clientDeleteProhibited status

The registrar has locked the domain against deletion, protecting it from being deleted by mistake or by an attacker.

clientDeleteProhibited at a glance
EPP status codeclientDeleteProhibited
RDAP statusclient delete prohibited (per RFC 8056)
Set byRegistrar
CategoryClient status (set by the registrar)
Defined inRFC 5731
ICANN referenceicann.org/epp#clientDeleteProhibited

What clientDeleteProhibited means

clientDeleteProhibited tells the registry to reject requests to delete the domain. It is set by the sponsoring registrar and appears in RDAP as client delete prohibited.

A deleted domain stops resolving and, once its grace periods have run out, can be registered by anyone, so this lock is a sensible safeguard. It is usually bundled with clientTransferProhibited and clientUpdateProhibited as part of a registrar's domain lock.

The status has no effect on day-to-day use: the website, email and DNS keep working, and the domain can still be renewed.

Official definition: ICANN, EPP Status Codes: What Do They Mean, and Why Should I Know? (clientDeleteProhibited)

Why a domain has this status

  • It is part of the registrar's default security settings or its domain lock feature.
  • The registrant asked for it as protection against accidental or unauthorized deletion.

What you should do

  • Leave it on unless you really want to delete the domain.
  • If you do want to delete the domain, ask your registrar to remove this status first, or use its delete or cancel option, which normally takes care of the lock. For most gTLDs, a domain deleted after its add grace period goes into a 30-day redemption period before it is released.
  • If you simply don't need the domain any more, you usually don't have to delete it at all: turn off auto-renew and let it expire.

Check a domain's status

Look up any domain to see its current status codes, registrar, expiration date and name servers from the registry's RDAP or WHOIS service.

  • serverDeleteProhibited: The registry has locked the domain against deletion, which is typical of a registry lock and of domains in the redemption period.
  • clientTransferProhibited: The registrar has locked the domain against transfers to another registrar, the standard protection against domain hijacking.
  • clientUpdateProhibited: The registrar has locked the domain against changes, so its name servers, contacts and DNSSEC data can't be updated.
  • redemptionPeriod: The domain was deleted and no longer resolves, but its owner can restore it for a fee during the redemption period (30 days for gTLDs).
  • pendingDelete: The domain is being deleted. After the redemption period it can't be restored, and gTLD domains are released about 5 days later.

Frequently asked questions

Does clientDeleteProhibited stop a domain from expiring?

No. It only blocks delete requests while it is set. If the registration is not renewed, the registrar can remove its own locks and the domain goes through the normal expiry process.

Is clientDeleteProhibited the same as serverDeleteProhibited?

Both block deletion. clientDeleteProhibited is set by the registrar and can be removed by it, while serverDeleteProhibited is set by the registry, for example as part of a registry lock service, and only the registry can remove it.

Further reading