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The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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.
Businesses are investing more and more in website security, with firewalls, SSL and secure log-ins. But what if your domain name is abused to divert customers to a fake site? That's what happened to a Brazilian bank on 22 November 2016, as described on AG Connect.nl.
Domain name hacked to get customers' payment details
Hackers seized the bank's domain name, and for six hours everyone that typed the name into their browser found themselves on a convincing replica of the bank's website. The fake site was set up to get customers to part with payment data. It isn't known how many people were affected. What's crystal clear is that the hack could have been prevented.
Changing the internet signpost
A domain name acts as a signpost to a website. When a hacker changes the technical information linked to a domain name (its 'DNS record'), it's like making the signpost point the wrong way. So people who try to reach the site end up where the hackers send them. Then all the security on the real site counts for nothing, because the customer is dealing with a fake. And it's much harder to get warnings out to customers, because the people who have taken control of the domain name can also disable mail to and from the domain.
Securing domain name data with .nl Control
Clearly, it's very important that the procedure for changing a domain name's DNS record is secure. The best approach is to apply the 'double authorisation' principle. With .nl, that's been possible for some time now, through the .nl Control service. If a domain name is registered for .nl Control, the data linked to it can't be changed until we've had authorisation from the company itself. So it's virtually impossible for a hacker to get the data changed. Similar services are available for many other top-level domains. They are generally known as 'registry lock' services.Various safeguards are used to make sure that registry lock services are made available only to legitimate subscribers. The applicant's identity is carefully verified and their authority to act for the company is checked. For anyone with a valuable domain name that's attractive to hackers, a registry lock service is certainly worth considering.
Want to know more?
If you're interested in maximising the security of your domain name, take a look at .nl Control.
