EPP status codes
Paste a status code from a WHOIS record and we'll explain it in plain English.
Results for auto renew period
Status code
Auto-renew grace period
The registry renewed the domain automatically after its expiry date; the registrar can still reverse that for a short time.
Codes starting with server…
What to do
If it’s yours. Renew at your registrar as soon as you can. The sooner you pay, the less chance the registrar deletes the domain.
If you’re buying it. The current owner may be about to lose the domain. The proper routes are a backorder service or contacting the registrar; be careful with anyone who offers to sell a name they do not hold.
How to remove it
- The status clears by itself when the grace period ends, up to 45 days after the expiry date.
- To keep the domain, renew it at your registrar before that. Late fees during this period are the registrar's decision.
Details
When a domain reaches its expiry date and the registrar has not renewed it, most generic TLD registries renew it automatically for a year and bill the registrar. The auto-renew grace period lets the registrar delete the domain and get that money back. It lasts up to 45 days.
During the period the registry shows the extended expiry date, but the renewal may still be cancelled. If the owner pays the registrar, the renewal stays. If not, the registrar deletes the domain when the grace period ends, and the domain moves to the redemption period.
The status is therefore a sign that the owner did not renew on time. The domain often still works, although some registrars park it or put it on hold.
Where it sits in a domain’s life. Starts at the expiry date and lasts up to 45 days. It is followed by the redemption period if the domain is not renewed.
Structured result (JSON) · 2.3 KB
{
"results": [
{
"input": "auto renew period",
"known": true,
"rdap": "auto renew period",
"epp": "autoRenewPeriod",
"slug": "auto-renew-period",
"label": "Auto-renew grace period",
"summary": "The registry renewed the domain automatically after its expiry date; the registrar can still reverse that for a short time.",
"details": [
"When a domain reaches its expiry date and the registrar has not renewed it, most generic TLD registries renew it automatically for a year and bill the registrar. The auto-renew grace period lets the registrar delete the domain and get that money back. It lasts up to 45 days.",
"During the period the registry shows the extended expiry date, but the renewal may still be cancelled. If the owner pays the registrar, the renewal stays. If not, the registrar deletes the domain when the grace period ends, and the domain moves to the redemption period.",
"The status is therefore a sign that the owner did not renew on time. The domain often still works, although some registrars park it or put it on hold."
],
"setBy": "registry",
"category": "grace",
"severity": "info",
"howToRemove": [
"The status clears by itself when the grace period ends, up to 45 days after the expiry date.",
"To keep the domain, renew it at your registrar before that. Late fees during this period are the registrar's decision."
],
"forOwners": "Renew at your registrar as soon as you can. The sooner you pay, the less chance the registrar deletes the domain.",
"forBuyers": "The current owner may be about to lose the domain. The proper routes are a backorder service or contacting the registrar; be careful with anyone who offers to sell a name they do not hold.",
"lifecycle": "Starts at the expiry date and lasts up to 45 days. It is followed by the redemption period if the domain is not renewed.",
"related": [
"renew period",
"redemption period",
"pending delete"
],
"registrySpecific": false,
"icannUrl": "https://icann.org/epp#autoRenewPeriod"
}
],
"interpretation": [
"autoRenewPeriod is a short grace window in which the operation can still be cancelled for a refund. It ends by itself."
],
"unknown": 0,
"truncated": false
}What domain status codes are
Every registered domain carries one or more status codes. They say what may happen to the domain and where it is in its life. The codes come from the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), the language registrars and registries use to talk to each other. A registrar is the company you buy a domain from. A registry runs a whole extension, such as .com.
RDAP, the modern version of WHOIS, writes statuses in lowercase words, like client transfer prohibited. Classic WHOIS writes them in camelCase, like clientTransferProhibited. They mean the same thing, and this tool takes either.
Most statuses are harmless. A lock that stops someone moving your domain away is protection. A hold that takes the domain out of DNS is why a website suddenly vanished. The tool tells them apart.
How to use it
- Copy the status linesFrom a WHOIS lookup or any record, copy one status or many. The
Domain Status:label and thehttps://icann.org/epplink that follow them can come along. - Paste them inEither spelling works, in any capitalisation. Put one per line or separate them with commas. You can explain up to 20 different codes at a time.
- Read the explanationFor each code you get a short meaning, whether the registrar or the registry sets it, and what to do if you own the domain or want to buy it. Paste several and you also get a short reading of what they mean together.
