The registrar has locked the domain against deletion.
The registry rejects any request to delete the domain while this status is set.
- EPP code
- clientDeleteProhibited
- In RDAP
- client delete prohibited
- Set by
- Your registrar (client status)
- Defined in
- RFC 5731 §2.3
- How serious
- Nothing wrong
Why it matters
It guards against accidental or malicious deletion through the registrar account.
When you’d see it
This protects a business domain from being deleted from a compromised or mistaken registrar account. If you really do want to give the domain up, letting it expire is usually simpler than asking for deletion.
How it shows up in a lookup
In a gTLD WHOIS lookup it appears as “Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited”; RDAP shows it as “client delete prohibited”. It is a client status, so only your registrar can add or remove it; the registry enforces it.
What to do
If you meant to delete the domain, sign in at your registrar and turn off the lock (often called "domain lock" or "transfer lock"), or ask their support to remove it. The change shows up in RDAP within minutes to hours.
Combination rules
pendingDelete must not be combined with clientDeleteProhibited (RFC 5731 §2.3).
Related codes
Sources
Sources
- RFC 5731 §2.3 (EPP Domain Name Mapping) · checked 5 Oct 2026
- ICANN: EPP Status Codes, What do they mean, and why should I know? · checked 5 Oct 2026
- RFC 8056: EPP and RDAP status mapping · checked 5 Oct 2026