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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

SIDN and NLnet Labs extend partnership

SIDN is extending its partnership with NLnet Labs for a second period of five years. NLnet Labs is a Dutch R&D lab that develops open-source technology for the core of the internet. The organisation has a global reputation for its work on DNS and DNSSEC. The renewed partnership and SIDN's financial support will enable NLnet Labs to continue contributing to an open, secure and stable internet.

Solid contribution to the security and stability of the DNS

SIDN and NLnet Labs made their first five-year cooperation agreement in 2012. "Over the last five years, NLnet Labs has made a solid contribution to the operational stability and security of the DNS," says SIDN's ICT Manager Cees Toet. "There have been major updates to the popular NSD and Unbound software and the successful development of OpenDNSSEC. The whole DNS community has benefited from work done by NLnet Labs. We at SIDN have been amongst the beneficiaries, because we use NSD and Unbound on our name servers and we use OpenDNSSEC to sign our zone. NLnet Labs' input to various internet standards, including the groundbreaking RFC6781 on the operationalisation of DNSSEC, has also been very important for the internet community and our registrars."

NLnet Labs aiming to do more for internet security and privacy

NLnet Labs has various projects planned for the next five years. One involves developing an open platform that will make it easier for DNS operators to roll out and maintain DNS software, including NLnet Labs' own open-source software. NLnet Labs also intends to set up a software library: the getdns API. The library will facilitate DNS transactions where sensitive information is protected by encryption, and will make it possible to establish authenticated TLS communication using DANE (DNS-based Authentication or Named Entities). Through such initiatives, NLnet Labs aims to do even more to promote internet security and privacy. Benno Overeinder, the lab's CEO, explains: "Security and privacy are important for the users of our software and for the internet community as a whole. By prioritising these issues, we want to further increase the added value of our organisation and its products." NLnet Labs will also be focusing more specifically on new technical developments with the potential to support SIDN's services. Building on the close research partnership with SIDN Labs, progress will be sought in fields such as the performance of the DNS and intelligent DNS anycast services.

An R&D centre with international prestige

NLnet Labs is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1999. It specialises in the development of open-source technologies for the core of the internet, combining theoretical insight with practical awareness. Achievements such as development of the globally popular NSD and Unbound (open-source software for name servers) and OpenDNSSEC (open-source DNSSEC signing-software) have earned the R&D centre considerable international prestige.

Article by:

Marnie van Duijnhoven, communication manager and spokesman

Marnie van Duijnhoven

Communication Manager / Spokesman