Fix the WHMCS "Licence Invalid" error

WHMCS licences are tied to a domain, IP and directory. Moving the installation invalidates the licence until it is reissued.

WHMCS shows "Licence Invalid" on the admin login page. Applies to reseller accounts running WHMCS.

Why it happens

A WHMCS licence is bound to the domain, IP address and directory it was issued for. Change any of them and the licence no longer matches:

Moving WHMCS to another server, so the IP changed
Moving it to a different domain or subdomain
Moving it into a different directory
The licence expiring or its renewal invoice going unpaid

If your licence came from WebGee

Open a ticket to the billing department asking for a WHMCS licence reissue. Include:

The new domain and directory
The new IP address
When you moved it

A reissue takes effect immediately once processed.

Ask for the reissue before you move, if you can. WHMCS is unusable while the licence is invalid — no admin access, no client area, no automated provisioning — so an unplanned move means an outage until the reissue is done.

If your licence came from elsewhere

Reissue it yourself from the WHMCS client area, or through whoever supplied it. WebGee cannot reissue a licence we did not provide.

If you have not moved anything

The server's IP changed. It happens during infrastructure work; the licence still needs reissuing.
The renewal invoice is unpaid. Check your billing.
The licence key in configuration.php is wrong — corrupted by a restore from an old backup, for instance.

Check it worked

Reload the admin login page. The error should be gone.

If it persists after a reissue, confirm the licence key in configuration.php matches the one issued, and that the URL you are using matches the one the licence was issued for — www.example.com and example.com are different as far as the licence is concerned.