When you perform a WHOIS lookup on your domain, you will see important information about its registration, including the registration date, expiration date, current registrar, and registrant details. The report also includes the domain’s EPP status code, which indicates its current state with the registry and/or registrar.
In this article, we’ll outline common domain status codes, explain what they mean, and let you know if any action is required. To make sense of this information, it’s important to understand these key terms:
Registry: The organization that operates a domain extension (TLD) and sets its rules. For example, Verisign manages .com, .net, .gov, and .edu. The registry sets all status codes, unless they start with "client."
Registrar: An ICANN-accredited company authorized to register domains on behalf of registrants. If you purchase a .com domain from Trustname, for example, you are the registrant, Trustname is the registrar, and Verisign is the registry. Status codes starting with "client" are set by the registrar.
Registrant: a person or business that owns the domain name.
| Code | Explanation | What should I do? |
|---|---|---|
| addPeriod | This issue persists for several days after you first register your domain. | There's no need for anything. |
| autoRenewPeriod | This is a grace period that occurs after your domain expires, during which the registry automatically renews the domain. | If you expected your domain to expire, you don't need to take any action. If the domain was renewed but you didn't want it, contact your registrar to see if any options are available. |
| clientDeleteProhibited | This code from your registrar tells the registry to prevent the deletion of your domain, which can be helpful in cases of fraud or domain hijacking. | Typically, no actions are needed here. If, however, you need to have your domain deleted, you should contact your registrar to remove this code. |
| clientHold | Typically, the result of legal disputes, billing issues, or the deletion of your domain, this code prevents the domain's DNS from resolving. | Please contact your registrar for further information. |
| clientRenewProhibited | Your registrar has informed the registry that they aren't accepting registration renewal requests at this time due to ongoing legal disputes or potential domain deletion. | Please reach out to your registrar for more information. |
| clientTransferProhibited | Your registrar has informed the registry to ignore requests to transfer the domain to another registrar, which can help protect against fraud or domain hijacking. | If you are transferring your domain to another registrar, you may need to contact your current registrar to have this code removed. |
| clientUpdateProhibited | Your registrar has informed the registry to ignore any requests to update the domain, which can help protect your domain against fraud. | If you happen to have issues while updating your domain, please contact your registrar for more information and/or to remove the code. |
| inactive | Name servers are not set for your domain, so it will not resolve to any address. | With certain domain extensions, additional documentation is required to prove that you qualify for domain ownership. Otherwise, if your domain's status stays as inactive for days, you should contact your registrar for more information. |
| ok | Your domain is in a normal state with no pending actions or restrictions. | There's no need for anything. |
| pendingCreate | The initial request to create the domain has been received and is being processed. | If you are a trademark holder pre-registering domains before the launch of a new domain extension, this code will update on the launch date. Otherwise, contact your registrar for more information. |
| pendingDelete | If this code is displayed by itself, your domain has passed its redemption period without being restored and will soon be deleted by the registry. Once this happens, the domain will become available for registration again unless the registry has rules specifying otherwise. **If this code is displayed along with pendingRestore or redemptionPeriod, these codes take precedence. | Please reach out to your registrar to see if any options are available. |
| pendingRenew | A request to renew your domain's registration is being processed. | If you did not intend to renew your domain for another term, contact your registrar. |
| pendingRestore | A request has been made to restore your domain during its redemption period. | In most cases, no action is needed. However, if your domain reverts to the redemptionPeriod status, contact your registrar since this is a sign that the required documentation was not provided to the registry. |
| pendingTransfer | A request to transfer your domain to another registrar has been received by the registry and is being processed. | If you did not request a domain transfer, contact your registrar to deny it on your behalf. |
| pendingUpdate | A request to update your domain (such as new contact/registrant details) has been received by the registry and is being processed. | If you have not requested any changes to your domain, contact your registrar. |
| redemptionPeriod | Your registrar has requested that the registry delete your domain, and it will remain in this status for 30 days. Another 5 days after this period is over, your domain will be removed from the registry's database and become available to register again. | If you planned on keeping this domain, you should contact your registrar as soon as possible to resolve any outstanding issues that resulted in this status. Once this is done, your registrar can restore the domain. |
| renewPeriod | This status appears for a brief period once your domain's registration is renewed. | If you were charged for a renewed registration but do not want it, contact your registrar as soon as possible to explore any available options. |
| serverDeleteProhibited | While this status is active, your domain will not be deleted by the registry. While it can appear by request, it is typically seen concurrently with the redemptionPeriod status or during legal disputes. | If you did not request this status, you should contact your registrar to find out if there are any outstanding issues that need to be resolved. |
| serverHold | Your domain does not have any active DNS. | Contact your registrar for more information. |
| serverRenewProhibited | The registry has blocked any requests by the registrar to renew your domain, typically for legal reasons or when your domain is set to be deleted. | This status typically indicates an issue that needs to be resolved, so you should contact your registrar. Once the issue is resolved or you find there are no issues, your registrar can send a request to the registry to remove this status code. |
| serverTransferProhibited | Your domain cannot be transferred to another registrar, typically for legal reasons, other disputes, or when your status is also set to redemptionPeriod. However, certain registries also offer the option to purposely add this status as a means of protecting your domain from hijacking/fraud. | If you did not want to add this code, you should contact your registrar as soon as possible to figure out any issues that need to be addressed. Once any issues are resolved or you find there are no issues, your registrar can send a request to the registry to remove this status. |
| serverUpdateProhibited | Your domain's registration details cannot be updated, typically for legal reasons, other disputes, or when your status is also set to redemptionPeriod. However, certain registries also offer the option to purposely add this status as a means of protecting your domain. | If you did not want to add this code, you should contact your registrar as soon as possible to figure out any issues that need to be addressed. Once any issues are resolved or you find there are no issues, your registrar can send a request to the registry to remove this status. |
| transferPeriod | This status remains in effect for a certain period after the domain has been transferred to a new registrar. | If you never requested to transfer your domain to another registrar, please contact your original registrar as soon as you can. |