Will my website go down during the transfer?

Not if you prepare DNS first. A domain transfer changes the registrar, not the DNS zone, as long as your nameservers and records stay intact. The downtime risk comes from GoDaddy hosting your DNS and those records dropping, so back them up before you start.

How long does a GoDaddy to Namecheap transfer take?

Usually a few hours to a couple of days. If you manually approve the transfer from GoDaddy's confirmation email it completes quickly; if you do nothing, ICANN rules auto-approve it after about five days.

Do I lose the time left on my registration?

No. The transfer fee adds a year to your existing registration, so remaining time carries over and you gain a year on top. Just verify the new expiry date at Namecheap once the transfer finishes.

How to Transfer a Domain from GoDaddy to Namecheap

VigilDog Team · October 3, 2026 · 6 min read

Moving a domain from one registrar to another sounds risky, like it might take your website and email offline mid-flight. Done in the right order, it doesn't. A transfer from GoDaddy to Namecheap changes who bills you and manages the registration, but your DNS keeps resolving the whole time if you prepare it first. Here's the exact sequence to transfer GoDaddy to Namecheap cleanly, without downtime.

Before you begin: the 60-day rules

ICANN enforces two waiting periods that catch people off guard, so check these first. A domain cannot be transferred within 60 days of being registered, and it cannot be transferred within 60 days of a previous transfer. If you just bought or moved the domain, you have to wait, there's no way around it.

There's a related trap: if you recently changed the registrant's name or email (the WHOIS contact), GoDaddy may impose a 60-day transfer lock unless you opted out at the time. Verify the domain is eligible before you start, otherwise the transfer will simply be rejected.

Step 1: Prepare at GoDaddy

Everything you need to release the domain lives in your GoDaddy account. Do these three things in order:

Unlock the domain. In GoDaddy's Domain Settings, find "Domain lock" and turn it off. This registrar lock exists to prevent unauthorized transfers, so it must be off for a legitimate one.
Disable WHOIS/domain privacy, or at least confirm the transfer will still work with it on. Privacy services sometimes mask the admin email the transfer confirmation is sent to. Make sure you can receive email at the registrant address.
Get the EPP/authorization code (also called the transfer key or auth code). GoDaddy shows it in Domain Settings under "Transfer domain away"; it's often emailed to you. This code is the password that authorizes the move, treat it like one.

Step 2: Protect your DNS and email first

This is the step that prevents downtime, and the one people skip. Before you initiate the transfer, note whether your DNS is currently managed at GoDaddy (their nameservers) or elsewhere. If GoDaddy hosts your DNS zone, transferring the domain can drop those records, and your website and email go dark.

The safe move: record every DNS record you currently have, A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT (including SPF and DKIM), before touching anything. Then either move your nameservers to a provider that isn't tied to the registration, or be ready to recreate the full zone at Namecheap immediately after transfer. You can capture your current records with our free DNS checker so nothing gets lost in the move. Getting MX and TXT records wrong is what silently breaks email deliverability, so double-check those against our guide to DNS records.

Step 3: Start the transfer at Namecheap

Now the mechanical part, which is short. Log in to Namecheap, go to Transfer, and enter your domain. Namecheap checks that it's unlocked and eligible, then asks for the EPP/auth code you copied from GoDaddy. Paste it in and pay the transfer fee, which almost always includes one year added to your registration, so you're not losing that year, you're extending it.

After you submit, both registrars send confirmation emails to the registrant address. Approve the transfer from the email GoDaddy sends (or approve it inside GoDaddy's control panel to skip the default waiting period). If you do nothing, ICANN's rules auto-approve the transfer after five days, but confirming manually makes it complete in hours instead.

Step 4: Verify and watch the expiry date

Once the transfer completes, Namecheap emails you and the domain appears in your account. Confirm three things: your DNS records resolve correctly (check your website and send a test email), the registration expiry date is right, and any auto-renew setting is configured the way you want at the new registrar.

That expiry date is the one to keep an eye on. Transfers add a year, but auto-renew settings do not carry over between registrars, so a domain that was set to renew at GoDaddy may now be set to lapse at Namecheap. Confirm the exact date with our domain expiry checker, and if you're unsure how registrar dates work, our guide on when your domain expires explains the grace and redemption periods worth knowing.