The registry has locked the domain against deletion.
The registry rejects delete requests for the domain. It is set during legal disputes, at the owner’s request through a registry lock, or while a redemption period is in place.
- EPP code
- serverDeleteProhibited
- In RDAP
- server delete prohibited
- Set by
- The registry (server status)
- Defined in
- RFC 5731 §2.3
- How serious
- Informational
Why it matters
Usually protective. If you didn’t ask for it, ask your registrar why it is there.
When you’d see it
You may see it on a domain involved in a dispute (for example a UDRP case), where the name is frozen until the case is settled.
How it shows up in a lookup
In a gTLD WHOIS lookup it appears as “Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited https://icann.org/epp#serverDeleteProhibited”; RDAP shows it as “server delete prohibited”. It is a server status, so only the registry can add or remove it, and it overrides anything your registrar sets.
What to do
If you need to delete the domain, ask your registrar to contact the registry. This takes longer than a registrar lock because the registrar has to pass the request on and the registry must lift it; some registries sell it deliberately as "registry lock".
Combination rules
pendingDelete must not be combined with serverDeleteProhibited (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