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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Listen to our Dutch podcast series: The Story of .nl

Chatting to Piet Beertema and other key players in the history of the Dutch internet

  • Tuesday 21 December 2021

With .nl marking its thirty-fifth anniversary this year, we've been looking back at the history of our national domain. As a vital component of the Dutch economy and Dutch society, .nl is an institution the Netherlands can be proud of. And now a wealth of fascinating stories from .nl's history are available to the nation in our new Dutch-language podcast series.

A four-part podcast series about .nl's creation and development

Where did the idea for .nl come from? And who – besides Piet Beertema – was involved in its creation and development? Those and many other questions are answered in our new podcast series. In four episodes, we tell the story of .nl, from its birth in 1986, through the rise of the World Wide Web, to the current digital landscape and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. The domain's history is recounted by some of the key figures of the last thirty-five years.

Silent big bang

Entitled De geruisloze oerknal, ('The Silent Big Bang'), episode 1 of the series is released today. Like so many historic events, creation of the .nl domain was down to the fortunate coincidence of several developments. For example, it just so happened that the first person in the world to think of having internet domain names ending with two-letter country codes was Dutchman Piet Beertema. And thirty-five years ago, a Dutch programmer was the first person to put that idea into practice. Why was it necessary for Beertema to come up with this innovative solution? And how was it that the CWI came to play such a vital role in the creation of .nl? All is revealed in our first episode!

Listen to the podcast

Interested in the podcast? Listen to episode 1:

  • 4 January Episode 2: De beginjaren ('The Early Years') Featuring contributions from Piet Beertema, Ted Lindgreen and Boudewijn Nederkoorn: the people behind formation of SIDN. In the early years, .nl was literally a one-man show: Piet Beertema processed all the registrations himself. However, the number of .nl domain names grew and grew, until the job became too big for Piet to handle on his own, alongside his main role at the CWI. What was that first decade like, and what drove the enormous growth? Listen to episode 2:

Enjoyed the first 2 episodes and keen to hear what happened next? Put the following dates in your diary:

  • 18 January Episode 3: De explosieve groei ('Explosive Growth') Featuring contributions from Alex Bik and Henny Rietkerk, pioneering .nl registrars. One of the most momentous years in the history of .nl was 2003. That was when it became possible for private individuals to register .nl domain names, which had previously been available only to businesses and other organisations. And it was when .nl's growth curve turned sharply upward. The number of .nl domain names has risen from one million in 2003, to stand at more than six million today. And, as the domain grew, the onus on SIDN to keep .nl secure and stable also increased.

Listen to episode 3:

  • 1 February Episode 4: De toekomst ('The future') Featuring contributions from Valerie Frissen (SIDN Fund), Cristian Hesselman (SIDN Labs) and Roelof Meijer (SIDN), plus a cast of .nl pioneers. The future of the internet is a hot discussion topic, and of course SIDN is keen to contribute. Against that backdrop, SIDN Labs has devised the concept of the Responsible Internet and is busy investigating the surrounding issues. Where does the .nl domain figure in discussions about the best way forward? What implications does the 'platformisation' of the internet have for the 'traditional' domain name-based infrastructure? And how do .nl's founding fathers see the future of the global internet and our national domain?

Listen to episode 4: