How to transfer domains from GoDaddy to DreamHost

I wrote the following text a few months back, and in an effort to publish some long-neglected drafts, I decided I’d dust it off and share it.

My Web host is DreamHost, but a while back I registered several domain names at GoDaddy.com. I’m happy with Dreamhost and figured I’d consolidate my domain names and hosting with one service.

While others have various complaints with GoDaddy, I simply found their Web site and user experience to be unwieldy. So here’s what I did. Note that some steps might be slightly different now, but I think the process is mostly the same:

From Godaddy.com

1. Log in to your account at GoDaddy.com using the fields at the top of the home page.
2. Mouse over the Domains tab on the top left, and click Domain Management under My Account, on the right.
3. Click on the domain name itself (not any of the icons to the right), which will bring you to the Domain Details page.
4. If your domain name is locked, click the Manage link to unlock it. If you use private registration, turn this off.
5. You will receive an email from Go Daddy several hours later called Item Cancellation Confirmation. You don’t need to wait for this email, though.
6. Meanwhile, you will receive, in a few minutes, an email called Domain Status Change Notification. You don’t need to do anything. Just review it to make sure it says your domain name has been unlocked.
7. Go back to the Domain Details page, and to the right of Authorization Code, click Send by Email.
8. In a few minutes, you will receive an email called “DOMAINNAME>>Information you requested.” In the email, copy the authorization info.

To Dreamhost

1. In a new tab or window, log in to the DreamHost control panel via the home page, and click Reg. Transfer, under the Manage Domains heading on the left side. You will be charged $9.95 for each domain you want DreamHost to manage, but that includes a one-year renewal.
2. In the box labeled “Transfer domain registration(s) to us,” enter your GoDaddy domain name and click request transfer. This will take you to a new page that will ask for your transfer authorization code.
3. Go back to GoDaddy’s domain manager. Move your cursor over the Domains tab in the upper left corner and click Pending Transfers. Click the box next to your domain name and click Accept/Decline above. Click OK twice.
4. In 15 or 20 minutes, you’ll receive an email from DreamHost with the subject line Domain Registration Transfer COMPLETED for DOMAIN NAME. The email will contain a link to your domain name. You can visit the site now, but it may take a few minutes to bring up the DreamHost parked page.
5. You should now see the domain name listed in your DreamHost panel. You can now add hosting, if you want.
6. You will receive an email from Go Daddy with your domain name in the subject line telling you that the transfer is complete. You will receive a second email with “Your Recent Domain Name Transfer” in the subject line saying “sorry to see you go.” You don’t need to do anything.