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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

A good year for .nl

  • Tuesday 19 December 2017

2017 was a year when the economy picked up and internet activity in the Netherlands reached a new peak. The .nl zone continued to grow and, for the first time since 2010, more .nl domain names were registered than the year before.

.nl domain names put to use much sooner

Registrations up on 2016

This year, for the first time in years, the number of registrations was up on the year before. In the eleven months to 1 December, more than 780,000 new .nl domain names were registered. That's twenty thousand up on the same period in 2016. Because a lot of domain names were also cancelled, the .nl zone grew by about 100,000 to a little over 5.8 million names. Meaning that the Netherlands has the highest domain name density in the world. With a population of just seventeen million, the country has nine million domain names!

Jeffrey van Draanen registered kingscake.nl

“Kingscake is a platform where you can buy exclusive cakes and desserts. Something special for an event, a corporate gathering or a big celebration. My business partner and I set up the site after spotting a gap in the market. When coming up with a name, of course we thought about the URL. Lots of domain names were already taken, especially names with the Dutch word 'taart'. In the end, we settled on Kingscake, because it stands out and has an international, exclusive ring to it. We're now working to build up the brand. Once we're better known, hopefully we'll be less dependent on the domain name for a high position in the search results."

Hein van Woensel registered citiusadvocaten.nl

“Citius is a new legal practice. Obviously we needed a website, but citius.nl had already been registered by someone else. We offered to buy it, but the owner didn't want to sell. The idea of using another extension instead of .nl was a non-starter for us. It has to be obvious that we are a Dutch law firm. So we opted for citiusadvocaten.nl, because the meaning is clear to a Dutch reader and it makes us easy to find. We hired a firm to run an SEA campaign for us. As a result, lots of people find us when looking for a lawyer and we get plenty of calls from potential clients."

Up and running fast

It only takes moments to register a domain name. Setting up a website is a different matter. But it's much easier than it used to be. Thanks to open-source packages such as WordPress, the average interval between registering a name and getting a website on line has fallen steadily over the last three years, from five months to two. Prices have also fallen. Getting a sophisticated webshop built may still be expensive, but a simple website can be yours for a little loose change, plus some time and attention.

Lisa Knapen registered lisaknapen.nl

I'm a recent graduate and I'm looking for work in advertising. So I registered lisaknapen.nl to get my portfolio out there. I felt confident about building my own website, because I did a course in web design a while ago. To get myself known, I've been sending out postcards featuring a sort of infographic of my CV and the address of my website. In other words, the website is a career development tool. I haven't yet found the right job, but I've had a lot of positive feedback and the strategy has won me a lot of introductions. I never really thought about using any extension other than .nl, because this is where I am and where I want to find work. But maybe someday I'll fancy working elsewhere. In that case, I'll probably go for .com."

Dennis Brouwer registered drpproducts.nl

"I already owned winkelstickers.nl (meaning 'shop stickers'). But I'm looking to broaden my activities, so I've registered drpproducts.nl as well. On the website that goes with the new name I sell a wider range of things, including posters and price tags. It's not generating much turnover yet, but the margins make the venture attractive. DRP stands for 'Dutch Retail Products'. It comes across as corporate and sounds good on the phone. A .nl domain name was the only option for me. If I see a company car with a .biz name on the side, I immediately assume it's a small firm. It's like putting your mobile number on your website: it lets everyone know that the business is just you."

Business registrations are up

An upturn in the Dutch economy is bound to be one of the reasons for the growth in .nl business registrations seen this year. More than 40 per cent of 'private' .nl registrations by young people are actually business-related. All the signs are that the economy is flourishing, and so is .nl.