timeout: the mail server did not answer in time

unknown reason: timeout

The mail server did not answer the verification in time.

What it means

EEV reached the domain's mail server, but the server did not finish the SMTP conversation within the time limit. Without an answer, the address cannot be confirmed or rejected.

Slow answers are a common defense of corporate mail gateways and anti-spam filters, and they also happen when a server is overloaded.

Why it happens

• A security gateway that delays unknown connections on purpose.
• A busy or slow mail server.
• Network problems between EEV and the server.

What to do

• Verify the address again later, a few hours apart, not in a quick loop.
• For a campaign, leave it out of the first send or send to it in a small separate batch and watch the bounces.

Example API response

{
    "email": "jane.doe@example.com",
    "result": "unknown",
    "reason": "timeout",
    "disposable": false,
    "accept_all": false,
    "role": false,
    "free": false,
    "user": "jane.doe",
    "domain": "example.com",
    "mx_record": "mx1.example.com",
    "mx_domain": "example.com",
    "safe_to_send": false,
    "did_you_mean": "",
    "success": true,
    "message": "Processing time: 812 ms",
    "http_code": "200"
}

Try it without an account: the API has a free sandbox key, eev_sandbox_key, that returns fixed answers for test addresses such as valid@, invalid@, unknown@ and catchall@sandbox.easyemailverification.com.

Check an address for freeClean a whole list