clientRenewProhibited status

The registrar has blocked renewals of the domain, an uncommon status usually tied to a legal dispute or a planned deletion.

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

What clientRenewProhibited means

clientRenewProhibited tells the registry to reject requests to renew the domain, so its registration cannot be extended while the status is in place. It is set by the sponsoring registrar and appears in RDAP as client renew prohibited.

Unlike the transfer, update and delete locks, this status is not part of a normal registrar lock. ICANN describes it as an uncommon status that is usually applied during legal disputes or when the domain is subject to deletion.

The domain keeps working while the status is set, but its expiration date cannot be pushed back until the registrar removes it.

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

Why a domain has this status

  • The domain is the subject of a legal dispute or a court order.
  • The registrar intends to delete the domain, for example because of non-payment or a breach of its terms of service.
  • The registrar's own policy, for instance while the account is suspended or under review.

What you should do

  • Contact your registrar and ask why renewals are blocked. This status usually means there is an issue that has to be resolved first.
  • Check the expiration date in a lookup so you know how much time you have, and deal with the issue well before that date.
  • If serverRenewProhibited is shown as well, the registry is also involved, and your registrar will have to work with it to lift the block.

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.

  • serverRenewProhibited: The registry won't allow the domain to be renewed, an uncommon status usually linked to a legal dispute or an upcoming deletion.
  • clientHold: 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.
  • pendingRenew: A request to renew the domain has been received and is being processed, but the renewal has not been completed yet.
  • 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).

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I renew my domain?

If a lookup shows clientRenewProhibited, your registrar has blocked renewals; with serverRenewProhibited, the registry has. Both are uncommon and usually relate to a dispute, unpaid fees or a planned deletion, so contact your registrar to find out what needs to be fixed.

Does clientRenewProhibited affect my website?

Not directly. The domain keeps resolving until it expires or another status such as clientHold is added. The risk is that the registration cannot be extended before its expiration date.

Further reading