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  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date.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

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Possible new top-level domains revealed

ICANN gets 1,615 applications for new top-level domains, including 5 from the Netherlands

  • Tuesday 13 October 2026

On 7 October, ICANN revealed the new top-level domains (TLDs) that have been requested. With 14 years having passed since the last window for new top-level domains, the reveal day was a big occasion for the domain name industry.

ICANN received a total of 1,615 applications. Of those, 506 were from Europe, including 5 from the Netherlands:

  • .bdo requested by the BDO Foundation

  • .src requested by the NLnet Foundation

  • .twente requested by Dotlocal

  • .ver requested by the Verifiable Internet Foundation

  • .yeah requested by booking.com

Fifty-one of the 1,615 applications were submitted through the Applicant Support Program (ASP), set up to help organisations with limited financial means apply for top-level domains.

By no means all of the applications were unique. A total of 891 are in ‘contention sets’: groups of multiple applications for the same name.

In some cases, the sets involve a significant number of applicants. For example, 5 applicants want .tea, 10 are seeking approval for .hub, and 13 are after .agent. And, in each case, only one of them can be successful. ICANN has therefore designed a rigorous process for deciding which application in a contention set should have priority.

However, before that process starts, every applicant in a set is given the opportunity to amend their application. They had until 21 October to ask for another extension instead, so as not to get involved in the actual contention process.

An applicant that chooses to withdraw in this phase receives a 65 per cent refund of their application fee, which works out at USD 147,555. If they withdraw later, the amount repayable is smaller.

What next?

On 17 November, ICANN will publish the final list of applications. After that, there’ll be a period of 104 days, during which governments and other stakeholders can object to applications. That opportunity is supported by an early warning system, through which governments can flag up concerns. The thinking behind the system isn’t to enable governments to stop applications, but to facilitate dialogue: an applicant will be able to respond to the authorities’ concerns, with a view to persuading them to remove their objections.

Nevertheless, in exceptional cases, if there is consensus within the Governmental Advisory Committee, the GAC will be able to advise ICANN to refuse an application.

Later in the first half of 2027, ICANN will organise the Prioritization Drawing: a lottery to decide the order that applications are evaluated in. The outcome will have considerable influence on when a new extension actually comes online.

First new TLDs could go live in 2028

Although the process will continue for several years, the first new extensions are expected to appear on the internet early in 2028. It could be much later before some of the contested TLDs come online, however. For the full list of new TLD applications, see https://newgtldprogram-aps.icann.org/applications.

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