Registrar-Lock

REGISTRAR-LOCK is a status code that can be set on an Internet domain name by the sponsoring registrar of the domain name.^[1][2] This is usually done in order to prevent unauthorized, unwanted or accidental changes to the domain name.

When set, the following actions are prohibited by the domain name registry:

• Modification of the domain name, including:
  • Transferring of the domain name
  • Deletion of the domain name
• Modification of the domain contact details

Renewal of the domain name is, however, still possible when REGISTRAR-LOCK is set.

Not all Top-level domains (TLDs) support REGISTRAR-LOCK,^[3] e.g. .org.uk, and others.

The .ca TLD added support for REGISTRAR-LOCK in October 2010.

RFC 2832, section 6, and RFC 3632, section 2.1, lists the different status codes and their descriptions.

When a domain name is protected by REGISTRAR-LOCK at the registrar level the domain name will have the status code "ClientUpdateProhibited.^[4]" The status codes of domain name can be found using the WHOIS system.^[5]

For a domain name to be eligible for transfer from the sponsoring registrar to a different registrar the REGISTRAR-LOCK must first be disabled at the sponsoring registrar.^[6]

REGISTRAR-LOCK is not the same as REGISTRY-LOCK.^[7]

REGISTRY-LOCK is a strong security feature implemented at the registry level that is used to prevent unauthorized changes to a domain ^[8] name. When a domain name has been locked at the registry, an agent of the sponsoring registrar must transmit a request to the registry to unlock the domain name. The agent of the sponsoring registrar requesting that the domain name be unlocked is subsequently contacted via a phone call by the registry and required to provide a secret passphrase over the phone for the domain name to be unlocked. This is an added layer of security that can be used to ^[9]protect strategic domain names.

When a domain name is protected by REGISTRY-LOCK at the registry level the domain name will have the status code "ServerUpdateProhibited."^[10]

See also

• Domain privacy
• Domain slamming
• Transfer secret