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The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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.
Broadcast Opgelicht?! about domain name sales scam
You recently started your own business and immediately set up a website. You chose a domain name and had it registered, so that potential clients would be able to see at a glance who you are and what you do. You sell mainly to the Dutch market, so you only registered a .nl domain name and didn't bother with any other extensions. After all, you said to yourself, you can always register the matching .com domain name later, if the need arises. It's nice to dream of running an international business, but one step at a time is the best approach.
Then, out of the blue, you are called by someone from a firm that apparently checks for duplicate domain name registrations, or something similar. And your caller has picked up an issue. Believe it or not, another company is looking to set up a website with almost the same domain name as yours – only using the .com extension instead of .nl. There could be serious implications for your trade. 'Fortunately', your caller can save the day, because, according to him, you have first claim on domain names like your own. If you act very quickly, you can claim the .com version of your domain name for five or ten years. Just give him the word, and he'll sort it out right away. It'll cost you € 39 a year (plus VAT, of course), payable in advance.
Opgelicht?! receives a steady flow of reports about such sales tactics. Most of the reports come from people who have decided not to go along with the proposal and later discovered that no one had wanted to register the .com versions of their domain names anyway. Sometimes, however, Opgelicht?! hears from businesses that have gone along with the sales pitch and immediately registered the .com-version of their name... only to realise afterwards that they have fallen for a scam and have paid several times over the odds for a domain name that they didn't really need. They have been panicked into buying by their caller, who kept stressing the urgency in a very misleading way.
SIDN often hears about similar selling techniques being used. Although we have issued a number of warnings in the past, the problem continues to resurface every so often. We were therefore pleased to cooperate with a feature on the Avrotros TV programme Opgelicht?!, which highlighted the issue on 13 October. If you missed the broadcast, you can watch it here.
