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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Complaints and Appeals Board has a new Chair

"We deal with issues in a pleasant, low-threshold way"

Close-up of a gavel with a scale in the background.
  • Monday 28 November 2022

For the last 3 years, Hendrik Struik has chaired the Complaints and Appeals Board: the independent body that .nl registrants and registrars can turn to if they are unhappy about a decision made by SIDN, or about a registered .nl domain name. Now Hendrik is handing the baton to Peter Blok, one of the C&AB's other members. Making this an opportune moment to highlight the body's important role. Hendrik and Peter talk about the C&AB's work, and how the body safeguards its independence.

Why is it so important that we have the C&AB?

Portrait photo of Peter Blok, chairman of SIDN's Complaints and Appeals Board
Peter Blok, chairman of SIDN's Complaints and Appeals Board

Hendrik: "SIDN is the only organisation in the world that can issue and manage .nl domain names. And those domain names are very important to many private individuals, businesses and other organisations. But they are a scarce commodity. The C&AB is an independent body that .nl internet users can turn to if they are unhappy about certain types of decision made by SIDN, or if they think that a registered domain name is inconsistent with public order or decency. We interpret 'inconsistent with public decency' as meaning morally unacceptable to Dutch society."

Peter: "The C&AB offers registrants and registrars a low-threshold mechanism for complaints and appeals. You can take a case to the C&AB without hiring a lawyer. The existence of the C&AB keeps SIDN on their toes and provides a driver for process improvement."

What led to each of you to joining the C&AB?

Hendrik: "Although I'm the retiring Chair of the C&AB, I was previously an ordinary member for 3 years. As an IT lawyer with experience giving legal advice and handling disputes about IT contracts and software protection, I had the kind of background you need to chair the C&AB. It was that background and my affinity with the internet world that led to me being invited to become a member. During my time with the C&AB, I also became a judge at Amsterdam High Court."

"I recently succeeded Hendrik as Chair," says Peter. "Before that, I was an ordinary member of the C&AB. "My background, for example as Professor of Patent Law and Privacy at Utrecht University, means that I have a great deal of affinity with technology and the internet. I'm also a judge at The Hague High Court, dealing with cases in fields such as intellectual property."

What's the most memorable case you've handled?

Hendrik: "That's an easy question to answer, because in the last 6 years the C&AB has made only one substantive ruling. The case related to a .nl domain name whose registrant had been changed. The original registrant later appealed against the change, claiming that it should never have been made. The C&AB upheld the appeal, because the registrant change hadn't been made in accordance with SIDN's General Terms and Conditions. We consider all cases on the basis of the T&Cs, which SIDN drew up itself." "As Hendrik says, that's the only case we've examined on a substantive level," adds Peter. Nevertheless, the case described by Hendrik isn't the only one referred to the C&AB. The substance of the other cases wasn't considered, however. In 2019, for example, two referred cases were deemed inadmissible and therefore rejected.

Portrait photo of Hendrik Struik, former chairman of SIDN's Complaints and Appeals Board
Hendrik Struik, former chairman of SIDN's Complaints and Appeals Board

Is it easy for registrars and registrants to get in touch with the C&AB?

Hendrik: "The existence of the C&AB is prominently highlighted on SIDN's website and in the T&Cs. All internet users can also find ample information about the C&AB on cvkb.nl, including details of cases previously considered and the rulings. Interviews like this also help to raise the C&AB's profile as well, of course."

How is the C&AB's independence assured?

Hendrik: "Each member of the C&AB is appointed for 3 years, with the option of one further 3-year term. So the C&AB's composition and leadership change regularly, which promotes independence." Peter: "Another significant point is that all members have to be impartial. None of us have any ties to SIDN. The C&AB always makes it clear to people who submit appeals or complaints that it is an independent body."

Peter, what are you looking forward to as Chair of the C&AB?

Peter: "The number of complaints and appeals that the C&AB receives is very small. If that implies that there are few disputes about .nl domain names or SIDN's decision-making, then SIDN must be doing well. My C&AB activities, first as an ordinary member and now as Chair, add a new dimension to my work. The threshold to taking a case to the C&AB is a lot lower that the threshold to legal action. As a result, we can explore disputes with all the parties in a pleasant, informal way, and work out solutions together."

Want to learn more about appealing against a decision made by SIDN? Visit https://www.sidn.nl/en/nl-domain-name/appealing-against-an-sidn-decision. For information about making a complaint, see https://www.sidn.nl/en/nl-domain-name/complaining-about-a-domain-name.