Transferring an existing domain entails switching the domain name registrar that provides the domain name registration service, so after the transfer itself, you will have to manage things like renewal fees or DNS record modifications through the new registrar company. The transfer process is standard with most generic and country-code TLD extensions. Some country-code extensions are more specific and entail different procedures, but in the general case transferring a domain entails several basic procedures and one of them is unlocking the domain name. The lock is a safety option, which is being embraced by more and more domain name registry organizations. It is a standard feature supported by all generic Top-Level Domains. If a domain name is locked, it will not be possible to initiate a transfer process, so no one can even attempt to register your domain name. The lock can be annulled only through the account where the domain is registered and all new domain names that support this functionality are locked by default the moment they are registered.