Provided are an efficient handover apparatus and method in a mobile node. In the method in which a handover is performed in a mobile node which establishes a data communication through a point of attachment (PoA), the method including receiving information regarding capabilities of a new PoA; determining whether Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) prefix is available at the new PoA, based on the information regarding the capabilities of the new PoA; and generating an address which is to be used by the mobile node in a data communication with the new PoA, according to a method determined based on whether IPv6 prefix is available at the new PoA. Thus, it is possible to determine whether IPv6 prefix is available at a new point of attachment prior to receiving a router advertisement (RA) message.