554: IP address on the GMX blocklist
Your sending IP is on a blocklist that GMX manages itself, so its servers refuse the connection. GMX keeps a strict no tolerance policy toward spam.
- GMX, WEB.DE
- Provider
- Permanent (5xx)
- Class
- Sources checked
- Author
At a glance
- Code
- 554
- Provider
- GMX, WEB.DE and mail.com
- Temporary or permanent
- PermanentRefused for good: the message comes back to the sender, and resending it gets the same answer.
- Who has to act
- The sender. The fix is on the sending side: your domain, your server or your list.
- What the server says
554 IP address is block listed
What it means
GMX runs its own blocklists, built on several criteria, alongside the public ones it consults. Case r0201 means your sending IP address is on one of those internal lists, so the GMX servers answer the connection with 554 and accept no mail from it. It is the example GMX itself uses on its error messages page. The case page asks only that you stop the spam coming from your system; it offers no form of its own, so a request for review goes through the general GMX postmaster contact form. A public blocklist check will not show this listing, because the list is internal to GMX.
Common causes
- Spam was sent to GMX, WEB.DE or mail.com from your IP address.
- Another customer on a shared IP or range sent spam that GMX recorded against the address.
- A compromised account or device on your network sent mail without your knowledge.
How to fix it
- 01Identify and stop whatever sent spam from the IP: compromised mailboxes, scripts, open relays.
- 02If you share the IP with others, ask your provider or relay for a clean address.
- 03Check public blocklists too, since a listing there often accompanies an internal one.
- 04When the source is fixed, ask for a review through the GMX postmaster contact form with the full error line and your IP addresses.
Sources
What this page rests on, checked on 20 Oct 2026. The explanation is ours; the reply text is the server's.
- GMX Postmaster case r0201: 554 IP address is block listedpostmaster.gmx.net
- Error messages (GMX Postmaster)postmaster.gmx.net
Related codes
- 554IP address on a Spamhaus blocklist.GMX refused the connection because your sending IP is listed on a Spamhaus blocklist. GMX makes no exceptions; the listing has to be removed at Spamhaus.
- 554IP address on a DNS blocklist.IONOS refused your mail because your sending IP has an entry on a DNS blocklist (DNSBL). IONOS will check an entry you believe is wrong.
- 554Transaction failed.The server permanently refused the transaction, often after receiving the message data or straight away when the connection opened.
554 at other providers
- 554Permanent rejection (554).Yahoo or AOL rejected the message for good with a 554. Yahoo uses this code for several problems, from failed authentication to unacceptable content, so the wording of the reply tells you which.
- 554Failed authentication.Yahoo or AOL refused the message because it failed the checks that confirm the sending domain, such as DKIM against the domain's policy. Yahoo lists this among its permanent 553 and 554 errors.
- 554Recipient does not exist.The Yahoo or AOL account you wrote to does not exist. The failure is permanent: check the address with the recipient, and remove it from any list.
- 554No reverse DNS (PTR) record.Xfinity refused the connection because your sending IP has no PTR record. Every server sending to Xfinity needs valid reverse DNS, so the owner of the IP must add one.
- 554No reverse DNS for your IP.IONOS refused your mail because the IP address of your mail server has no domain name assigned to it in DNS (no PTR record).
- 554Reverse DNS does not meet IONOS policy.IONOS refused your mail because the PTR record of your IP does not meet its policy, typically a generic or dynamic-looking provider name.
Further reading
All 57 GMX, WEB.DE codesEvery code in the wikiPaste your own bounce