Step 1 - Disable DNSSEC
Cloudflare cannot provide authoritative DNS resolution for a domain — a full setup or "orange-clouded" domain — when DNSSEC is enabled at your domain registrar.
If you do not disable DNSSEC before changing your nameservers, you might experience the following issues:
- DNS does not resolve after switching to Cloudflare’s nameservers
- DNS query response status is SERVFAIL
- The domain remains in a Pending status in the Cloudflare Overview app
If you experience these issues, see Configuring DNSSEC and Troubleshooting DNSSEC.
Step 2 - Register the domain
If the issue is with your registrar, you may see the following error messages:
- exampledomain.com is not a registered domain (Code: 1049)
- We were unable to identify bad.psl-example as a registered domain. Please ensure you are providing the root domain and not any subdomains (e.g., example.com, not subdomain.example.com) (Code: 1099)
- Failed to lookup registrar and hosting information of exampledomain.com at this time. Please contact Cloudflare Support or try again later. (Code: 1110)
If you see these error messages, make sure that:
- You are providing the root domain (
example.com) and not a subdomain (www.example.com) - You domain is fully registered and its registration data lists its nameservers
- Your domain uses a verified top-level domain (TLD)
Step 3 - Resolve DNS for root domain
Before a domain can be added to Cloudflare, the domain must return NS records for valid, working nameservers. NS records can be checked via third-party online tools such as https://www.whatsmydns.net or via a command-line terminal using a dig command:
dig +short ns cloudflare.com ns3.cloudflare.com. ns4.cloudflare.com. ns5.cloudflare.com. ns6.cloudflare.com. ns7.cloudflare.com.
Additionally, the domain must return a valid SOA record when queried. SOA records can be checked via third-party online tools such as https://www.whatsmydns.net or via a command-line terminal:
dig +short soa cloudflare.com ns3.cloudflare.com. dns.cloudflare.com. 2029202248 10000 2400 604800 300
Step 4 - Check if the domain is restricted at Cloudflare
If Cloudflare has temporary or permanent restrictions on a domain, you will see the following errors:
- Error 1105
- Message: Error with Cloudflare request: [1105] This zone is temporarily restricted and cannot be added to Cloudflare at this time, please contact Cloudflare Support.
- Cause: We have seen too many attempts to add a domain to Cloudflare
- Resolution: Wait 3 hours before attempting to re-add the domain to Cloudflare. Support cannot speed up this process.
- Error 1093 or 1116
- Message: This zone cannot be added to Cloudflare at this time, please contact Cloudflare Support. (Code: 1093)
- Cause: You may have entered a subdomain (
www.example.com) instead of the root domain (example.com). - Resolution: Verify that you are entering a root domain. If you are and still experience issues, contact Cloudflare Support.
- Error 1097
- Message: This web property cannot be added to Cloudflare at this time. If you are an Enterprise customer, contact your Customer Success Manager. Otherwise, email [email protected] with a detailed explanation of your association with this zone. (Code: 1097)
- Resolution: Contact [email protected] with a detailed explanation of your association with this zone.
