Inactive
The domain has no delegated nameservers and is not in the DNS.
- RDAP value
inactive- Machine value
inactive- Applies to
- Domain
At a glance
- What it signals
- The domain has no delegated nameservers and is not in the DNS.
- Typical owner
- Registry policy
- Normality
- Inactive can be normal briefly after registration, a nameserver change, or deliberate parking.
The domain has no nameservers delegated, so it is not being served from the DNS. An inactive domain is often freshly registered, suspended, or no longer in use.
What it means
Inactive means the domain does not currently have delegation information associated with it. In practical terms, the registry is not publishing usable nameservers for the domain, so DNS queries normally return no working delegation and the domain does not resolve. The registration itself may still be valid and present in RDAP.
Who sets it
The registry reports the status from the domain's delegation state, while the registrar usually accepts and submits nameserver changes. A newly registered domain can remain inactive until nameservers are supplied or processed. A registry or registrar policy action can also leave a domain inactive, so the status alone does not identify who caused the condition.
Is it normal?
Inactive can be normal briefly after registration, a nameserver change, or deliberate parking. It is not normal for a domain that is expected to host a website, email, or other DNS service. A persistent inactive status deserves investigation, especially when the registrar account shows nameservers that RDAP does not yet report.
Should the registrant act?
If the domain should work, verify the intended nameservers with the DNS provider and compare them with the registrar's settings and the RDAP response. Check for validation, payment, or transfer issues that might prevent an update. Ask the registrar to investigate if correct nameservers were submitted but delegation has not appeared after the expected processing time.
How it can be removed
Inactive is removed when the registry accepts valid delegation information. The registrant normally supplies or corrects nameservers through the registrar; there may be TLD-specific host, glue, DNSSEC, or eligibility requirements. After the change, allow for registry and DNS cache timing, then query authoritative nameservers rather than relying only on a browser test.
Common status combinations
Inactive can accompany Pending Create or Pending Update while delegation is being provisioned. Client Hold or Server Hold may also be present and can continue to suppress DNS even after nameservers are added. Redemption Period and Pending Delete indicate a more serious expiration or deletion lifecycle, while OK or active states describe a normal alternative depending on the service's terminology.
RDAP status defined in RFC 9083 §10.2.2. The corresponding domain status is defined by the EPP Domain Name Mapping in RFC 5731.