serverHold: registry has suspended the domain
serverHold is the registry-applied equivalent of clientHold. The domain is removed from DNS and does not resolve. Unlike clientHold, only the registry can remove this status. It is typically triggered by court order, government request, or registry policy violation. Resolution is usually slow or impossible.
serverHold rarely transitions to deletion through public processes. Watch only if you have specific reason to believe the underlying issue will resolve.
Quick facts
What this status means
serverHold is applied at the registry level — Verisign for .com/.net, PIR for .org, Identity Digital for many gTLDs. Registrars cannot remove it. The registrant cannot remove it. The registry must affirmatively decide to lift it.
Common triggers: court orders (typically trademark cases or law enforcement seizure), registry policy violations (spam, abuse at scale), and state-level enforcement actions.
Some seized domains have sat on serverHold for years before being deleted, transferred to government control, or returned. The .com seizure of mega-piracy domains by US ICE is a well-known example.
For buyers, serverHold is functionally a dead end. The domain is unlikely to drop publicly because the registry is treating it as restricted. If it does ever transition, the path is opaque — there is no public timeline.
Timeline
- 01
Hold applied
Registry sets serverHold. DNS removed. Registrar and registrant are notified but cannot reverse.
- 02
Investigation / litigation
Whatever underlying process triggered the hold proceeds at its own pace. This can take months or years.
- 03
Resolution
Possibilities: (a) hold is lifted and domain returns to ok, (b) domain is transferred to a new registrant by court order, (c) registry deletes the domain (rare and usually after a long process).
What to do if you are watching a domain in this status
- Generally not worth watching. The probability of a serverHold domain dropping cleanly in a predictable window is very low.
- If you have inside knowledge of the underlying case (e.g. a public court docket), you may be able to estimate a timeline. Otherwise treat as effectively unavailable.
Real-world examples
- Domains seized in piracy/IP enforcement actions are placed on serverHold and typically transferred to government-controlled registrants rather than deleted.
- Spam-network domains identified by registry abuse teams may go to serverHold and stay there until the abuse complaint resolves.
- A registry-level legal dispute can result in a domain sitting in serverHold for years while litigation proceeds.
Frequently asked questions
Who can remove serverHold?
Only the registry. Not the registrar, not the registrant, not ICANN. The trigger that caused the hold must be resolved with the registry directly.
How long does serverHold last?
Indefinitely. There is no policy maximum. Some domains have been on serverHold for 10+ years.
Will a serverHold domain ever become available to register?
Possibly, but rarely. The more common outcomes are: (a) reinstated to original registrant, (b) transferred to a new registrant by court order, (c) sustained indefinite hold. Pure deletion is uncommon.
How is serverHold different from clientHold?
clientHold is registrar-applied and registrar-reversible (often within days). serverHold is registry-applied and only registry-reversible (often within years, if at all).
Does serverHold appear with other status codes?
Yes. Often combined with serverTransferProhibited, serverUpdateProhibited, and serverDeleteProhibited to fully lock the domain pending resolution.
Related statuses
- clientHoldclientHold is an EPP status the registrar applies to remove a domain from DNS without dele…
- serverTransferProhibitedserverTransferProhibited is a registry-applied EPP status that blocks transfer at the regi…
- serverUpdateProhibitedserverUpdateProhibited is a registry-applied EPP status that blocks updates to the domain.…
- serverDeleteProhibitedserverDeleteProhibited is a registry-applied EPP status that prevents the domain from bein…
References
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