Domain status codes, explained
A status code is a label on a domain that says what can happen to it right now, such as “transfer locked” or “in redemption”. Paste a code below, or read all 23 in plain English.
Paste what you saw, in either spelling: clientTransferProhibited or client transfer prohibited.
clientTransferProhibitedNormal
The registrar blocks transfers to another registrar.
The registry rejects requests to move the domain to a different registrar. This is the usual "transfer lock" and helps prevent a domain from being taken without the owner knowing. To move the domain, the owner asks the current registrar to lift it.
In RDAP it is written “client transfer prohibited”. Set by: registrar.
All 23 EPP status codes, by who sets them
Healthy
Nothing is pending and the name resolves, or the status only describes how it is set up.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ok | active | Nothing pending, nothing blocked. The standard status: no pending operations and no prohibitions. In RDAP it is written "active". Registrars can add locks on top of it, such as a transfer lock, for protection. |
| inactive | inactive | No name servers, so the name does not work in DNS. No name server (delegation) information is attached to the domain, so it does not resolve: a website or email on it will not work. If this lasts for several days, ask the registrar why. |
Locks set by the registrar
The registrar asked the registry to block one kind of change. These are common and are usually a protection, not a problem.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| clientDeleteProhibited | client delete prohibited | The registrar blocks deletion. The registry rejects requests to delete the domain. It protects against accidental or unauthorized deletion, and only the registrar can remove it. |
| clientTransferProhibited | client transfer prohibited | The registrar blocks transfers to another registrar. The registry rejects requests to move the domain to a different registrar. This is the usual "transfer lock" and helps prevent a domain from being taken without the owner knowing. To move the domain, the owner asks the current registrar to lift it. |
| clientUpdateProhibited | client update prohibited | The registrar blocks changes to the record. The registry rejects requests to update the domain, for example to change its name servers. It guards against unauthorized changes, and the registrar removes it when the owner needs to edit the record. |
| clientRenewProhibited | client renew prohibited | The registrar blocks renewal. The registry rejects requests to renew the domain. It is worth a question to the registrar, because a domain that cannot be renewed will expire. |
| clientHold | client hold | The registrar has taken the name out of DNS. The registrar asked the registry to keep the domain out of the DNS, so websites and email on it stop working. ICANN lists legal issues, non-payment and a pending deletion among the usual reasons. The owner contacts the registrar to settle it. |
Locks set by the registry
The registry itself applied them. ICANN notes that they take precedence over the registrar’s.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| serverDeleteProhibited | server delete prohibited | The registry blocks deletion. Deletion is blocked by the registry. ICANN names disputes, a request from the owner or a redemption period as the usual reasons. |
| serverTransferProhibited | server transfer prohibited | The registry blocks transfers. Transfers to another registrar are blocked by the registry, usually because of a dispute, a request from the owner, or a redemption period. |
| serverUpdateProhibited | server update prohibited | The registry locks the record against changes. The registry has locked the domain so its record cannot be updated. |
| serverRenewProhibited | server renew prohibited | The registry blocks renewal. Renewal is blocked by the registry, usually during a legal dispute or when deletion is pending. |
| serverHold | server hold | The registry has taken the name out of DNS. The registry keeps the domain out of the DNS, so it does not resolve. The owner contacts the registrar to find out why. |
Grace periods
Short windows after an action, in which a mistake can be undone. How long each lasts is set by the registry.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| addPeriod | add period | Just registered, in the add grace period. A short window right after the first registration. If the registrar deletes the domain during it, the registry may credit the registrar. |
| autoRenewPeriod | auto renew period | Expired, then renewed automatically by the registry. A grace period after the registry automatically renewed an expired domain. An owner who does not want to keep the name should contact the registrar quickly, because a credit may be possible if it is deleted in this window. |
| renewPeriod | renew period | Just renewed, in the renew grace period. A grace period after the registrar explicitly renewed the domain. An owner who did not ask for the renewal should contact the registrar. |
| transferPeriod | transfer period | Just transferred, in the transfer grace period. A grace period after a successful transfer to a new registrar. An owner who did not ask for the transfer should contact the original registrar. |
Requests in progress
A request was received and is not finished yet.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| pendingCreate | pending create | A registration request is being processed. A request to register the domain was received and has not finished. |
| pendingRenew | pending renew | A renewal request is being processed. A request to renew the domain was received and has not finished. |
| pendingTransfer | pending transfer | A move to another registrar is in progress. A request to move the domain to a different registrar was received and has not finished. An owner who did not start it should contact the registrar at once. |
| pendingUpdate | pending update | A change to the record is being processed. A request to update the domain was received and has not finished. |
| pendingRestore | pending restore | The registrar asked to restore a deleted name. The registrar has asked to restore a domain from the redemption period, and the registry is waiting for the registrar to send documentation. ICANN describes a short window for this; if it passes, the domain goes back to the redemption period. |
Expired, held or being deleted
Statuses that mean the name is out of DNS or on its way out. If you own the name, contact your registrar now.
