1. Domain Lock or Status Restrictions
Symptoms: Error messages like “Update prohibited” or “Domain locked”.
Cause: Domain is locked at the registrar or has a status such as
clientTransferProhibited.Fix:
Unlock the domain in your account settings.
Ensure no pending transfer or hold status.
2. Invalid Name Server Hostnames
Symptoms: “Invalid nameserver” or “Host not found”.
Cause: Name servers do not exist or are misspelled.
Fix:
Verify the name server hostnames.
Ensure they resolve to valid IP addresses.
3. Missing Glue Records
Symptoms: Registry rejects in-zone name servers.
Cause: If name servers are within the same domain (e.g., ns1.example.com for example.com), glue records are required.
Fix:
Add glue records (IP addresses) at the registrar before updating.
4. DNSSEC Conflicts
Symptoms: Resolution fails after change.
Cause: DNSSEC enabled but new name servers lack matching DS records.
Fix:
Update DS records to match new DNSSEC keys.
Or disable DNSSEC before changing name servers.
5. Registry Policy Requirements
Symptoms: “Insufficient nameservers” or “Validation failed”.
Cause: TLD requires minimum two responsive name servers.
Fix:
Provide at least two valid, authoritative name servers.
Ensure they respond correctly to queries for your domain.
6. System or API Errors
Symptoms: Change appears stuck or not applied.
Cause: Registrar-side technical issue.
Fix:
Retry the update.
Contact support if issue persists.
7. Propagation Misunderstanding
Symptoms: Change accepted but old name servers still appear.
Cause: Cached delegation data at resolvers.
Fix:
Wait for parent zone TTL (usually 24–48 hours).
Use tools like
digor online DNS checkers to confirm authoritative data.