Orange and Wanadoo Bounce Codes: What Orange's Numeric Error Codes Mean

Orange documents its bounce codes as plain numbers: 416 means the user doesn't exist, 506 means suspected spam, 515 means a DMARC failure, and the 98x codes mean you are being rate limited for low reputation. The list comes from Orange's postmaster page for senders, which we read on 9 November 2026. The codes below are paraphrased from it. Some are fixed on your server and some on your list, and the 416s are the ones you can prevent entirely.

Check an orange.fr address →

The codes at a glance

Code	What Orange's page says it means	Fix is on
99, 103	Sending IP is blacklisted by Orange	Your IP
100, 101, 102	IP listed on Abusix, Spamhaus or Cloudmark	Your IP
104	Too many simultaneous connections	Your server
107	Missing PTR (reverse DNS) record	Your DNS
109	Too many messages per SMTP connection	Your server
20x	Invalid HELO/EHLO	Your server
397, 398	SPF error on sender domain	Your DNS
405	DNS error on sender domain	Your DNS
406, 536	Sender rejected	Your reputation
416	User doesn't exist here	Your list
425	Sender domain blacklisted	Your domain
506	Blocked as suspected spam	Content and list
515	DMARC failed, rejected under your policy	Your DNS
519	Sending IP not authorised by your SPF record	Your DNS
535	DKIM signature missing	Your sending setup
988	Rate limited, low message reputation	Content and list
989, 990	Sending domain rate limited, low reputation	Your domain

Orange also notes other 99x codes mean rate limiting for poor behaviour. The page says to use its contact form and pick the deliverability option for codes it doesn't list.

416: the user doesn't exist

This is the plainest one. Orange says the user doesn't exist and the address should be removed. It is a permanent failure, so retrying does nothing.

What to do:

1. Suppress the address now, not after the next send.
2. Look at the rest of the batch. If one orange.fr address from a source is dead, others from the same source usually are. Consumer lists from older sign-ups collect closed accounts over the years.
3. Verify the orange.fr and wanadoo.fr rows before the next campaign. Check a few at the Orange email checker or run the list through /verify.

550 5.1.1 user unknown covers the same problem at providers that use enhanced codes.

Authentication codes: 397, 398, 515, 519, 535

Orange's page says SPF, DKIM and DMARC are all mandatory, with ARC strongly recommended for forwarded mail. Four of the codes above map to those checks directly:

• 397 and 398 point to an SPF error on your sender domain.
• 519 means your sending IP isn't authorised by your SPF record. A tool is sending as your domain but isn't listed.
• 535 means there was no DKIM signature.
• 515 means DMARC failed and the message was rejected under your own policy.

What to do: check the domain with the email domain health checker and the DMARC alignment checker. Add every sending service to SPF, and sign with DKIM from each. If SPF is near its lookup limit, the SPF lookup counter shows how close. SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained is the long version.

IP and DNS codes: 99 to 107, 20x, 405

These are about your sending setup, not your list:

• 99 and 103 mean Orange has blacklisted the IP itself.
• 100 to 102 mean the IP appears on Abusix, Spamhaus or Cloudmark lists. Check it at the IP blacklist check.
• 107 means no PTR record. Orange wants a static IP with a valid PTR; see the reverse DNS lookup.
• 20x means the HELO/EHLO name isn't a valid fully qualified name.
• 405 is a DNS error on the sender domain. Orange also says the domain needs valid A or MX records.

Listings often follow bad list quality, so removing the listing without fixing the list invites the next one. Spamhaus listings explained covers how that happens.

506, 988, 989, 990: reputation and spam signals

506 is a block for suspected spam. The 988 to 990 codes are rate limits tied to low reputation, on the message or on the sending domain. They are slowdowns, not permanent refusals, but they usually come before a block.

Orange's page says a large sender, meaning one sending over 1,000 messages a day, must follow M3AAWG best practices and keep spam complaints low. It states the protection threshold is 0.6% and says Orange plans to move it to 0.3%.

What to do:

1. Send less to people who don't engage. Complaints are what these thresholds measure. A sunset policy for inactive subscribers helps.
2. Remove dead addresses. Hard bounces are part of the reputation picture.
3. Slow the send to Orange. The email send rate calculator helps plan it.

Orange's limits and requirements

From the same page, as we read it:

• 100 messages per connection recommended, and up to two simultaneous connections per sending IP.
• Up to 100 recipients per message.
• Messages up to 45MB.
• TLS 1.2 or higher; older versions are no longer supported.
• A static sending IP with a valid PTR, and a fully qualified HELO/EHLO name.
• Recipient lists kept current, with bounces handled.

Orange adds that actual limits may vary with your reputation. Most email platforms already respect these. If you run your own server, set connection and batch limits under them.

Keep Orange bounces off your list

The server codes are fixed once. The 416s come back every time the list ages. A simple routine:

1. Pull out orange.fr, wanadoo.fr and similar rows and check them first.
2. Verify the full file at /verify. Suppress invalid rows for good; send risky rows in a small, slower group.
3. Re-check lists that sat unused. How often to verify an email list gives a schedule.
4. Read every bounce. The bounce message analyzer explains the ones that aren't clear.

For other European providers, GMX and WEB.DE bounce messages and T-Online bounce messages work the same way.

Quick answers

• Is a 98x code a bounce? It is a rate limit tied to reputation. Treat it as a warning to send less and clean the list.
• Are Wanadoo addresses still live? Many are. The only way to know for your list is to check them.
• Does fixing DNS stop 416s? No. 416s are dead mailboxes, so the list is what to fix.

Try it on your own list

Upload a sample at /verify. The first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card.

Pro, $39 a month: Unlimited email verification.* Never metered, never cut off. See pricing.

*Fair use: the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off.