Transferring a Domain to ZevsHost

A transfer is a change of domain registrar without losing the name itself or its delegation history. The process runs over the EPP protocol (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) and requires an authorization code from the current registrar. Unlike changing NS servers, a transfer changes the organization that administers the domain in front of the zone registry.

Step 1: Prepare at Current Registrar

Make sure the domain is more than 60 days past registration or the last transfer — this ICANN restriction applies to all gTLDs
Unlock the domain (Transfer Lock Off / remove the clientTransferProhibited status)
Get the EPP/Auth code (Transfer Key)
Make sure the registrant's email is current — the confirmation request goes there

Step 2: Initiate the Transfer

Go to the domains page at ZevsHost
Select Transfer Domain
Enter the domain name and the EPP code
Pay — the price includes a 1-year renewal

The one-year renewal on transfer isn't a marketing bonus — it's a requirement of the ICANN Transfer Policy: any successful transfer automatically adds 365 days to the current registration term, except when the domain already has more than 10 years left before the maximum allowed term of 10 years, in which case the transfer goes through without an extension.

Step 3: Confirm

A confirmation request will be sent to the registrant's email — either a Form of Authorization or a message directly from the registry. The standard transfer window is up to 7 days, but 5 of those can be skipped if both registrars confirm the request manually in their panels instead of waiting for the automatic timeout.

EPP Status Codes That Block a Transfer

EPP status	Meaning	What to do
clientTransferProhibited	The previous registrar manually blocked the transfer	Remove the block in the current registrar's control panel
serverTransferProhibited	The block was placed by the zone registry — for example, due to an open domain dispute	Contact registry support or wait for the dispute to be resolved, see the UDRP procedure
pendingTransfer	Another transfer request for the same domain has already been submitted and is awaiting confirmation	Wait for it to complete (up to 5 days) or cancel it at the current registrar
pendingDelete	The domain is in the deletion waiting period after its registration expired	A transfer is impossible — restoration is needed first, see restoring an expired domain

It's worth distinguishing a transfer (changing registrars via EPP) from a simple NS server change, covered in the article on configuring DNS for a domain. NS delegation can be changed at any time without an EPP code and without the 60-day restriction — the registrar stays the same, only who actually answers DNS queries for the zone changes.

EPP Code Entry Errors

Message	Cause	Fix
Invalid authorization code	The code was mistyped or its validity period has expired	Request a new code from the current registrar — for some zones it's only valid a few days
Domain status does not allow transfer	The domain has the clientTransferProhibited status set	Remove the block at the previous registrar and try again
Domain already has a pending transfer	A transfer request for this domain was already submitted earlier	Check the status under My Domains instead of resubmitting the form

Another common reason confirmation fails is WHOIS Privacy being enabled at the previous registrar: the confirmation request email goes not to the registrant's real address but to the privacy service's proxy address, which the registrar may not forward promptly. Disable privacy temporarily before starting the transfer, wait for the email, and only re-enable it afterward.

When a Transfer Isn't Possible

Fewer than 60 days have passed since registration or the last transfer — this restriction applies equally to all gTLDs
The .ua zone transfers under its own registry procedure, different from a gTLD's EPP transfer
The domain has expired and is in pendingDelete status — restoration at the previous registrar is needed first
A UDRP dispute or litigation is open on the domain — the transfer is frozen until it's resolved on the merits

Verifying After the Transfer

# The registrar shown should now be ZevsHost
whois yourdomain.com | grep -i registrar

# NS servers will update to ZevsHost unless you specified other delegation
dig yourdomain.com NS +short

If a day after confirmation whois still shows the previous registrar and the ZevsHost panel still says "in progress," the transfer is stuck on the previous registrar's side — that's a reason to contact their support with your EPP code in hand, not to open a new request, since resubmitting only extends the domain's lock for another waiting cycle.