The codes you will meet most
| Code | Set by | What it means |
|---|---|---|
ok (RDAP: active) | Registry | The normal state. Nothing restricts the domain and nothing is pending. |
inactive | Registry | The domain has no nameservers, so it is left out of DNS and does not resolve. |
clientTransferProhibited | Registrar | A transfer lock. It stops anyone moving the domain to another registrar. Ask your registrar to lift it before you move. |
clientUpdateProhibited | Registrar | Changes to nameservers and contacts are blocked until the lock is removed. |
clientDeleteProhibited | Registrar | The domain can't be deleted, which protects against accidents. |
serverTransferProhibited, serverUpdateProhibited, serverDeleteProhibited | Registry | The same restrictions, set by the registry. Used for paid registry locks, disputes and legal action. Only the registry can lift them. |
clientHold | Registrar | The registrar took the domain out of DNS. Common causes are an unpaid renewal, an unverified contact email or a complaint. |
serverHold | Registry | The registry took it out of DNS, for example after a court order, an abuse takedown or a policy breach. |
addPeriod | Registry | The first days after registration, usually 5, when the registrar can still cancel for a refund. |
autoRenewPeriod | Registry | The expiry date passed and the registry renewed the domain automatically. The registrar can still reverse it for up to 45 days. |
redemptionPeriod | Registry | The domain was deleted. The owner can still restore it for a fee for about 30 days, and it does not resolve meanwhile. |
pendingRestore | Registry | The owner asked to restore the domain and the registry is waiting for the registrar to confirm. |
pendingDelete | Registry | The last step before release, about 5 days. If redemptionPeriod isn't listed beside it, the domain can no longer be restored. |
pendingTransfer | Registry | A transfer was requested. It completes when the current registrar approves it, or by itself after about 5 days at generic extensions. |
pendingCreate, pendingRenew, pendingUpdate | Registry | An operation was accepted and is still being processed. |
Rarer codes follow the same pattern. clientRenewProhibited and serverRenewProhibited, for example, block renewal. Paste any code to see its explanation.
Common combinations and what to do
- Transfer, update and delete prohibited together. The usual registrar lock on a healthy domain. Leave it on.
clientHoldsoon after registering. Most often the owner's contact email was never verified. ICANN requires registrars to verify it and to suspend a domain whose contact stays unverified, usually after 15 days. Click the link in the verification email, then ask the registrar to lift the hold.serverHold. Only the registry can lift it, and it usually follows a complaint or an order. Contact your registrar's support and ask for the reason.redemptionPeriod. Ask your registrar to restore the domain right away. The restore fee is usually much higher than a renewal.pendingDelete. The owner can't act unlessredemptionPeriodis listed too. If you want the name, ask a registrar about a backorder and check back with the availability checker.- Moving a domain. Ask your registrar to remove
clientTransferProhibited, get the transfer code and start the transfer at the new registrar. Registrars often refuse transfers for 60 days after registration or a previous transfer.
How the tool works
This is a pure reference lookup. It doesn't contact a registry or look up any domain. It tidies what you paste (case, spaces, hyphens, labels and links), matches each value to its EPP or RDAP spelling and returns the stored explanation, how serious it is and what to do. A value it doesn't recognise is reported as not standard instead of being guessed at, because some registries add values of their own.
The same explanations appear next to every status in the WHOIS lookup results.
Standards behind the codes
- RFC 5731: the EPP domain name mapping that defines the status values.
- RFC 3915: the grace-period mapping for add, renew, transfer and redemption.
- RFC 8056: how EPP status values map to RDAP's lowercase spellings.
- ICANN's EPP status code guide at icann.org/epp: the registry-side description most registrars link to.
Questions people ask
Is clientTransferProhibited bad?
No. It means the registrar has locked the domain against transfers, which is the safe default and one of the most common statuses there is. It doesn't stop the website or email working. Ask your registrar to lift it only when you intend to move the domain to another registrar.
What is the difference between client and server statuses?
“Client” statuses are set by the registrar and can usually be changed by you through it. “Server” statuses are set by the registry, so only the registry can change them, and your registrar can only ask on your behalf.
My site is down and the status says clientHold. What now?
Ask your registrar why it was set, because only the registrar can lift a clientHold. Its emails to the address on file usually say whether it is a renewal, an invoice or a contact check. Fix that, ask for the hold to be removed and allow time for DNS caches to catch up, which can take up to the record's TTL.
What is the difference between redemptionPeriod and pendingDelete?
In redemptionPeriod, which lasts about 30 days, the owner can still restore the domain for a fee. pendingDelete is the final stretch of about 5 days. When it appears without redemptionPeriod, the domain can no longer be restored. Some registries list both through the whole stage.
Is ok the same as active?
Yes. EPP calls the normal state ok and RDAP calls it active. RFC 8056 defines the two as the same status. It normally appears alone, because the registry removes it as soon as a lock or a pending operation is added.
Can a domain have several statuses at once?
Yes, and it usually does. A healthy domain often shows the three registrar locks together. An expired one may show autoRenewPeriod next to clientHold. The tool explains each code and, when you paste several, adds a short reading of what they mean as a set.
What if my status isn't a standard one?
Some registries add values of their own. The tool then says the code isn't standard and leaves its meaning to the registry that set it. Ask your registrar, or read that registry's documentation. A few well-known registry-specific values are explained and marked as such.
Use it from AI, the API or the command line
Every LookupOwl tool is also a free API and an MCP tool, with no key and no account. This one is epp_status. Please be kind to the rate limits.
curl "https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/epp-status?q=clientTransferProhibited"claude mcp add --transport http lookupowl https://lookupowl.com/mcp