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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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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 will not be issuing .bv domain names

  • Thursday 23 June 2016

The .bv top-level domain will not be marketed in the Netherlands as planned by SIDN (the company behind .nl) and Norid (the Norwegian registry responsible for .no). Norway's government this week decided against giving the dispensation required for the registries' plan to go ahead.

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

Both Norid and SIDN regret that the decision effectively ends their collaboration. "SIDN runs one of the world's largest top-level domains. They are highly recognized internationally for their professional operations. A collaboration would have given the opportunity for valuable exchange of that knowledge and experience”, commented Norid's General Manager, Hilde Thunem. The idea of a platform for validated business data will now be developed within the .nl domain instead. "Successful implementation of .bv would have had added value for the internet community, both in the Netherlands and in Norway," said Roelof Meijer, SIDN's CEO. "Our intention is to press ahead with the concept devised for .bv, but it will now be marketed under the .nl banner."

Platform for validated business data

As well as being the registry for Norway's country-code domain .no, Norid controls the .bv and .sj domains (for the Norwegian territories Bouvet Island and Svalbard and Jan Mayen). Norid often receives enquiries from Dutch companies wanting to register .bv domain names, because in Dutch the letters 'BV' have a meaning like 'Ltd' or 'Inc' in English. Norid therefore teamed up with SIDN to devise an innovative scheme for making .bv domain names available to Dutch companies. The idea was for the .bv domain to operate as a platform for sharing validated business data. Enterprises and consumers would be able to visit the platform before buying from or doing business with an unfamiliar company.

Considerable demand for a system that lets businesses demonstrate their trustworthiness on line

To confirm that the planned use of .bv would have real added value for Dutch companies, for SIDN and for the wider community, careful market research has been undertaken. The research found that there is considerable demand within the business community for transparency and for a system that lets businesses demonstrate their trustworthiness on line.

Full steam ahead with plans for a validated data platform

It is not only limited companies that are looking for a way to show prospective customers and business partners that they are legitimate enterprises. Therefore, before the Norwegian government made its decision, SIDN had already begun to delink the validated data platform concept from the .bv extension. The motivation being to enable enterprises that are not limited companies ('BVs') to link validated data to their domain names as well. Now that Norway has ruled out the marketing of .bv domain names on the Dutch market, SIDN will focus its energy on developing the broad-spectrum validated data system. The new platform will become the location on the internet for enterprises to profile themselves as reliable business partners.