Domains
How to Transfer a Domain Away From GoDaddy
Six steps, about ten minutes of your time, then five to seven days of waiting. Your site stays online the whole way. The only things that genuinely trip people up are two timing rules — both covered below.
Contains affiliate links; I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Registrar interfaces change — the sequence below is stable, but exact menu names may differ slightly from what you see.
Two rules before you start
- The 60-day lock. A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of registration, or within 60 days of changing the registrant's contact details. This is an ICANN rule, not a GoDaddy one — no registrar can waive it.
- Transferring adds a year; it does not replace one. If your domain expires in eight months, transferring today makes the new expiry twenty months away. So there is never a reason to pay GoDaddy's renewal first and transfer afterwards.
The six steps
- Save your DNS records first.
Open the DNS management page at GoDaddy and screenshot or export everything — A records, CNAMEs, MX records for email, TXT records for verification and SPF. In most transfers these carry across, but if anything is going to go wrong, this is the file that saves you.
- Unlock the domain.
In GoDaddy's domain settings, find the registrar lock and turn it off. The lock exists to prevent unauthorised transfers, so nothing will proceed until this is done.
- Request the authorisation code.
Also called an EPP code or transfer key. GoDaddy emails it to the registrant address on file — which is worth checking is an address you still control. The code expires, so move on to the next step promptly rather than saving it for the weekend.
- Start the transfer at your new registrar.
Enter the domain, paste the authorisation code, and pay for one year of registration at their price. That year is added to your existing expiry date.
- Approve it from the GoDaddy side.
GoDaddy will email asking you to confirm. Approving actively takes days off the process — if you ignore it, the transfer still completes, but only after the full five-day window expires. Expect a retention offer in that email; whether it is worth taking is your call.
- Verify after it completes.
Check the site loads, check email still arrives, and compare the DNS records against the ones you saved in step one. Then set a calendar reminder six weeks before the new expiry.
The timing mistake that costs a year
Do not wait until the week your domain expires. Transfers take five to seven days, and a domain in its expiry or redemption window either cannot be transferred or costs a redemption fee to recover. Equally, do not renew at GoDaddy first “to be safe” — you would be paying $22.99 for a year you get anyway by transferring. Start two to three weeks out and both problems disappear.
Where to transfer to
| Registrar | .com renewal | Vs GoDaddy's $22.99 | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porkbun | ~$11 | Save ~$12/yr | Flat pricing, free privacy |
| Dynadot | $10.88 | Save ~$12/yr | Same price to register, renew or transfer |
| Namecheap | $14.78 | Save ~$8/yr | Large, familiar, free WHOIS privacy |
Any of these pays for the transfer in the first year. Full comparison in best domain registrars, and the head-to-head in Namecheap vs GoDaddy. [AFFILIATE_LINK: NAMECHEAP] · [AFFILIATE_LINK: PORKBUN] · [AFFILIATE_LINK: DYNADOT]
If the transfer fails
- “Domain is locked” — the registrar lock is still on. Go back to step two.
- “Invalid authorisation code” — it has expired or was copied with a trailing space. Request a fresh one.
- “Domain is within 60 days of registration” — nothing to be done but wait it out.
- No confirmation email — check the registrant contact address on the domain, not just your usual inbox. Old email addresses on WHOIS records are the most common cause.
- Privacy protection blocking it — some registrars require privacy to be temporarily disabled so the confirmation reaches a real address.
FAQ — domain transfers
Does transferring a domain cause downtime?
It should not. A transfer moves who bills you for the domain, not where it points — your DNS records travel with the domain in most cases, and the site keeps resolving throughout. Downtime only happens if you change nameservers at the same time or let DNS records get dropped, which is why you copy them down first.
How long does a GoDaddy domain transfer take?
Usually five to seven days. ICANN allows the losing registrar up to five days to release the domain, and GoDaddy generally uses that window. You can speed it up by approving the transfer from the GoDaddy side rather than waiting for it to time out and auto-approve.
Can I transfer a domain I just registered?
No. ICANN rules impose a 60-day lock after registration, and also after any change to the registrant's contact details. If you have just bought or just edited the domain, you have to wait out the 60 days — there is no way around this at any registrar.
How much does it cost to transfer a domain?
You pay one year of registration at the new registrar's price, and that year is added to your existing expiry rather than replacing it. So transferring from a $22.99 renewal to a $14.78 one costs you $14.78 and buys a year — meaning the move usually pays for itself immediately.
What is an EPP or authorisation code?
A password proving you own the domain, issued by your current registrar. At GoDaddy you request it from the domain settings and it arrives by email. The new registrar asks for it to confirm the transfer is legitimate. It expires, so start the transfer promptly after requesting it.
Will I lose the remaining time on my registration?
No. Transfer adds a year on top of whatever you had left. If your domain expires in eight months and you transfer today, the new expiry is twenty months away. This is the single most misunderstood part of transfers and the reason people wrongly delay.
Should I transfer before or after renewal?
Before — but not at the last minute. Start the transfer at least two to three weeks before expiry. Transferring adds a year anyway, so paying GoDaddy's renewal first and then transferring simply means paying the higher price for no reason.
Do I need to move my hosting too?
No. Domain registration and hosting are separate services. You can transfer your domain to a cheaper registrar and leave the website exactly where it is — just make sure the DNS records still point at your host after the move.
Related reading
- Why GoDaddy renewals jump 2–4× — the numbers behind the decision.
- Best domain registrars — five-year cost compared.
- Migrating WordPress to a new host — if you are moving hosting as well.