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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Privacy and security are top priorities for the Dutch when logging in online

SIDN launches Yivi: a next-generation, privacy-friendly identity wallet to replace IRMA

Boy with a smartphone with the Yivi app on it
  • Tuesday 4 April 2023

For people in the Netherlands, security and privacy are the main concerns when signing on to a website or app, and when sharing data. Being able to choose what information is shared with the service provider is also seen as important. Those are the findings of a survey carried out for SIDN ahead of the launch of Yivi: a new identity wallet to replace IRMA, now available to download.

See the (Dutch) infographic for details of SIDN's survey of more than a thousand Dutch people.

Yivi is here!

Today is the official launch of the Yivi app, SIDN's new identity wallet that carries on where IRMA left off. IRMA is a concept developed by Professor Bart Jacobs, an expert in security, privacy and identity, which SIDN has been building on. With the Yivi app, users can sign on securely and easily and prove who they are without sharing too much data. Pronounced 'yivvy' and hinting at the Dutch for 'your digital life', the new name comes with a new design, reflecting the identity wallet's progression to the next level of maturity. Behind the scenes, SIDN has been busy optimising the app's security, convenience and accessibility.

Scanning Yivi QR code

At the heart of the Yivi concept is the principle of decentralised, open-source, privacy-friendly design. Yivi's decentralised design means that the user's personal data stays in the wallet on their phone until they choose to share it. Nothing is kept in a central database. As SIDN CEO Roelof Meijer explains, "The user decides what information to share, and who with. In other words, you keep control of your own personal data. Another great thing about Yivi is that the app's source code is in the public domain. And privacy is built in from the start. People are exchanging more and more electronic data, and that trend is set to continue. So we're committed to supporting solutions like Yivi, which let people in the Netherlands share information about themselves safely."

New legislation

Several new laws will soon come in, shaping the way we use and manage our electronic identities. The Dutch parliament has recently passed the Digital Government Act, laying down general rules to make sure that people can securely access electronic public and semi-public services, and share personal data with confidence. With its decentralised, privacy-friendly design, Yivi is very much in line with the Act. You can read more about the Digital Government Act and Yivi here.

Electronic identities are a live topic at the European level too. The European Commission is currently running several pilots with identity wallets, for example. SIDN and Yivi are involved in several of the trials. SIDN has developed Yivi with the new laws and initiatives in mind, to offer people a privacy-friendly option.

Mature technology

As SIDN's Business Developer Online Identity, Peter Eikelboom is one of the people responsible for Yivi's development. "Over the last few years, we've seen that people like the idea behind IRMA," he says. "Numerous public and private-sector service providers now support the technology. In the period ahead, our aim is to draw Yivi to the attention of potential providers and users, so that opportunities and usage levels increase."

IRMA, the forerunner to the Yivi app, has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times. And 17 public and private-sector service providers have now run pilots or even enabled people to log in using the technology now known as Yivi. They include the cities of Amsterdam and Nijmegen, ChipSoft, Ivido and the Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about Yivi and the opportunities it offers, visit yivi.app or download the Yivi app directly: