Our work registering and managing domain names involves processing personal data on a daily basis. Naturally you can rely on us to take your privacy seriously. The privacy rules that we follow are described in the General Terms and Conditions for .nl registrants (Article 23).
Why is information about you visible in the Whois?
Around the world, it's usually possible to look up details of registered domain names. We allow the look-up of very limited information about .nl domain names. The only information about a private registrant given in the Whois is the administrative contact's e-mail address. If the registrant is a business, the name is shown as well, and the registrant can choose to give an address. You can use information from the Whois for the following:
To sort out technical problems that affect how the internet works
To trace the registrant of a .nl domain name you would like to acquire
To protect intellectual property rights
To stop illegal and harmful content being put on the internet, or to get it taken down
You can ask to opt out of sharing info about yourself
Do you have a special reason for not wanting the Whois to show even the small amount of info about you that would normally be available? (That's your e-mail address and, if you are a business registrant, your name.) If so, you can ask to opt out of sharing your personal details. The situations in which you're allowed to opt out and the procedure for opting out are described on the Opt-out request page.
Full contact details
In the Whois, you can look up certain details about a registered .nl domain name, including the e-mail address of the administrative contact person for the registrant. We also keep a few other pieces of information, which aren't visible in the Whois:
The registrant's name (not in the Whois if the registrant is a person)
The registrant's address
The name and phone number of the administrative contact for the domain name
The name and phone number of the technical contact for the domain name
What if you need to contact a registrant?
We suggest you try the following:
See whether the domain name is linked to a website with a contact page.
Try contacting the registrant using the administrative contact's e-mail address or the technical contact's e-mail address, both of which are in the Whois.
If the registrant is a business, get the name from the Whois. You can then google the name or look it up in the Trade Register.
Try contacting the registrant through the registrar, whose details are in the Whois. Every domain name is managed by a registrar (hosting service provider).
Occasionally, we do share a registrant's details
We share details only where there's a good reason. That comes down to sharing with the following:
1. People with a legitimate interest ('interested parties')
If you want us to give you a registrant's full contact details, you need to explain to us why you need them. We will then see whether your request satisfies the criteria in the Whois Conditions of Use.
To request details about a .nl registrant, you need to use the request form for contact details.
2. Investigative and enforcement authorities
The police and others with similar powers can require us to give them full details of a registration.
Automated data access for investigative and enforcement authorities
The police and others with similar powers can make arrangements with us to look up personal data automatically. That saves us and them a lot of trouble. Naturally, the authorities are allowed to use their special access only as permitted by the law. We have arrangements with the following:
Municipality of Amsterdam (social security fraud investigation unit)
Municipality of Helmond (social security fraud investigation unit)
Municipality of Hengelo (social security fraud investigation unit)
Municipality of Nijmegen (social security fraud investigation unit)
Municipality of Wijchen (social security fraud investigation unit)
Do you represent an investigative or enforcement authority with an interest in automated data access? You can request access using the agreement form Use of the Non-public Whois.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Whois tell me which domain names are registered to a particular person or organisation?
No, the Whois can be used only to check who the registrant of a particular .nl domain name is. Reverse lookup isn't possible.
What is the difference between a private registrant and a business registrant?
You are a private registrant if you register a domain name for yourself, not for a business or an organisation of another kind. If you are acting for a business or another organisation, you are a business registrant.