Policy rejection

What a policy refusal establishes

A receiving server can restrict which sources may send to a destination. The enhanced status family 5.7.x covers security and policy conditions. For example, 5.7.1 can describe filtering by sending host or recipient, as explained in RFC 3463. A permanent refusal of this operation cannot establish that the mailbox is absent.

Why the command stage matters

SMTP_POLICY_REJECTED can record a policy refusal at the recipient step. The server has heard the address and declined this attempt under its rules. It may still accept a message from another sender.

SMTP_SENDER_REJECTED concerns the envelope sender, before Emvero asks about the recipient. SMTP_EGRESS_REPUTATION_REJECTED identifies a policy or reputation refusal at that sender stage. Both concern Emvero’s attempt; neither measures your sending reputation. The SMTP handshake explanation sets out the command order.

Using the result in your workflow

If no other evidence determines the decision, the refusal returns unknown with allow_with_email_confirmation. For a product that requires mailbox control, have your application send confirmation and enforce that requirement. The policy reply alone cannot justify calling the address nonexistent.

A queue failure or a probe omitted by Emvero has a different cause from a remote refusal. The explanation of service-side verification limits covers those cases. Read the status, recommended action and reasons together, using the verification result guide. A refusal or a positive probe describes the observed attempt and cannot predict every future delivery outcome.