Chose your color

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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Collaboration between the Dutch cloud sector and SIDN

For a secure and stable .nl domain

Cloud computing concept

Last year’s announcement that we intended to use the services of a US hyperscaler prompted questions regarding the need to take that route and, most significantly, gave rise to concerns about Dutch sovereignty and strategic digital autonomy. Ongoing geopolitical developments have done nothing to alleviate such concerns, and may indeed have deepened them.

Stakeholder dialogue

In the months since, we have had numerous discussions with our stakeholders, particularly the Registrars' Association (RA) and various trade associations. From those discussions, it has become apparent that the rationale for our chosen solution has not always been properly understood, and has often therefore been interpreted in ways we didn’t intend. In all our decision-making, the security and continuity of the .nl domain are our constant primary concerns.

One of the organisations that asked critical questions about our proposed migration was the Dutch Cloud Community (DCC), an association that acts as a point of contact and lobbyist for Dutch providers of internet, hosting and cloud services. The DCC works with more than 100 affiliated companies to represent the Netherlands’ cloud and internet service sector within the digital infrastructure. As one of the association's longtime partners, we support the DCC's aim of promoting an open, secure and free internet.

Dutch cloud sector to be involved in our exit strategy

As reported on the DCC website, we have recently held fresh discussions with DCC representatives. At the meetings, we expressed our intention to involve Dutch service providers in our strategy for a potential future exit from our chosen cloud service provider. As we indicated last year, we wish to return the infrastructure of the .nl registration system to the Netherlands (or another European country) as soon as possible. A motion in the Dutch parliament also called upon us to pursue that objective. We are grateful to the DCC for its recognition that progress towards that goal has to be phased. We will regularly review our decision to use AWS, in the context of which we will re-assess the time horizon for ultimate migration to a Dutch or other European service provider. We’ve agreed with the DCC that the Dutch cloud sector will be closely involved in the review process, including the activities soon to be undertaken in compliance with the parliamentary motion, overseen by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Talks with Dutch service providers about DNS anycast infrastructure

Following our discussions, we have also invited the DCC to help us identify Dutch service providers who could potentially host our DNS anycast infrastructure. DNS anycast is an important element of the DNS infrastructure that we manage, ensuring that .nl is always immediately accessible to everyone, everywhere. Drawing on information yielded by an appeal that the DCC made to its members, we are currently talking to several Dutch service providers about hosting this important part of our infrastructure, which operates at multiple globally distributed sites, so that we can ensure that .nl remains secure, reliable, resilient and above all autonomous.

Contact person:

Marnie van Duijnhoven, communication manager and spokesman

Marnie van Duijnhoven

Communication Manager / Spokesman

Related articles