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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

DANE for e-mail: what is it and why do you need it?

The threat from mail abuse is often underestimated

  • Friday 17 January 2020

When they come across domain names resembling their brands, brand owners often decide not to act in cases where the domain name doesn't seem to be in use. In other words, where there's no website linked to the name. What people tend to overlook is that, even though a domain name has no website, scammers may be using it for sending spam or for CEO fraud. Recently, however, several major incidents have highlighted the problem of mail fraud and the importance of securing business mail.

DANE

Implementation of existing standards would make the internet much more secure Statistics of the month: DANE for e-mail SIDN to promote adoption of the DANE internet standard

One of the internet standards to benefit from the upturn in interest is DANE (RFC 7671). Although the standard has been around for a while, there was exponential growth in DANE use in the Netherlands during 2019. Short for DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities, DANE is a protocol for secure publication of public keys and certificates. The standard utilises the cryptographically secured DNS infrastructure provided by DNSSEC. In other words, when used with other standards, DANE for mail prevents mail falsification by verifying the sender's details.

Complex standard

Many users, including experienced CISOs, struggle to secure e-mail, because it depends on implementing various mutually complementary standards. As well as DANE, you need to be using SPF and DKIM for the set-up to work. Furthermore, DANE's rapid adoption in the Netherlands has been possible only because the open security standard DNSSEC is in such widespread use here. Nevertheless, getting to grips with e-mail security is worthwhile for CISOs, because mail fraud can cost victims millions.

Want to know more?

You'll find an extensive set of FAQs about DANE on sidn.nl. And last year we did a webinar about e-mail security and DANE, which is still available to watch here. Finally, SIDN Labs often publishes articles about open standards such as DANE. Visit https://www.sidnlabs.nl/ to see what's available.