deleteProhibited domain status
deleteProhibited rejects requests to delete the domain. The client variant is anti-fraud hygiene from the registrar; the server variant is uncommon and usually tied to a legal dispute.
Updated
- Set by
- Registrar (client) or registry (server)
- Effect
- Deletion of the domain is rejected
- RDAP shows
- client delete prohibited / server delete prohibited
What clientDeleteProhibited / serverDeleteProhibited means
Per RFC 5731, requests to delete the object must be rejected while the status is set. clientDeleteProhibited is the registrar-set version, which ICANN notes prevents unauthorized deletions from hijacking or fraud. If the registrant genuinely wants the name gone, the registrar has to lift the code first.
serverDeleteProhibited is registry-set and uncommon: ICANN says it is usually enacted during legal disputes, at the registrant’s request, or when a redemptionPeriod is in place. It also forms part of paid Registry Lock bundles.
On a domain you are watching
The client variant on a lookalike is routine hygiene. The server variant tells a different story: it keeps the name from being deleted mid-dispute. ICANN also lists it during redemptionPeriod, so check the rest of the status list before reading it as protection from the drop.
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 clientDeleteProhibited / serverDeleteProhibited
To delete a domain carrying the client code, ask the registrar to remove it first. The server variant must be lifted by the registry through the registrar.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Accidental and hostile deletions are both real risks: a hijacker who gains account access can destroy a business by deleting its domain. The client code is cheap insurance against that, which is why registrars offer or default it.
No. It blocks delete requests, not the passage of time. A domain can still reach its expiry date and be auto-renewed, but it cannot be deleted into redemptionPeriod or pendingDelete until the registry lifts the code.
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