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Frequently visited

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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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 quarter-century at the heart of the Dutch internet

Giving everyone confidence online

SIDN reaches the age of twenty-five this year. A significant milestone that we don't intend to let pass unrecognised. A milestone that we would never have reached if Piet Beertema hadn't asked to create the .nl top-level domain for the Netherlands thirty-five years ago in April. Or if Piet hadn't teamed up with Ted Lindgreen and Boudewijn Nederkoorn in 1996 to set the formation of SIDN in motion.

Piet Beertema, .nl pioneer 

Piet Beertema 50 jaar internet

Before there was SIDN, there was .nl. When working as a system administrator at the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI), Piet Beertema had the great idea of asking to create the .nl top-level domain. Setting up a new TLD needed the approval of Jon Postel, a US internet pioneer. Jon approved the request and .nl came into being. On 1 May 1986, the CWI registered the very first .nl domain name: cwi.nl. With that registration, .nl became the first active country-code domain outside the US. 

Birth of SIDN 

Our milestones

The internet and its user community grew quickly in nineties. Wanting to ensure that the registration of domain names was properly managed, Piet Beertema, Ted Lindgreen and Boudewijn Nederkoorn set up SIDN. The Foundation for Internet Domain Registration in the Netherlands, better known simply as SIDN, took over the CWI's registration activities on 31 January 1996. Because SIDN didn't initially have any personnel, Piet continued to handle the registrations himself for the first year. By the time he passed on the baton, the counter stood at roughly ten thousand .nl domain names.  

.nl domain names available to all 

Over the years that followed, .nl continued to grow rapidly. So too did the number of agents, or 'registrars', offering registration services for .nl domain names. Our national domain still has one of the most numerous and diverse registrar communities in the world. And that's one of the main reasons for its growth. Together, SIDN and the .nl registrars ensure that .nl domain names are available to everyone. Registration is fast, convenient, secure and affordable.  

Vital to the Dutch economy and Dutch society 

.nl now has 6 million registered domain names

Since its foundation twenty-five years ago, SIDN has developed into a successful, professional registry. We now manage more than six million .nl domain names, processing about 2.5 billion search queries a day and assuring the security and stability of .nl's technical infrastructure. Always actively exchanging knowledge with other registries around the world. The Netherlands' unique registration landscape, defined by the strength of the relationship between registry and registrars, has contributed to the .nl domain becoming central to Dutch society and the Dutch economy. Together, SIDN and the .nl registrars form a vital pillar of a hugely influential internet service sector. 

Problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living for everyone 

What we stand for What we do

As a key player on the Dutch internet landscape, we use our acquired knowledge and expertise to promote problem-free, opportunity-rich digital living for everyone. With research, community investments and sponsorships, participation in governance bodies, development of community services and support for initiatives that contribute to a stronger internet through SIDN Fund, we contribute to a valuable and value-based, innovative, accessible, secure and future-proof internet, and to a well-informed, resilient user community.

Contact person:

Marnie van Duijnhoven, communication manager and spokesman

Marnie van Duijnhoven

Communication Manager / Spokesman