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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

SIDN and Norid consider a .bv domain for the Dutch business community

  • Friday 10 October 2014

SIDN, the company behind .nl, and Norid, the Norwegian registry responsible for .no are discussing the possibility of working together to make the .bv top-level domain available to the Dutch market.

Norid controls the .bv

As well as being the registry for Norway’s country-code domain .no, Norid controls the .bv and .sj domains. Although those domains are linked to Norwegian territories - .bv to Bouvet Island and .sj to Svalbard and Jan Mayen – Norid often receives enquiries from Dutch companies wanting to register .bv domain names. The reason being that, in Dutch, the letters ‘BV’ have a meaning like ‘Ltd’ or ‘Inc’ in English. In recent years, the .nl domain has expanded to become one of the largest, most secure and best respected country-code domains in the world. Norid therefore sees SIDN as the ideal partner for exploring the potential added value of .bv for the Dutch business community.

Opportunities for the Dutch business community

Roelof Meijer, SIDN’s CEO said, “We believe that the availability of .bv domain names would open up new opportunities for the Dutch business community. One of the ideas we’ve discussed with Norid is using .bv for a platform on which companies could publish validated corporate information. Business partners looking for a company’s details wouldn’t then have to visit a variety of on-line information sources, but could go straight to the company’s .bv page.”

Research into the added value of .bv

In order to verify that such applications would yield added value for Dutch companies, for SIDN and for other stakeholders, we will soon be undertaking a market study. The research will of course be organised in close consultation with all our stakeholders, in particular the .nl registrars. Once we have the findings, we will talk to Norid about whether .bv should actually be made available to Dutch companies. If we do ultimately decide to offer .bv registry services, the domain will of course be just as secure, reliable and innovative as the .nl domain. “SIDN is a highly professional registry that shares our values, and we are looking forward to further discussions with them on whether it is possible to use .bv in an innovative manner that adds value for both the Dutch and Norwegian internet communities” said Hilde Thunem, Norid’s Managing Director.

About SIDN

SIDN is responsible for the functional stability and development of the .nl internet domain. There are now more than five million registered .nl domain names and SIDN handles more than a billion search queries every day. SIDN is well respected in the fields of governance and administration, where it operates as an expert partner on technical, legal and policy matters relating to domain names and the domain name infrastructure. From that basis, SIDN is also closely involved with various wider community initiatives, with the emphasis on increasing the security and reliability of the internet and on enhancing its open, accessible nature. Because the internet plays an increasingly important role in the economy and society, SIDN supports various local and international initiatives, through which government, the business community and the scientific community work together to achieve innovation.