ChangeChecklist

Every step below is from an official source

Switch from Hover to Porkbun

What to do at Hover before you leave, what Porkbun 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 Hover, before you leave

  1. Set up DNS elsewhere before starting the transferBefore

    If the domain uses Hover's nameservers, set up your DNS records with the new provider first. Nameservers cannot be changed once a transfer is in progress.

    Transferring Your Domain Away From HoverHover. Reviewed

  2. Move Hover email before the domain leavesBefore

    Hover disconnects email service once the domain transfers away. Back up your email, set up a new provider, update DNS records, and reconfigure mail clients before you start.

    Transferring Your Domain Away From HoverHover. Reviewed

  3. Turn off the transfer lock and get the codeBefore

    In the Hover control panel, turn off the domain's transfer lock and retrieve its authorization code for your new registrar. Hover says new registrations and transfers carry a 60-day lock.

    Transferring Your Domain Away From HoverHover. Reviewed

  4. Confirm your contact emails can receive mailDuring

    Make sure the Admin and Owner contact email addresses are valid and reachable. Watch for a transfer-away email sent to the Owner's contact address.

    Transferring Your Domain Away From HoverHover. Reviewed

At Porkbun, when you join

  1. Start at the Porkbun transfers pageBefore

    Unlock the domain and get an authorization code, also called an EPP code, from your old registrar. Then start the transfer at porkbun.com/transfer.

    How to Transfer a Domain to Porkbun From Any RegistrarPorkbun. Reviewed

  2. Recreate DNS if you use your old registrar's nameserversBefore

    Porkbun does not change your nameservers during a transfer. If you use your previous registrar's nameservers, you will most likely need to switch to Porkbun's nameservers and recreate your DNS records.

    Will my nameservers be imported during a transfer?Porkbun. Reviewed

  3. Allow 5 to 7 business daysDuring

    Porkbun says a transfer can take 5 to 7 business days. In most cases it also adds a year of registration time.

    How to Transfer a Domain to Porkbun From Any RegistrarPorkbun. Reviewed

Then: everything else the switch affects

The steps above are what Hover and Porkbun 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.