Email error 553 | InMotion Hosting

A 553 email error is normally related to SMTP authentication not being used. Most mail servers require that you authenticate with a valid user on that system, before you’re allowed to relay a remote message out. However some mail administrators will also using the 553 error if a user doesn’t exist or for various other reasons as well.

You should receive a bounce-back message from the server with a variation of email error 553 in the subject, and the body should contain your original message that you attempted to deliver.

Troubleshooting the Email Error 553

Example bounce-back message

Return-path: <>
Envelope-to: [email protected]
Delivery-date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:13:57 -0800
Received: from mailnull by biz29.inmotionhosting.com with local (Exim 4.69)
id 1RPwMH-0008Q0-2H
for [email protected]; Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:13:57 -0800
X-Failed-Recipients: [email protected]
Auto-Submitted: auto-replied
From: Mail Delivery System
To: [email protected]
Subject: Mail delivery failed: returning message to sender
Message-Id:
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:13:57 -0800

This message was created automatically by mail delivery software.

A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its
recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed:

[email protected]
SMTP error from remote mail server after RCPT TO:<[email protected]>:
host RemoteDomain.com [123.123.123.123]:
553 5.7.1 Not an open relay, so get lost

—— This is a copy of the message, including all the headers. ——

Return-path: <[email protected]>
Received: from chrisg6 by biz29.inmotionhosting.com with local (Exim 4.69)
(envelope-from <[email protected]>)
id 1RPwMG-0008Pm-5x
for [email protected]; Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:13:56 -0800
To: Recipient <[email protected]>
X-Autorespond: On vacation
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-Loop: “On vacation” <[email protected]>
Precedence: auto_reply
X-Precedence: auto_reply
From: “Sender” <[email protected]>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ansi_x3.110-1983
Subject: Email acknowledgement from Sender

Common variations of the 553 email error

553 5.7.1 Not an open relay, so get lost
553 Invalid user.
553 message blocked, you are not authorized to send mail, authentication is required.
553 Null Sender is not allowed.
553 5.1.1 sorry, no mailbox here by that name.
553 #5.1.8 Domain of sender address does not exist
553 5.3.0 … Address does not exist
553 5.3.0 … No such user
553 5.3.0 … No such user here
553 5.3.0 … User unknown, not local address
553-Message filtered. Please see the FAQs section on spamn
553 does not have a mailbox here
553 RemoteDomain.com does not accept mail sent to [email protected]
553 sorry, no mail-box here by that name. (#5.1.1)
553 sorry, no mailbox here by that name (#5.1.1)
553 sorry, rcpt user invalid (#5.7.1)
553 sorry, that domain isn’t in my list of allowed rcpthosts
553 sorry, that domain isn’t in my list of allowed rcpthosts (#5.7.1)
553 sorry, the recipient in not a valid user on this domain (#5.7.1)
553 sorry, this recipient doesn’t exist.
553 sorry, this recipient is not in my validrcptto list (#5.7.1)
553 sorry, your envelope sender is in my badmailfrom list (#5.7.1)
553 Your email address is denied.

Resolving a 553 email error bounceback

The 553 series of errors would typically be a hard bounce, and usually your message is rejected right away. For a better understanding of a soft or hard bounce is, and general email bounceback errors you can read why does email bounce, bounceback, or error?

In our example bounce-back error above the reason the message has failed is because of a misconfigured auto-reply that has failed to first authenticate with the mail server before attempting to relay a reply to a message.

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