ChangeChecklist

Every step below is from an official source

Switch from Cloudflare to Hover

What to do at Cloudflare before you leave, what Hover needs when you join, and everything else the switch touches. Your full plan is built in your browser and stays there.

Official sources reviewed . How we review sources

Read the domain registrar guide

The rules that apply: ICANN

These apply whichever domain registrar you're moving between.

  1. Get the authorization (AuthInfo) code from your registrarBefore

    You need an Auth-Code, also called an AuthInfo or transfer code, to move a domain to another registrar. Your registrar must give it to you within five calendar days of your request, or may let you generate it yourself online.

    FAQs for registrants: transferring your domain nameICANN. Reviewed

  2. Check the 60-day limits before you request a transferBefore

    Under the current Transfer Policy, your registrar may deny a transfer within 60 days of the domain's creation or within 60 days after a previous transfer. After a change of registrant it must apply a 60-day transfer lock, but it may let you opt out beforehand.

    Transfer PolicyICANN. Reviewed

  3. Ask your current registrar to remove the transfer lockBefore

    When you ask, your current registrar must remove the lock, or give you a reasonable way to remove it yourself, within five calendar days. It may deny a transfer only in specific cases listed in the policy, such as evidence of fraud.

    Transfer PolicyICANN. Reviewed

  4. Expect one year added to your registrationAfter

    A completed transfer adds one year to the existing registration. The total unexpired term can never be more than ten years.

    Transfer PolicyICANN. Reviewed

  5. Note ICANN has adopted new transfer rulesBefore

    On 7 June 2026 the ICANN Board adopted the Transfer Policy Review recommendations and directed ICANN to implement them, subject to prioritization. The resolution does not give an effective date.

    Approved ResolutionsICANN. Reviewed

  6. Expect the post-registration and post-transfer lock to become 30 daysBefore

    The new recommendations require registrars to block transfers to a new registrar for 720 hours (30 days) after initial registration and after a completed transfer. They also remove the 60-day lock after a change of registrant.

    ICANN Board Briefing Materials, 7 June 2026: Transfer Policy RecommendationsICANN. Reviewed

At Cloudflare, before you leave

  1. Unlock the domain and copy the auth codeBefore

    In the Cloudflare dashboard, confirm that you want to unlock the domain, then copy the auth code Cloudflare generates. Give that code to your new registrar.

    Transfer domain from Cloudflare to another registrarCloudflare. Reviewed

  2. Check the 60-day transfer limitsBefore

    Cloudflare says a domain cannot be transferred if it was registered or transferred in the last 60 days. The same applies if the WHOIS registrant information changed in the last 60 days, even if redacted.

    Transfer domain from Cloudflare to another registrarCloudflare. Reviewed

  3. Approve it, or it auto-approves on day fiveDuring

    If you do not approve the transfer manually, it auto-approves on the fifth day after Cloudflare receives the request.

    Transfer domain from Cloudflare to another registrarCloudflare. Reviewed

  4. Expect the domain to leave your Cloudflare accountAfter

    When the transfer out completes, Cloudflare removes the domain from your account. You will not be charged for future renewals.

    Transfer domain from Cloudflare to another registrarCloudflare. Reviewed

At Hover, when you join

  1. Unlock the domain and get its authorization codeBefore

    Before transferring to Hover, get the domain unlocked at your current provider and get its transfer authorization code, also called an EPP or auth code.

    Transferring a Domain to HoverHover. Reviewed

  2. Prepare DNS before your old nameservers are cut offBefore

    Most providers cut off access to their nameservers once a transfer starts. If you rely on your current provider's nameservers for website or email records, prepare first or you may lose service until the transfer completes.

    Transferring a Domain to HoverHover. Reviewed

  3. Start on Hover's transfer pageBefore

    Go to Hover's transfer page, enter the domain name, and search to begin.

    Transferring a Domain to HoverHover. Reviewed

  4. Allow five to seven days for the transferDuring

    Hover says transfers typically take five to seven days. Some registrars require you to approve the transfer by email first.

    Transferring a Domain to HoverHover. Reviewed

Then: everything else the switch affects

The steps above are what Cloudflare and Hover say. Your full checklist adds the accounts, codes, payments and devices that depend on your domain registrar, in a safe order. It's built from your answers, in your browser.