Internet domain name by the sponsoring registrar of the domain name. - NSI Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 1.1.0 This is usually done in order to prevent unauthorized, unwanted or accid ...
— another attribute of a domain registration to prevent unauthorized domain transfers and other
domain name scams
Domain name scams are types of Intellectual property scams or confidence scams in which unscrupulous domain name registrars attempt to generate revenue by tricking businesses into buying, selling, listing or converting a domain name. The Office ...
*
Extensible Provisioning Protocol
The Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) is a flexible protocol designed for allocating objects within registries over the Internet. The motivation for the creation of EPP was to create a robust and flexible protocol that could provide communicat ...
(EPP) — protocol used by a large number of
domain registries and registrars to communicate domain changes
References
{{reflist
Computer access control
Domain Name System