Transferring an already registered domain name entails switching the domain name registrar that handles the registration service, so after the transfer itself, you will have to manage things like renewal payments or DNS record updates through the new registrar. The transfer procedure is standard with most gTLD and ccTLD extensions. Certain country-code extensions are more specific and entail different steps, but in the general case transferring a domain involves a few necessary procedures and one of them is unlocking the domain. The lock is a safety option, which is being embraced by more and more registry organizations. It is a standard feature supported by all gTLDs. If a domain name is locked, it will be impossible to initiate a transfer procedure, so no one can even attempt to register your domain name. The lock can be annulled only through the account where the domain name is registered in the first place and all new domain names that support this feature are locked by default the moment they are registered.