Also called domain status codes · domain status
EPP status codes, explained
The codes come from the Extensible Provisioning Protocol that registrars use to talk to registries, and server codes take precedence over client codes. The ones investors meet most are ok, meaning no restrictions; clientTransferProhibited, the normal registrar lock; clientHold or serverHold, meaning the name is pulled from the DNS and does not resolve; addPeriod, autoRenewPeriod and redemptionPeriod, the grace states after registration, expiry and deletion; and pendingDelete, meaning the name will be purged within days and can no longer be restored.
Read the codes before you buy or bid. ICANN describes serverTransferProhibited as uncommon and usually set during legal or other disputes, at the owner's request, as with a registry lock, or while a name is in redemption, so a seller whose name carries it should explain why. A hold status explains why a watched name suddenly stopped resolving, and pendingTransfer during a sale shows the move is under way. Check the live RDAP record rather than a cached third-party page.
Example. An RDAP lookup on a name at auction shows serverTransferProhibited, so the bidder asks the seller whether a dispute or a registry lock is in place before paying.
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