How to remove your IP from PSBL

PSBL is an easy-on, easy-off spamtrap blocklist. Here is why your IP is listed and how to clear it in minutes.

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What it is

The list, in plain terms.

The PSBL (Passive Spam Block List) is a spamtrap-driven DNSBL published in the zone psbl.surriel.com. It is run by Rik van Riel and powered by Spamikaze, the open-source software written to make it easy for administrators to run their own blocklist. It is "passive": it never probes or tests remote servers, it only records the IP addresses that send mail to its spamtrap addresses.

Its design principle is "easy on, easy off". An IP is listed the moment it hits a spamtrap, and anyone can remove any IP at any time through a self-service form. That low-friction removal is meant to reduce the cost of false positives, since a legitimate server that was abused can be delisted immediately.

PSBL lists IP addresses, not domains — it is your sending server that is flagged. It is one of a number of secondary blocklists; some receivers query it directly and SpamAssassin includes it by default, so a listing can cause deferrals or rejections at those sites until the IP is removed.

Why you get listed

What a listing on PSBL means.

Your IP delivered mail to a spamtrap An IP is added when it sends email to one of the spamtrap addresses that feed PSBL, that mail is not identified as legitimate, and the IP is not a known mail server. In most cases the IP genuinely sent unsolicited mail.

A compromised or infected host Virus-infected machines and hijacked accounts are a common cause of false positives. The IP is listed because spam left it, even though the operator did not send it deliberately.

A shared or poorly configured server If the IP is a shared outbound relay, one abused account or one misconfigured script hitting a trap is enough to list the address for everyone sending through it.

How to get removed

Delisting, in order.

Removal is free. Fix the cause first — a listing you clear without a fix comes straight back.

1 Confirm the listing and read the history. Look your IP up at psbl.org. The lookup shows whether the address is or was listed and the time each spamtrap received mail from it, so you can see when and why it was added.
2 Fix the cause before you remove it. Because PSBL is spamtrap-driven, removing the IP without stopping the source means the next trap hit relists it. Clean any malware, secure the abused account, close open relays or scripts, and check your list hygiene so no more trap mail is sent.
3 Remove the IP through the self-service form. Go to psbl.org/remove, enter the IP address (not an email address), and submit. Removal is instant on the server; allow up to half an hour for the change to propagate across DNS. Anyone can remove any IP — no justification or account is required.
4 Or let it expire. If you take no action and no further spamtrap mail is seen from the IP, PSBL expires the listing automatically after roughly two to three weeks of inactivity.
5 Re-check before you resume sending. After about 30 minutes, look the IP up again at psbl.org to confirm the listing has cleared before you ramp your sending back up.

The official route

Straight to the source.

Removal happens on PSBL's own tool — never through a paid service.

PSBL removal tool ↗

How long it takes

Self-service removal is instant on the server, with up to about 30 minutes for DNS to propagate. If you do nothing, an inactive IP expires from the list automatically after roughly two to three weeks. Remove the IP without fixing the cause and the next spamtrap hit relists it.

Common questions

About PSBL, specifically.

Does PSBL charge to remove my IP? No. Removal is free and self-service at psbl.org/remove. Any service offering to remove a PSBL listing for a fee is a scam — anyone can do it themselves at no cost in under a minute.

How long does PSBL removal take? The removal is applied instantly, but DNS caches need time to catch up, so allow up to about half an hour before every receiver sees the change.

Why is my IP on PSBL if I never sent spam? Your IP delivered mail to a PSBL spamtrap. This often happens through a virus-infected machine, a compromised account, or a shared server where someone else triggered the trap. Fix the source, then remove the IP.

Can anyone really remove any IP? Yes. PSBL is deliberately "easy off": the removal form asks for no justification and no account. That is by design, to keep the cost of a false positive low.

I removed my IP but it was listed again — why? Because the underlying source was still active. PSBL relists an IP as soon as it sends to a spamtrap again. Stop the trap mail at the source before you remove the listing.

What DNS zone does PSBL use? psbl.surriel.com. Receivers query it the same way as any other DNSBL, and SpamAssassin has included it by default since version 3.3.0.

The bounce behind the listing.

554 5.7.1 message rejected → The permanent bounce a listing most often triggers — what it means and how to clear it. 550 5.7.1 blocked → A rejection on reputation grounds — usually the same listing, seen from the sender side. Blacklist checker → Re-check your domain and every sending IP once the cause is fixed.

Do not fix it blind.

See every list you are on and every authentication problem behind the listing in one 40-second check — then let monitoring tell you the day a listing comes back.

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