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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

The year 2023 in .nl domain names

From 'AI' to 'heat pump' and 'duo' to 'confidant'

  • Thursday 11 January 2024

The year 2023 was the year of AI, student finance and heat pumps. At least, that's the picture painted by the .nl domain names registered last year. SIDN has analysed registrations made over the last 12 months to identify the keywords that were trending.

Word cloud of significant terms appearing in newly registered .nl domain names in July 2023, in which the term 'duo' stands out.
https://images.ctfassets.net/yj8364fopk6s/5wtUK14uWshfrwotVpJDJV/9eb109f6a103cfcbbb0186d91e4ae990/Woordwolk_.nl-domeinnamen_juli_2023.PNG

'Prompt' on the rise

In the early months of 2023, the excitement around AI was clearly reflected in new domain name registrations, with the word 'prompt' coming to the fore in January, February and March. The word means to ask an artificially intelligent system to generate output, and it rose to prominence in response to the publicity surrounding ChatGPT. Newly registered domain names with 'prompt' in them included gptprompt.nl and prompt-training.nl. In April and May, 'prompt' remained significant, but less so than in the year's early months. The AI world still has ample choice, though: plenty of as yet unregistered 'prompt' domain names can still be found using our Suggestion Tool.

Word cloud of significant terms that occur in newly registered .nl domain names in the period January to March 2023, in which the term 'prompt' stands out.
https://images.ctfassets.net/yj8364fopk6s/1dv4WFn7ciry88jUoqpMkL/f48acaef09de5e253453ddd9c2d82e22/Banner_woordwolk_.nl-domeinnamen_jan-mrt_2023.png

Property sale websites

One established trend that continued in 2023 was the registration of domain names matching the addresses of houses that are up for sale. For example, 'straat' ('street') was one of the most common keywords used in domain names throughout the year. The words 'weg' and 'laan' ('road' and 'lane') were also popular. Use of such words reflects estate agents' growing preference for building dedicated websites for homes that they're selling as a way of raising their profile.

Sustainability

In May, 'warmtepomp' ('heat pump') became a trending keyword in new domain names, e.g. [eco-warmtepomp.nl]. It soon fell from prominence, though, and wasn't seen again for the rest of the year. Its brief popularity was probably linked to the Dutch government's decision to make heat pumps the norm from 2026, announced on 1 May.

Word cloud of significant terms appearing in newly registered .nl domain names in May 2023, in which the word 'heat pump' stands out.
https://images.ctfassets.net/yj8364fopk6s/5wNQDWhfYuwlU5bCHtiYdF/437b9c999285b19855ee3370c2c5d322/Woordwolk_.nl-domeinnamen_mei_2023.PNG

Integrity issues

Various integrity issues involving prominent organisations received extensive media coverage in 2023. For example, there was the rumpus that followed Matthijs van Nieuwkerk's departure from BNNVARA, and the debates that arose concerning the integrity of former parliamentarian Khadija Arib and party leader Esther Ouwehand. In March, interest in such matters was reflected in domain name registration patterns, with 'mediator' and 'vertrouwenspersoon' ('confidant') both emerging as trending keywords. Newly registered domain names included zekermediation.nl ('dependable mediation') and vertrouwenswerkrijnenberg.nl ('rijnenberg confidential advice').

The trend was probably also linked the government's presentation of draft legislation in February, which would require Dutch organisations to appoint someone to whom concerns can be disclosed in confidence.

Word cloud of significant terms appearing in newly registered .nl domain names in May 2023, in which the word 'heat pump' stands out.
https://images.ctfassets.net/yj8364fopk6s/5wNQDWhfYuwlU5bCHtiYdF/437b9c999285b19855ee3370c2c5d322/Woordwolk_.nl-domeinnamen_mei_2023.PNG

Student finance

The return of basic student grants also made its mark on the domain name landscape in 2023. In June and July, for example, the term 'duo' became a trending keyword in new domain names, apparently anticipating reintroduction of the grants with effect from 1 September. Many of the websites linked to the domain names driving this trend offer commercial loans, so we have decided against giving any examples here.

Word cloud of significant terms appearing in newly registered .nl domain names in May 2023, in which the word 'heat pump' stands out.
https://images.ctfassets.net/yj8364fopk6s/5wNQDWhfYuwlU5bCHtiYdF/437b9c999285b19855ee3370c2c5d322/Woordwolk_.nl-domeinnamen_mei_2023.PNG

6.3 million .nl domain names

The number of .nl domain names remained stable in 2023, at about 6.3 million. Notably, the number peaked in late September at more than 6,350,000 domain names, before falling back. The drop in the final quarter was attributable to us seeking to prevent domain name abuse by intervening against 2 large portfolios that contained suspect names. We ended the year with 6,297,384 .nl domain names. For details of the .nl domain's development in 2023, see our article '.nl stable in 2023'.

Want to see more statistics about ..nl domain? Visit SIDN Labs' stats website: https://stats.sidnlabs.nl/.