Godaddy expired domain transfer

Question

My domain recently expired on 12/05/2021 and I wanted to transfer it to a new registrar.

So I initiated the transfer.

Unlocked the domain and got the transfer auth key and initiated the transfer at the new registrar after paying the fee.

I then receive an email from GoDaddy saying the following.

Your domain could not be transferred.
xyz.com couldn't be transferred to another registrar for the following reason:

Express written objection to the transfer from the Transfer Contact. (e.g. - email, fax, paper document or other processes by which the Transfer Contact has expressly and voluntarily objected through opt-in means).

I then get in touch with GoDaddy support and ask why the transfer was denied, they told me that the domain had expired and that I had to renew it before I could transfer it, I asked them to show me where it said so and they didn't have any documentation to that effect.

I then stated that based on the ICANN rules stated under the FAQs that under point 11 I can transfer an expired domain.

In any case, I filed a complaint with ICANN regarding this.

However since I received a transfer auth code, does it mean that the transfer will go through?

Answer 1

I finally figured it out.

You need to turn off the "domain protection" plan.

GoDaddy has a domain protection plan to protect privacy etc. Now when the domain expires you can't downgrade/turn off the domain protection plan unless you renew the DOMAIN and the domain protection plan, you can can get a refund on the domain protection plan once you renew it and then turn it off, but in the process forces you to renew the domain itself on which you obviously don't get a refund. They don't allow you to just renew the domain protection plan and not the domain.