What do the status codes on my domain mean?
Registries attach status codes to every domain. Codes starting with client are set by your registrar, codes starting with server by the registry, and the rest track pending work or grace periods. A lookup shows them in camelCase (WHOIS) or as phrases (RDAP).
Set by your registrar
clientTransferProhibitedYour registrar’s transfer lock is on, which protects against hijacking.clientUpdateProhibitedThe registrar has locked the domain against changes.clientDeleteProhibitedThe registrar has locked the domain against deletion.clientRenewProhibitedThe registrar is blocking renewal.clientHoldThe registrar has taken the domain out of the DNS.
Set by the registry
okNothing is pending and nothing is locked.inactiveNo nameservers are attached, so the domain does not resolve.serverTransferProhibitedThe registry is blocking transfers to another registrar.serverUpdateProhibitedThe registry has locked the domain against changes.serverDeleteProhibitedThe registry has locked the domain against deletion.serverRenewProhibitedThe registry is blocking renewal.serverHoldThe registry has taken the domain out of the DNS.pendingCreateA registration request is still being processed.pendingTransferA move to another registrar is in progress.pendingUpdateA change to the domain is waiting to complete.pendingRenewA renewal is being processed.pendingDeleteThe domain is being deleted and will soon be released.
Grace periods (RFC 3915)
addPeriodThe domain was registered in the last few days.autoRenewPeriodThe registry just renewed the domain automatically at expiry.renewPeriodThe domain was explicitly renewed recently.transferPeriodThe domain moved to a new registrar recently.redemptionPeriodThe domain was deleted and can still be restored for a limited time.pendingRestoreA restore from redemption has been requested and is waiting for paperwork.
Sources
- RFC 5731 §2.3: Status values · checked 5 Oct 2026
- RFC 3915 §3: Redemption grace period statuses · checked 5 Oct 2026
- ICANN: EPP Status Codes · checked 5 Oct 2026