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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

.nl in the spotlight: promoments.nl

"Collaborate with others. If you share, they'll share. By helping each other, everybody gains and opportunities emerge."

Close-up of video camera lens in which different light colors reflect
  • Wednesday 27 January 2021

For anyone doing business in the Netherlands, .nl is the internet domain. Because the business community has such confidence in .nl, last year we passed the milestone of six million registrations. And behind every registration there's a story. An inspiring story that can help others setting foot on a similar path. One of them is the story of David Schurink and his business Promoments.

How did you come up with the idea for promoments.nl?

David Schurink from Promoments at work with a video camera
David Schurink, registered promoments.nl

David: "I'm a business analyst at an engineering company, with a passion for technology. Including cameras and film-making. A few years ago, I also became a certified drone pilot. I was taking more and more pictures and videos with my drones and it occurred to me that I could use my know-how professionally, to make promotional films and the like for businesses. I'd already done one or two, and people were often asking me about it. And that's how Promoments Productions was born. I registered with the Chamber of Commerce and started building up the business alongside my day job."

Can you sum up the basic concept?

"Promoments.nl communicates your corporate message in visual form. The distinctive feature of my business is the emphasis on the customer's story and finding a creative way to tell it. It's all about finding an approach that elicits the right emotions and gets your message across to the viewer. In December, for example, I did a video for a football club about the lockdown. The title means 'Hang in there! We'll be back!' It touched a chord and was picked up by people outside the football club. The national football association and the regional paper both featured it. In the end, it got more than sixty thousand views." Text continues below the video.

How did you come up with your domain name?

"I registered promoments.nl through Strato before I formally established the business. My wife and I came up with the name by brainstorming. It's a fusion of the words 'professional', 'promotion' and 'moments'. We liked it because it sums up what the business is about: I make professional recordings of the moments that customers want to promote, which might involve a product, an event or a company as a whole. It came as a surprise to find that the domain name was still available. Not least because it turned out there was already a company with a similar name (no longer in existence, ed.). The name's short and easy to remember."

Did you build the website yourself?

"Yes. I used Visual Composer and WordPress. If you know what to do, it's a great way to build an adaptable website. I'd built a website before, so I already understood the basics. All the same, creating something that reflected my house style did involve a bit of learning by doing. I wanted my own bespoke design; I didn't want to use a WordPress template."

What did you do once you'd built the site?

"SEO was my top priority. Then I opened accounts on all the main social media platforms. Social media has been my main source of leads. Mainly because the films I've made so far have been widely shared on social media. My work sells itself: people see one of my films and want to know who made it. So I haven't really invested seriously in advertising."

Have you been getting enough customers online?

"There's plenty of interest from new customers, but it's hard work persuading them to actually commission a film. All the virus-related restrictions have made things more difficult. Some competitors are so desperate to stay afloat that they're offering services below cost. Fortunately, I'm not in that situation, and I have good references from existing customers. I don't yet have enough work to go full-time, though. I'm still doing it alongside my day job However, it's clear that the website does help to bring in business."

Do you have any advice for others?

"Collaborate with others. Don't try to figure out all the answers on your own; ask other professionals for help and advice. There are countless communities and groups for start-up businesses where you can get help with almost anything. If you share, they'll share. By helping each other, everybody gains and opportunities emerge."

Want to read more business stories?

Take a look at other entrepreneurs and startups and their .nl.