Easy Tech TutsHow To Transfer GoDaddy Domain To Hostinger 2026 Easily
By Impran M NLast checked against official docs
Moving a domain between registrars sounds risky and rarely is, because a registrar transfer changes who bills you for the name, not where the name points. Get the DNS right beforehand and your website and email keep running throughout.
What derails these transfers is the checklist at the start: a domain still locked at GoDaddy, an authorisation code that expired while you were reading the next step, or a registration too new to move under ICANN's rules. Hostinger states its requirements on the transfer page, and this guide works through them in the order that avoids a rejected transfer and a wasted week.
Before you start
- Full owner or admin access to the domain at GoDaddy, not a delegated login with limited rights
- A Hostinger account to receive the transferred domain
01Confirm the domain is eligible before you start
Three ICANN rules apply to every registrar transfer, not just this one: the domain must be at least 60 days past its initial registration or its last transfer, it must be unlocked at GoDaddy, and you need a valid authorisation (EPP) code. Hostinger adds two conditions of its own on top: at least 7 days must remain before the domain expires, and DNSSEC has to be switched off, since DNSSEC keys don't carry across registrars automatically.
If you renewed recently, wait at least 45 days after that renewal before transferring, since moving too soon can throw off how the new expiry date is calculated. Check all of this against Hostinger's transfer requirements page before touching anything in GoDaddy.
02Log in to GoDaddy and check the registrant email
Sign in at GoDaddy and go to Domains, then your domain portfolio, then the specific name you're moving. You need full owner or admin access; a delegated login with limited rights won't expose the settings you're about to change.
While you're on the domain's settings page, check the registrant contact email. GoDaddy sends both the authorisation code and the transfer confirmation request to that address, and it's often an inbox nobody checks anymore. Fix it now if it's wrong.
03Unlock the domain and turn off privacy protection
On the domain's settings page, find the lock toggle under the Transfer section and switch it off. GoDaddy's own help page is explicit that a locked domain is not eligible for transfer, so this isn't optional.
In the same area, turn off Domain Protection or WHOIS privacy if it's enabled; Hostinger's own instructions flag this too, since a privacy service can mask the registrant email the transfer depends on. Both can be switched back on at Hostinger once the domain has finished moving, and Hostinger includes free WHOIS privacy on most domains, so you're not giving anything up permanently.
04Get the EPP authorisation code
From the domain's settings, choose Transfer domain away from GoDaddy. If Domain Protection has been on for at least 24 hours, GoDaddy asks for a one-time code sent by SMS or from an authenticator app before it will show you anything.
Click through to reveal the code and copy it exactly, including case. GoDaddy also emails it to the registrant address you checked earlier. Codes can be regenerated, and doing so invalidates the previous one, so request it only when you're ready to paste it straight into Hostinger.
05Record your current DNS records before you move
This is the step most guides skip, and the one that causes real downtime. Open GoDaddy's DNS management for the domain and save a copy of every record: A records, CNAMEs, and especially the MX records that route your email, plus any TXT records holding SPF, DKIM or domain-verification strings.
A registrar transfer doesn't automatically carry custom DNS records with it, so losing your MX records means email stops arriving with no obvious cause. Recreate them at Hostinger once the transfer completes, or point Hostinger's nameservers at the same values.
06Start the transfer from Hostinger
In hPanel, open Domains, then Transfers. The page restates the same eligibility checklist (60 days elapsed, domain unlocked, code in hand) plus Hostinger's own expiry and DNSSEC conditions, and below that sits a single field where you type the domain name.
07Enter the domain, pay, and approve the confirmation email
Type the domain, press Transfer, and paste the EPP code when prompted. Hostinger lists its per-extension pricing on this page, and that fee covers the added year of registration described above.
After you submit and pay, GoDaddy emails the registrant asking to confirm release. Approving that email is what turns a five-to-seven day wait into something that often finishes within a day; ignoring it means waiting out the full automatic release window instead. Track progress in Hostinger's Transfers section, and once it completes, check that the DNS records you saved are in place and that your site and email still work before switching lock and privacy back on.
When it doesn't work
GoDaddy won't let me unlock the domain or request the code
Why: Most often the domain is still inside the 60-day post-registration or post-transfer lock, or DNSSEC is still enabled on the domain.
Fix: Check the domain's registration or last-transfer date and wait out the lock if needed, and turn off DNSSEC in GoDaddy's DNS settings before trying again.
The transfer confirmation email from GoDaddy never arrives
Why: The registrant contact email is out of date, or the message landed in spam.
Fix: Correct the registrant email in GoDaddy's domain settings, check spam, and approve the transfer directly from GoDaddy's own account interface if the email doesn't show up.
Email stopped arriving after the domain moved
Why: Custom MX and TXT records weren't carried over automatically by the registrar transfer.
Fix: Recreate the DNS records you saved before starting, using Hostinger's DNS zone editor, matching the values exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't Hostinger accept my domain for transfer?
Usually one of five things: fewer than 60 days since registration or the last transfer, the domain still locked at GoDaddy, fewer than 7 days left before expiry, DNSSEC still enabled, or an authorisation code that's wrong or expired.
How long does a GoDaddy to Hostinger transfer take?
Typically five to seven days, but approving the confirmation email GoDaddy sends the registrant usually collapses that to a day or less. Without approval it waits out the full automatic release period.
Will my website or email go down during the transfer?
Not if you prepare. A registrar transfer changes who bills you, not where the domain points, but custom DNS records don't always carry across, so save your A, CNAME, MX and TXT records first and recreate them at Hostinger.
Do I have to disable WHOIS privacy?
Usually yes, temporarily. Privacy services mask the registrant email that the verification message is sent to. You can switch privacy back on at Hostinger once the transfer completes.
Why is GoDaddy asking for a one-time code before it shows me the auth code?
If Domain Protection has been enabled for at least 24 hours, GoDaddy requires identity verification by SMS or authenticator app before it will reveal the EPP code, as an extra safeguard against unauthorised transfers.
Do I lose the time left on my current registration?
No. The transfer fee adds a year to the existing registration rather than resetting it, so the remaining time on your GoDaddy registration carries over.
Sources and last check
Click path and screens come from a recorded walkthrough. Eligibility rules, the unlock and EPP-code path, and the DNS-carryover behaviour were re-checked against Hostinger's and GoDaddy's official support pages in September 2026. That check added the 7-day expiry buffer, the DNSSEC requirement, and the identity-verification step GoDaddy applies to accounts with Domain Protection, none of which the previous version mentioned.
About the author
Impran M N
I've been hooked on technology for as long as I can remember — especially the new tools and AI apps that seem to land every other week. Easy Tech Tuts is where I write up whatever I've just worked out: I do the task in the real product, record the screen, and turn it into the guide I wish I'd found first.
