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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

Explanation Whois

Our Whois tool lets you look up details of a domain name. Type a name where it says Check your .nl domain name here and click 'show me the details'. You'll then see what the name's status is. Tick the box for more detailed information and agree to the terms and conditions. The 'Whois data' about the name is then shown.

Please note

You can check the status of a domain name 2,000 times per 24 hours from 1 location (IP address). Every time you click on ‘Check’, counts.

What statuses can a domain name have?

Status

Description

Free

You can register the domain name.

Withdrawn

No one can register the domain name, for technical reasons.

Excluded

No one can register the domain name, because we have excluded it. Only a few domain names are excluded: ftp.nl, mail.nl, nl.nl and www.nl.

In application

The domain name has already been requested and the request is being processed.

Requested

Someone has already applied to register the domain name. We are currently dealing with the application.

Active

The domain name has already been registered, but no name servers have been defined yet.

In quarantaine

The domain name has been cancelled, but we have set it aside for forty days, in case the old registrant does want it after all. If the old registrant doesn't get the name reinstated, anyone can register it once the forty days are up.

What info can you get from the Whois?

Field in the Whois

Description

Domain name

The requested domain name

Status

One of the statuses explained above

Registrant's name

The name of the person or organisation that has registered the domain name; if the registrant is a private individual, their name isn't shown

Administrative contact

The e-mail address that can be used to contact the registrant about administrative matters relating to the domain name

Registrar

The business through which the domain name was registered with SIDN

Abuse contact

Details for contacting the registrar if the domain name is involved in abuse (phishing, malware distribution, etc)

Reseller

The business that set up the domain name's registration; a reseller isn't an SIDN registrar but works through a registrar

Technical contact

The e-mail address that can be used by technical questions about the domain name (usually the registrar's address)

DNSSEC

Whether a domain name is or not secured with DNSSEC.

Domain name servers

The name servers linked to the domain name

Registration date

The date that the domain name was registered

Date last updated

The date that the registration details were most recently amended

Quarantine end date

The date that the domain name will be released from quarantine and become available for registration (recently cancelled names only)

Record maintained by

The organisation that administers the registration (that's always us!)

Conditions

FAQs

Why do I have to tick the box before I can see details of a registration?

By ticking the box, you show that you agree to the terms and conditions. That means, for example, that you agree to use the information responsibly. For details of why we publish registration data and how we protect people's privacy, see SIDN and privacy.

I'd like to access the Whois via the command line. How do I do that?

First of all, you need a look-up tool. You can download one from the Microsoft website, for example. Run the tool, then type "Whois -h Whois.domain-registry.nl is [domain name, e.g. 'sidn.nl']" to check a domain name's status. To get details of an existing registration, type "Whois -h Whois.domain-registry.nl [domain name, e.g.: 'sidn.nl']".

Is the information in the Whois incorrect?

Then report this to us at support@sidn.nl or +31 26 352 55 55 and indicate what is wrong. We will then examine whether there is reason to intervene. The Whois output via the command line consists of the following information only:

  • Status

  • Registrar's name and address

  • Reseller's name and address (where relevant)

  • DNSSEC

  • Domain name servers

  • Registration date

  • Date of last modification

  • Date out of quarantine

  • Record maintained by (always 'NL Domain Registry', which is us)