# Troubleshoot domain registration (https://developer.godaddy.com/en/docs/api-users/troubleshoot-domain-registration) ## Overview This page covers errors you're likely to encounter when registering a domain through the GoDaddy Domains API. Registration is asynchronous and charges the account — read the [full registration guide](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/purchase-domains/register) before troubleshooting. ## Registration stays in `EXECUTING` status **Symptom:** `POST /v3/domains/registrations` returns `202 Accepted` and the status field shows `EXECUTING`. The status never changes to `COMPLETED`. **Cause:** Registration is asynchronous. `EXECUTING` is the normal initial state — the operation is in progress on GoDaddy's side. It is not an error. **Resolution:** * Poll `GET /v3/domains/registrations/{registrationId}` every few seconds until `status` reaches `COMPLETED` or `FAILED`. * Do not resubmit the registration while `status` is `EXECUTING`. Resubmitting can result in duplicate charges. * If `status` is `FAILED`, inspect the `error` field for the specific failure reason. * Use the `Idempotency-Key` header on the original request — if your client retries due to a network error, the server returns the original response without charging again. ## `422` with `QUOTE_EXPIRED` **Symptom:** `POST /v3/domains/registrations` returns `422` with `code: "QUOTE_EXPIRED"`. **Cause:** The `quoteToken` from `POST /v3/domains/registration-quotes` has expired. Quote tokens are short-lived and must be used promptly. **Resolution:** 1. Call `POST /v3/domains/registration-quotes` again with the same domain and contact details to get a fresh `quoteToken`. 2. Resubmit `POST /v3/domains/registrations` with the new `quoteToken`. 3. If you're seeing this frequently, reduce the time between quoting and registering — keep it under a minute in production flows. ## `422` with a `fields` validation error **Symptom:** `POST /v3/domains/registrations` returns `422` with a `fields` array listing specific field errors. **Cause:** The request body failed field-level validation. Common causes: * Missing or invalid registrant contact: `email`, `phone`, `addressMailing`, or `nameFirst`/`nameLast` not provided or malformed. * Domain name format error: unsupported characters, missing TLD, or invalid punycode. * TLD-specific requirements not met: some TLDs require additional contact fields or eligibility verification. **Resolution:** * Inspect each object in the `fields` array — the `path` field identifies which request property failed and `message` explains why. * Verify all required registrant contact fields are present. Go to [Register a domain — contacts](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/purchase-domains/register#registrant-contact) for the required schema. * For IDN (internationalized) domains, the domain name must be in punycode A-label form. ## `403` with `ACCOUNT_NOT_ELIGIBLE` **Symptom:** `POST /v3/domains/registrations` or `POST /v3/domains/registration-quotes` returns `403` with `code: "ACCOUNT_NOT_ELIGIBLE"`. **Cause:** The account lacks a funded billing method, or is not eligible to register the specific TLD. **Resolution:** * Add a payment method at [account.godaddy.com/payment-methods](https://account.godaddy.com/payment-methods). Go to [Set up a payment profile](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/payment-profile). * Some TLDs (country-code TLDs, restricted TLDs) require additional account eligibility. Check the TLD-specific agreements returned by `GET /v3/domains/agreements?tlds={tld}`. ## Duplicate charge on retry **Symptom:** A network failure caused the client to retry the registration, and the account was charged twice. **Cause:** The first request succeeded server-side but the response was lost in transit. The retry created a second registration. **Resolution:** * Always include an `Idempotency-Key` header with a UUID that's stable for the lifetime of a single registration intent. * If a request returns a network error (not a `4xx` or `5xx`), retry with the same `Idempotency-Key`. The server returns the original response without charging again. * If a duplicate charge already occurred, contact GoDaddy support with the `registrationId` values. ## Domain not available **Symptom:** `POST /v3/domains/registrations` returns `422` with a code indicating the domain isn't available. **Cause:** The domain was registered or reserved by someone else between your availability check and the registration attempt, or the domain is in a status that prevents registration (for example, redemption period). **Resolution:** * Call `GET /v3/domains/check-availability` immediately before registering — don't cache availability results. * If the exact domain is unavailable, use the suggestions endpoint to find alternatives. * Go to [Search domain availability](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/search-domains) for the availability check workflow. ## `422` with `NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE` **Symptom:** API returns `422` with `code: "NO_PAYMENT_PROFILE"`. **Cause:** The account has no payment method on file. Registration charges the billing method and cannot proceed without one. **Resolution:** * Add a payment method. Go to [Set up a payment profile](https://developer.godaddy.com/docs/api-users/payment-profile). * Once a payment method is on file, retry the registration with a fresh `quoteToken`.