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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Our new online learning platform, the SIDN Academy

Free for .nl registrars

  • Tuesday 28 January 2020

Today, the SIDN Academy goes on line. We've created a learning platform where online and offline methods are integrated to give stakeholders the chance to independently boost their expertise on a range of technical subjects. The platform's first e-learning module, devoted to e-mail standards, is now available. Later this year, we'll be adding modules on the DNS, DNSSEC and IPv6. The SIDN Academy is a joint initiative by SIDN and the Registrars' Association (RA).

"No reason to be nervous about implementing e-mail security standards" DANE for e-mail: what is it and why do you need it? Implementation of existing standards would make the internet much more secure Het beveiligen van e-mail met standaarden als dane en dmarc steeds populairder

Bigger scale for bigger impact

We want to make digital living easier and safer for everyone. A secure and stable internet is vital to that goal. Which is why it's important that robust modern internet standards are used. We're therefore committed to promoting the adoption of such standards by sharing our knowledge. Over the last couple of years, we've organised two successful offline SIDN Academy sessions. The face-to-face training days were well attended and well received. Unfortunately, though, we don't have much scope for scaling up those activities. So we decided to build an online learning platform. Going online has three big plusses:

  • Increased reach and therefore increased impact

  • Users can study when and where they like

  • The content can easily be updated any time and the updates brought to users' attention

Removing barriers

The SIDN Academy is a joint initiative by SIDN and the Registrars' Association.

Registrars' Association Chair Martijn Kamphuis welcomed the initiative, saying, "Our members often highlight the importance of knowledge-sharing. After all, there's no formal programme for training to be a registrar. And naturally both the RA and SIDN want to keep promoting the quality, security and continuity of the .nl zone. So it's great that people working for registrars will have access to the latest know-how. The two offline SIDN Academy sessions were a big success. The aim now is to build on that by creating an online learning platform." SIDN's Chief Executive Roelof Meijer adds, "Here at SIDN, we're always looking for ways to make the .nl zone even more stable and secure. But we often hear that not all companies have the know-how they need to improve things. So this platform has been set up to make vital expertise available to everyone and bring down barriers to progress."

Now available: e-mail standards e-learning module

E-mail is one of the world's most popular mediums of communication. In recent years, we've seen increasing adoption of key security standards in the .nl zone, including StartTLS, DKIM and DMARC. That's welcome news, because the standards make communication more reliable and secure. However, there's still scope for improvement. One factor hampering progress is that it isn't easy to implement the standards properly, so that they do actually increase security. We've therefore created an online learning programme that explains everything you need to know about implementing e-mail security standards. After completing the module, you'll be all set to get to work on your own set-up.

Looking to the future

For now, the SIDN Academy is open exclusively to .nl registrars. Two user licences are available for each registrar account, free of charge. If you'd like to make use of your licenses, please drop a line to support@sidn.nl. In due course, however, we plan to enable affordable, fee-based public access. The income generated will all be re-invested in the further development of learning modules.

We'd love your feedback!

As a new initiative, the SIDN Academy is under continuous development. Can you suggest a subject the Academy should teach? Got any other bright ideas? Drop a line to communicatie@sidn.nl.