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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Hundredth municipal authority reachable using IPv6

Still a long way to go

  • Monday 14 January 2019

In late 2018, Culemborg became the hundredth Dutch municipality reachable using IPv6. Along with Geldermalsen, Tiel, and (from 1 January) Neerijnen and Lingewaal, Culemborg is one of several municipalities who have entrusted their ICT services to a consortium called the West Betuwe Operations Organisation. All five municipalities' web and mail servers will soon be IPv6-enabled.

Slow adoption

Slow adoption of IPv6 risks harming Dutch innovation climate

IPv6 has been on the Forum for Standardisation's 'use-or-explain' list for nearly ten years. That means IPv6 support has to be included in tender specifications for government contracts worth more than 50,000 euros, unless there are good reasons for their non-inclusion.

Yet less than a third of Dutch municipalities have IPv6-enabled public servers. The recently published IPv6 inventory found that 25 per cent of municipal websites could be reached using IPv6, while only 9 per cent of mail portals (MX gateways) were IPv6-enabled.

Service continuity

"When the supply of IPv4 addresses actually runs out, some systems may become unreachable. IPv6 adoption is therefore important mainly to ensure the continuity of services to residents and businesses. All other benefits of IPv6 are secondary to that aim," says Herman Timmermans, IPv6 Project Leader at VNG Realisatie, the executive arm of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG).

"The development of the Internet of Things (IoT) is feeding the demand for IP addresses. Although it is not yet possible to accurately estimate how many additional addresses will ultimately be needed, it is reasonable to assume that demand for static IPs will easily double in the next three to four years. It will simply not be possible to satisfy that demand on the basis of IPv4. Furthermore, the government has plans to start using its own IPv6 address blocks. That will have considerable management benefits." With a view to implementing the idea, VNG Realisatie has teamed up with Logius, which has its own IPv6 number plan. Government organisations that develop and manage their own on-line services will therefore be able to get IPv6 address blocks from Logius.

Finally, IPv6 forms part of the Common Municipal Infrastructure, an ICT infrastructure shared by municipal authorities and municipal consortia. "VNG Realisatie offers a support programme for municipalities that want to introduce IPv6. We provide information and communicate with interested parties via our website, by holding meetings and through our account managers. We also work closely with web service providers and suppliers that serve the municipal market."

Your municipality

You can check how far your own municipality has got with the implementation of IPv6 by visiting Waarstaatjegemeente.nl. For more extensive information about a particular domain's support for modern internet standards, visit the Internet.nl portal.