EPP status codes

Paste a status code from a WHOIS record and we'll explain it in plain English.

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Results for client hold

Explained from the EPP standard (RFC 5731)

On hold

The domain is switched off

The registrar has suspended the domain: it is left out of DNS and does not resolve.

clientHold

Set by

Registrar

Codes starting with client…

What to do

If it’s yours. Check the email address on file at your registrar first: notices about renewals and contact checks are sent there.

If you’re buying it. A domain on hold serves nothing. An unpaid renewal is routine; an abuse suspension is a different matter, so find out which it is before you buy.

How to remove it

Ask the registrar why the hold is set. Its email notices and the account page usually say.
Pay any outstanding invoice or renewal, complete the contact-details check (often a link in an email), or resolve the complaint.
The registrar then lifts the hold. DNS caches may need up to the record TTL to recover.

Details

clientHold tells the registry to leave the domain out of the top-level domain zone, so the domain stops resolving. Websites and email on it stop working until the hold is removed. The registration itself is not cancelled.

Registrars use it for unpaid renewals or invoices, for contact details that failed the verification ICANN requires (the owner usually has 15 days to respond), for abuse complaints and for legal requests. Some registrars also put an expired domain on hold while it sits in the renewal grace period.

Only the registrar can set or lift a client hold, so the registrar is also the party to ask why it is there.

Where it sits in a domain’s life. Can happen at any point, but is common just after expiry and shortly after registration.

Structured result (JSON) · 2.2 KB

{
  "results": [
    {
      "input": "client hold",
      "known": true,
      "rdap": "client hold",
      "epp": "clientHold",
      "slug": "client-hold",
      "label": "On hold (registrar)",
      "summary": "The registrar has suspended the domain: it is left out of DNS and does not resolve.",
      "details": [
        "clientHold tells the registry to leave the domain out of the top-level domain zone, so the domain stops resolving. Websites and email on it stop working until the hold is removed. The registration itself is not cancelled.",
        "Registrars use it for unpaid renewals or invoices, for contact details that failed the verification ICANN requires (the owner usually has 15 days to respond), for abuse complaints and for legal requests. Some registrars also put an expired domain on hold while it sits in the renewal grace period.",
        "Only the registrar can set or lift a client hold, so the registrar is also the party to ask why it is there."
      ],
      "setBy": "registrar",
      "category": "hold",
      "severity": "warning",
      "howToRemove": [
        "Ask the registrar why the hold is set. Its email notices and the account page usually say.",
        "Pay any outstanding invoice or renewal, complete the contact-details check (often a link in an email), or resolve the complaint.",
        "The registrar then lifts the hold. DNS caches may need up to the record TTL to recover."
      ],
      "forOwners": "Check the email address on file at your registrar first: notices about renewals and contact checks are sent there.",
      "forBuyers": "A domain on hold serves nothing. An unpaid renewal is routine; an abuse suspension is a different matter, so find out which it is before you buy.",
      "lifecycle": "Can happen at any point, but is common just after expiry and shortly after registration.",
      "related": [
        "server hold",
        "inactive",
        "auto renew period"
      ],
      "registrySpecific": false,
      "icannUrl": "https://icann.org/epp#clientHold"
    }
  ],
  "interpretation": [
    "clientHold takes the domain out of DNS, so its website and e-mail stop working until the hold is lifted. Lifting it is the registrar's decision."
  ],
  "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 the https://icann.org/epp link 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.
clientHold soon 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 unless redemptionPeriod is 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

curl "https://lookupowl.com/api/v1/tools/epp-status?q=clientTransferProhibited"

MCP

claude mcp add --transport http lookupowl https://lookupowl.com/mcp

Description for AI agents · OpenAPI · llms.txt

The domain is switched off

What domain status codes are

How to use it

The codes you will meet most

Common combinations and what to do

How the tool works

Standards behind the codes

Questions people ask

Use it from AI, the API or the command line

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