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  • 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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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.

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As progress with new gTLDs remains slow, alternatives gain traction

Review of ICANN 75 in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur city skyline

ICANN's seventy-fifth meeting took place in Kuala Lumpur from 17 to 22 September. Much discussion focused on the new gTLD application window, where progress remains slow. Against that backdrop, there was increasing interest in alternatives to the root, such as domain names in the blockchain. A threat to the existing internet? Or a potentially valuable innovation?

Application process for new window presented

The application process for the next new gTLD application window was presented during an update on the Operational Design Phase (ODP). One important feature is that registry service providers will be able to obtain approved RSP status by having their systems tested in the eighteen months prior to launch. So an RSP will only have to be audited once, even if they are involved in multiple gTLD applications. In the last window, a separate audit was needed for each domain. No date has yet been set for the new window, but the general expectation is that it'll open late next year.

Alt roots prominent

Representatives of domain names outside ICANN root – 'alt roots' – were strikingly prominent at ICANN 75. Cryptocurrency Ethereum is particularly determined for the .eth domain to secure compatibility with the root. The company represents 2.4 million domain names and 600,000 users. Ethereum works with domain names in the blockchain, where each owner controls their domain using a unique code. Plugins are now available that enable .eth domains to be reached using browsers such as Brave and Opera. A complication is that, in the ICANN system, the three-letter .eth extension is reserved for Ethiopia's country-code domain.

Alt roots boosted by slowness of ICANN processes

Appetite for initiatives outside the root is being fed by the slowness of ICANN's new TLD delegation mechanism. Previously, ICANN has been largely unreceptive to the possibility of alt root initiatives going mainstream, but in Kuala Lumpur Ethereum was invited to make a presentation. ICANN now seems to recognise that ignoring such initiatives is counterproductive, mainly because it could lead to the developers of browsers and other software taking their own steps to enable access.

Strong criticism of blockchain

Nevertheless, a lot of ICANN attendees were critical of alternative roots in general, and of blockchain in particular. One important point is that a blockchain can't be replaced or withdrawn. So, for example, you can't disable a cybercriminal's blockchain domain, and if someone loses their code, their domain name can never be transferred, or its details edited. That implies a serious risk where major commercial domains are concerned. The attendees representing .eth and other alt initiatives weren't able put forward adequate solutions to those issues.

ICANN's role

Nevertheless, the debate about alternative roots should be seen as an important signal to the ICANN community. Alt roots are far from perfect, and the blockchain has major drawbacks. Yet many players interested in having their own TLDs are looking to the alternatives because they are frustrated by the slowness of decision-making within the ICANN community. The community needs to respond to that signal and find ways of expediting the evolution of the ICANN root.

Videos of all the sessions of the ICANN meeting in Kuala Lumpur are available on the ICANN website.

Article by:

Michiel Henneke

Michiel Henneke

Marketing Manager