How do I transfer a domain name that was registered with GoDaddy.com?

• Turn off "private registration" if it's enabled
• Make sure the domain name is unlocked
• Make sure your e-mail address is correct
• Know your transfer authorization code
• Speed up the transfer at GoDaddy
• If GoDaddy is providing you with free DNS service

If you have problems with any of these steps, you can contact GoDaddy directly at (480) 505-8899.

Turn off "private registration" if it's enabled

GoDaddy offers an optional service they call "private registration" that makes them the owner of a domain name instead of you. GoDaddy will reject the transfer of any domain name that has "private registration" enabled.

If you're not sure whether you have a private registration, view the WHOIS records for your domain name and see if the contact e-mail addresses end with "domainsbyproxy.com". If so, you have a private registration, and you'll need to disable it to transfer your domain name.

To disable a GoDaddy private registration:

1. Go to the Domains by Proxy Web site.
2. Click MY ACCOUNT.
3. Login using your private registration customer number and password (your private registration customer number may be different from your main GoDaddy customer number).
4. Click My Domains.
5. Locate your domain name in the list and click the Cancel Your Private Registration checkbox on the right.
6. Click Continue and follow the rest of the instructions to cancel the private registration.

Make sure the domain name is unlocked

Domain names that are "locked" with GoDaddy can't be transferred. To unlock a GoDaddy domain name:

1. Go to www.godaddy.com.
2. Login to the GoDaddy Account Manager using your existing GoDaddy customer number and password.
3. Click My Account.
4. Click Domain Manager.
5. Locate your domain name in the list and click on it.
6. You may need to click More Settings.
7. If the domain name is locked, the page may display "Locked: Locked (Change)". Click Change. Or if there is just a big Locking icon at the top of the page, click it.
8. Clear the check mark from the Lock domains button, then click OK.

It may take up to 24 hours for GoDaddy to notify the central domain registry that the domain name has been unlocked. During this time, you can still place the transfer order on our Web site. We'll start the transfer as soon as the central registry knows it's been unlocked.

Make sure your e-mail address is correct

We'll need to send a transfer approval notice to the "administrative contact" e-mail address that GoDaddy has on file for your domain name. Use GoDaddy's control panel to make sure the e-mail address is correct:

1. Login to the GoDaddy control panel and view your domain names (see the "unlocking" instructions above for details).
2. Locate your domain name in the list and click on it.
3. Locate the "Administrative" contact section and click Edit.
4. Make sure the administrative contact e-mail address is correct. If it's wrong, update it and click OK.

Do not edit the "Registrant" contact or click the checkbox marked "Copy to all contact types" when editing the "Administrative" contact. If you change the registrant, GoDaddy may reject transfers. Be sure to edit the administrative contact only.

Know your transfer authorization code

After you sign up with us, we'll send the GoDaddy administrative contact a message asking him or her to enter the domain name's "transfer authorization code" on our Web pages. You can get this code from the GoDaddy control panel:

1. Login to the GoDaddy control panel and view your domain names (see the "unlocking" instructions above for details).
2. Locate your domain name in the list and click on it.
3. The page will display "Authorization Code: Send by Email". Click Send by Email.
4. A new screen appears. Click OK to have GoDaddy "Resend the authorization code e-mail message to the administrative contact for the selected domain".
5. GoDaddy will send the transfer authorization code to your e-mail address. Please save it until you're asked to enter it on our transfer approval pages.

Speed up the transfer at GoDaddy

After you approve the transfer on our Web pages, we'll tell you that we're waiting for GoDaddy to release the domain name to us. They normally take seven days to do so, but you can optionally speed up the process by doing this:

1. Log back in to the GoDaddy control panel.
2. From the "Domains" tab, choose Pending Transfers.
3. Locate your domain name in the list and click on it.
4. Click the Accept/Decline icon in the top left of the screen.
5. Choose Accept, then click OK.

After doing this, the transfer will usually finish within two hours.

If GoDaddy is providing you with free DNS service

If you're signing up for our Web hosting service, and GoDaddy is currently providing you with Web hosting service, the transfer will go smoothly. GoDaddy will not disable their Web hosting and DNS service when you transfer the domain name, allowing a smooth "overlap".

However, there's one rare situation that can lead to problems. If you're signing up for our Web hosting, and you're currently using GoDaddy's DNS service but you are not hosting your Web site or e-mail at GoDaddy, GoDaddy will stop providing the DNS service as soon as you transfer the domain name itself (or even if you update the DNS nameservers there before the domain name transfer). This can cause "downtime" for some visitors during the overlap period.

Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid this. GoDaddy is doing it intentionally: they know that they could still receive requests for your domain name for up to two days (that's how DNS works), but they aren't giving you a way to keep the services running there during that period. Fortunately, this is not a common situation.