Transferring a domain to a new registrar sounds scarier than it is. The mechanics are the same regardless of where the domain currently lives, and the entire process is governed by ICANN rules that every registrar has to follow. Done right, the transfer takes 5 to 7 days, costs the price of one extra year of registration (added to your existing expiry, not on top of it), and produces zero downtime if you sequence it correctly.
Decide: transfer, or just point DNS
You do not have to transfer a domain to use it with OneClick. If you are happy keeping the domain at GoDaddy / Squarespace / Wix and only want OneClick to host the site, you can leave the domain where it is and point its DNS at us. This takes 5 minutes, costs nothing, and is fully reversible. The downside is that you still pay the old registrar for renewal — GoDaddy in particular charges materially more than the registry wholesale price after the first year.
A full transfer is the right choice when you want to consolidate billing, lock in lower renewal pricing, or eliminate any future ad-hoc fees from the old registrar.
Prerequisites before you start
The domain must be at least 60 days past its original registration date — ICANN locks every new registration for 60 days against transfer. It must also be at least 60 days past any previous transfer. The domain must not be in "redemption" or "pendingDelete" status (i.e. recently expired); if it is, renew it first and wait. You will need access to the email address on the WHOIS record, because the registry will send a confirmation message to it.
Step 1 — Unlock the domain at the current registrar
Every registrar has a "transfer lock" or "registrar lock" toggle on the domain's settings page. At GoDaddy it is on the domain manager page under "Additional Settings". At Squarespace Domains it is under Domain → Privacy and Security. At Wix it is under My Domains → Advanced. Turn the lock off. The change is instant.
Step 2 — Get the EPP / auth code
The auth code (also called EPP code, transfer code, or auth-info) is a one-time password that proves you control the domain. The current registrar must give it to you on request — they are not allowed to withhold it. GoDaddy emails it to you. Squarespace and Wix show it in the dashboard immediately. Copy it exactly; auth codes are case-sensitive and contain symbols.
Step 3 — Disable WHOIS privacy temporarily
Some registries reject transfer requests on privacy-protected domains because they cannot verify the registrant contact. Turn privacy off at the current registrar before starting the transfer. We re-enable it for free on the OneClick side as soon as the domain arrives. This step takes 30 seconds and saves a day of back-and-forth.
Step 4 — Start the transfer at OneClick
In your OneClick dashboard, click "Transfer in a domain", paste the domain name, paste the auth code, and pay for one year of registration. The fee adds 12 months to your existing expiry — you do not lose any of the time you have already paid for. Expect to pay registry wholesale plus our small markup; it will be at or below what the old registrar would have charged for a renewal.
Step 5 — Approve the transfer email
Within an hour, the registry sends a "Form of Authorization" email to the address on the WHOIS record. Click the approval link. This is the single most-missed step in domain transfers — if you do not click within 5 days, the transfer auto-cancels. Check the spam folder if you do not see it.
Step 6 — Wait 5 to 7 days
The old registrar has up to 5 days to release the domain after you approve. They are allowed to send you "are you sure?" emails during this window, and you can usually skip the wait by approving the transfer at the old registrar's end too (GoDaddy buries this under Pending Transfers Out). The domain continues to resolve normally during the transfer; there is no DNS interruption.
Step 7 — Point DNS at OneClick
Once the transfer completes, the domain lives at OneClick. If it was already pointed at your OneClick site, no action needed. If it was pointed at GoDaddy / Squarespace / Wix nameservers, switch to OneClick nameservers from the new dashboard. SSL re-issues automatically within a minute of DNS propagating.
Common failure modes
Most failed transfers fail for one of three reasons. The 60-day lock — you cannot bypass it; wait. A wrong or expired auth code — request a fresh one. The Form of Authorization email going to a stale WHOIS email address — update the WHOIS contact email at the old registrar first, wait an hour, then restart the transfer.