clientHold status

The registrar has told the registry not to publish the domain in DNS, so the domain does not resolve and its website and email stop working.

clientHold at a glance
EPP status code	`clientHold`
RDAP status	`client hold` (per RFC 8056)
Set by	Registrar
Category	Client status (set by the registrar)
Defined in	RFC 5731
ICANN reference	icann.org/epp#clientHold

What clientHold means

clientHold tells the registry not to publish the domain's delegation information (its name servers) in the TLD's DNS zone. Without a delegation, resolvers cannot find the domain, so its website, email and every other service on it stop working, even though the domain is still registered. In RDAP it appears as client hold.

The status is set by the registrar, not the registry. It is one of the two hold statuses defined in RFC 5731; the other, serverHold, is set by the registry and has the same effect on DNS.

Because resolvers cache DNS answers, a domain can keep resolving for a while after the hold is applied, and it can take a while to come back after the hold is lifted.

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

Why a domain has this status

Non-payment: the registration has expired or a renewal payment failed.
The registrant's contact details were not verified in time. ICANN-accredited registrars must verify registrant contact information, and suspending a domain whose details have not been confirmed is a common consequence.
A complaint about abuse, such as phishing, malware or spam, or a breach of the registrar's terms of service.
A legal dispute or court order, or the domain is about to be deleted.

What you should do

Contact your registrar. Only the registrar can remove clientHold, and it can tell you what is needed, usually a renewal payment, confirming your email address or resolving a complaint.
Check your inbox, including the spam folder, for messages from the registrar, especially a contact verification request, and check the domain's expiration date in a lookup.
After the hold has been removed, allow some time for DNS caches to update before the domain resolves everywhere again.

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.

serverHold: The registry has removed the domain from DNS, so it does not resolve and its website and email stop working until the hold is lifted.
inactive: The domain has no name servers delegated at the registry, so it is not published in DNS and does not resolve.
autoRenewPeriod: The domain has expired and the registry renewed it automatically; for gTLDs the registrar has up to 45 days to keep or delete it.
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).
clientRenewProhibited: The registrar has blocked renewals of the domain, an uncommon status usually tied to a legal dispute or a planned deletion.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my domain on clientHold?

Your registrar has suspended the domain in DNS. Common reasons are an expired registration or failed payment, an unverified registrant email address, an abuse complaint or a legal dispute. The registrar can tell you the exact reason and how to fix it.

Does clientHold mean my domain has been deleted?

No. The domain is still registered, but it does not resolve while the hold is in place. Once the registrar removes clientHold, the domain works again with its existing name servers.

What is the difference between clientHold and serverHold?

Both take the domain out of DNS. clientHold is set by the registrar, while serverHold is set by the registry. In both cases your registrar is the place to start.