clientHold domain status
clientHold tells the registry not to publish the domain in DNS, so it stops resolving while the registration stays intact. The sponsoring registrar sets it and can lift it.
Updated
- Set by
- Registrar (client code)
- Effect
- Domain does not resolve; registration untouched
- RDAP shows
- client hold
What clientHold means
Per RFC 5731, a domain on hold has its DNS delegation information withheld from publication: browsers and mail stop resolving it. clientHold is the client-side version, which means the sponsoring registrar decided to apply it, and the same registrar can remove it.
ICANN calls it an uncommon status, usually enacted during legal disputes, non-payment, or when the domain is subject to deletion. It is also the mechanism registrars use to suspend a domain after an abuse report or a legal demand: resolution stops while the registration record stays in place.
The hold affects DNS publication only. Renewal, transfer and update all remain possible unless the record also carries the matching prohibited codes.
On a domain you are watching
clientHold appearing on an infringing domain is the typical visible result of a registrar acting on an abuse report or legal demand. It can also mean non-payment or an unrelated dispute, so the code alone does not say who asked for it, but it does say the site is down at the DNS level.
Check a domain’s status codes
The lookup reads a domain’s live RDAP record and returns its current status set.
What to do about clientHold
If it is your domain, only the registrar can remove the code. Contact them to learn why it was set and what lifting it requires.
If it appeared on a domain you reported, capture the dated record for your files. The registration still exists and the hold can be lifted, so keep watching for the status to change.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
For visitors, effectively yes: the name stops resolving. But the registration itself is untouched and the registrar can restore resolution at any time, which is why it is a hold rather than a deletion.
Yes. clientHold blocks DNS publication only. Transfers, renewals and updates stay possible unless the record also carries the matching prohibited status such as clientTransferProhibited.
clientHold is set and lifted by the registrar. serverHold is set by the registry operator itself and takes precedence. The code alone does not say why; causes range from missing delegation data to registry-level enforcement.
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