| EPP code | In RDAP | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| redemptionPeriod | redemption period | Deletion was requested; the name can still be restored. Deletion of the domain has been requested and the registry holds it for a recovery window. ICANN says the domain is held in this status for 30 days; the owner contacts the registrar right away to restore it; the registrar may charge a fee. |
| pendingDelete | pending delete | On its way out of the registry. On its own, ICANN says, it means the domain went through the redemption period without being restored. It will be purged shortly after, and then the name becomes available for registration under the registry’s own rules. |
Source: ICANN: EPP status codes, what do they mean; RFC 8056: EPP status mapping to RDAP, opened on .
What are domain status codes?
Status codes, also called EPP status codes, are labels that a registry or a registrar puts on a domain to show what is allowed or in progress: locked against transfer, in a grace period, kept out of DNS, or being deleted. ICANN publishes the list. In RDAP they are written in lower case with spaces, so clientTransferProhibited appears as “client transfer prohibited” (RFC 8056).
What does clientTransferProhibited mean?
The registrar has asked the registry to reject any request to move the domain to a different registrar. It is the usual “transfer lock”, and it is normally a protection: it helps prevent a domain from being taken without its owner knowing. To transfer the domain, the owner asks the current registrar to lift the lock.
What does redemptionPeriod mean?
Deletion of the domain has been requested and the registry is holding the name for a recovery window. ICANN says the domain stays in this status for 30 days, during which the owner can ask the registrar to restore it, for a fee that the registrar may charge. When the window ends without a restore, the status changes to pendingDelete.
Is a status code always a problem?
No. Most domains carry several lock codes at once, and the three in the example on the home page are all locks that the registrar chose. The ones to take seriously are clientHold and serverHold (the name is out of DNS, so websites and email stop), redemptionPeriod, pendingRestore and pendingDelete.
How do I remove a status code?
Codes that start with “client” are set by the registrar, and removing one means asking the registrar, in its control panel or by support. Codes that start with “server” are set by the registry, and ICANN says they take precedence over the registrar’s, so the registrar has to ask the registry. A grace-period code simply ends when its period does.
Questions about domain status codes
What is the difference between client and server status codes?
Client codes are set by your registrar. Server codes are set by the registry that runs the ending, and ICANN notes that they take precedence over the registrar’s. The word “client” here means the registrar as a client of the registry.
What does ok or active mean?
It is the standard status: no pending operations and no prohibitions. EPP calls it ok and RDAP writes it as active (RFC 8056). Registrars often add locks on top of it, so many healthy domains show only lock codes.
What does serverHold mean?
The registry is keeping the domain out of the DNS, so it does not resolve and websites and email on it stop working. The owner contacts the registrar to find out why.
Can a domain have more than one status?
Yes. The saved .com and .org examples on this site each carry three codes at once: delete, transfer and update prohibited, all set by the registrar. The checker lists every code the registry sends.
What does pendingDelete mean?
On its own, ICANN says, it means the domain went through the 30-day redemption period without being restored. It is purged shortly after, and then the name can be registered again under the registry’s own rules.
Why do I see a status that is not on this list?
RFC 9083 registers a few general RDAP values and a registry can send values of its own. The checker shows any value it does not know exactly as received and marks it as not explained, instead of guessing.
Sources and limits
- ICANN: EPP status codes, what do they mean
The meaning of each client, server and grace-period status code, and which are set by the registrar and which by the registry. The page shows no calendar date.
ICANN. Opened on .
- RFC 8056: EPP status mapping to RDAP
How an EPP status such as clientTransferProhibited is written in RDAP: lower case with spaces ("client transfer prohibited"), with "ok" written as "active".
IETF. Opened on .
- RFC 9083: JSON responses for RDAP
The shape of a domain answer, the event names (the "expiration" event is the date the object is removed from the registry unless renewed) and the registered status values.
IETF. Opened on .
- ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy (version of 21 February 2024)
Section 2.1: at least two notices before expiry (about a month and about a week) and one more within five days after expiry. Section 2.2: DNS interruption for names deleted within eight days of expiry, or for at least the last eight days of renewal otherwise. Section 3: a 30-day Redemption Grace Period in gTLD registries, with DNS disabled and transfers prohibited. Contracted parties may implement it from 21 August 2024 and must by 21 August 2025.
ICANN. Opened on .
Not confirmed: ICANN’s page gives no length of time for the add, renew, auto-renew and transfer grace periods, so none is stated here: those lengths are set by each registry. The 30 days of the redemption period come from ICANN’s page and its Expired Registration Recovery Policy.
This is information, not advice. A registry or registrar can change a record at any time. Before you rely on a date, confirm it with your registrar, who is the only one that can renew the domain.