Chose your color

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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Transparency Report 2024 published

Details of the work we do to maintain the quality of the .nl domain

2024 on digital lcd display

The .nl domain is one of the most secure top-level domains in the world. And, together with registrants, registrars, hosting service providers, authorities and others, we work hard to keep it that way. That means taking the lead on tackling any abuse that involves .nl domain names, as described in our vision of internet abuse prevention. Occasionally, the prevention of abuse involves disabling a domain name. Details of our intervention activities are provided in a quarterly Transparency Report.

Abuse prevention

“Cybercriminals keep coming up with new dodges”

We see fighting abusive and criminal activities in the .nl zone as one of our core activities. We tackle malpractice in a variety of ways and in partnership with various other organisations. In 2024, for example, we drew up plans to intensify our collaboration with the Police National Internet Fraud Desk. Meanwhile, our research team, SIDN Labs, is constantly developing tools to help us detect malicious domain name registrations as early as possible. One of those tools is RegCheck, which assigns risk scores to new domain name registrations, enabling the immediate identification of malicious activity and prompt intervention. Also, students doing thesis research at SIDN Labs are looking at ways of making .nl even more secure. For a flavour, check out the blogs by Damianos Nikou and Nathan DeRidder.

Open and transparent

Compared with the total number of .nl domains – more than 6 million – the number of times we intervene is very small. Nevertheless, we think it's important to be open and transparent about our interventions, because they can have major implications for those involved. Our Transparency Report therefore details how often we have felt obliged to take action and how often we provided non-public registrant data, of our own accord, in response to legal proceedings or at the request of a law enforcement agency. The Transparency Report is updated quarterly.

Feel free to get in touch if you've got a question

You can reach us on working days between 8am and 6pm (Dutch time) by calling +31 26 352 5555 or mailing support@sidn.nl.

Contact person:

Marnie van Duijnhoven, communication manager and spokesman

Marnie van Duijnhoven

Communication Manager / Spokesman

Related articles