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The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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.
To measure is to know, the saying goes. But what should a registry be measuring? And how can a registry make sure its measured data lends itself to comparison with other TLDs? To answer those questions, CENTR has teamed up with SIDN and several other operators of country-code domains (ccTLDs) to establish the Registry Registrar Data Group (RRDG).
On the RRDG, we'll be working to develop shared data classifications, standards and frameworks. In simple terms, we'll be aligning various aspects of our data recording activities, so that registries for neighbouring countries know how to interpret one another's data in the context of their local markets. This blog post outlines the projects we're currently working on.
DIT
The RRDG has developed a domain industry taxonomy, or DIT for short. Based on standards such as SBI, NACE and SIC, the DIT categories address various problems discovered by crawling and classifying business websites. The aim of the project is to enable the precise international comparison of industries and internet density. It will then be possible to see things such as what percentage of hotel and catering businesses have domain names.
Domain lifecycle metrics
We've defined a set of terms and concepts commonly used in domain registration analyses. Definition will mean that registries and registrars can use the terms in their internal and external reports in ways that others understand. The initiative should also make comparison of TLD statistics more straightforward in the context of, for example, market research activities.
Figure 1: Domain lifecycle metrics, RRDG
Business model classifications
In collaboration with registrars, the RRDG has defined seven key business models. The models enable registries to group their registrars on the basis of the way they operate. That in turn will mean that registrars can be given useful information about how their performance compares with others who operate on a similar model. For example, we'll be able to provide churn data that distinguishes between access providers and retail/hosting service providers.
Why get involved?
Removing uncertainty about how things are defined clears the way for talking about what collected data actually shows. And that should yield conclusions that will be valuable in all sorts of ways. Say, helping registrars to run effective marketing campaigns. As a .nl registrar, getting involved in this project will make it easier to put the data we send you to practical use. Want to know more about the RRDG? Drop a line to nick.boerman@sidn.nl or take a look at the RRDG website created by CENTR.
