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.nl

This article describes the procedures and requirements of .nl domain names.
Click on the subject below to open the dropdown for more information.

Registration

Successful domain registration via RCP (Reseller Control Panel) or XML API or REST API requires:

  • two or more nameservers or a nameserver group
  • postal box (postbus) is not allowed in the registrant handle
  • valid phone number is required in all handles
  • (Optional) Reseller in whois option*
  • FAX number is not required, but in case it is entered in the handle, it must be valid.

 

* - When submitting a handle in the field "Reseller handle" this information will be visible in the whois. If you do not want details displayed, leave the field empty.

- When a "Trading Name" is entered in the handle, this name will be displayed in the whois instead of the company name of the handle.


- Starting October 1st 2023, you will no longer be able to purchase Whois Privacy Protection for new .nl domain names due to new SIDN policy. Furthermore, it will not be possible to renew your existing Whois Privacy Protection services for .nl domains. Your active Whois Privacy Protection services for .nl domains will remain active until their expiration date.
When domains are renewed, the WPP will be deactivated automatically. This will trigger an email from SIDN about a change of ownership to the registrant. We can not prevent this email unfortunately.

 

Transfer

Successful domain transfer via RCP or XML API or REST API requires:

  • an authorisation code that you need to request at your current provider.
  • two or more nameservers or a nameserver group
  • postal box (postbus) is not allowed in the registrant handle
  • valid phone number is required in all handles
  • If FAX number is entered (not required?), it must be valid

 

If you notice that the nameservers or the contacts are not correctly updated after a transfer, the update was not accepted by SIDN due to one of the missing requirements above.
Make sure to correct the data in the used handles, before processing a domain sync or update.



Additional notes on a .nl transfer

  • Remaining registration period at the registry will be unchanged. This period might be different then your previous hosting provider communicated in case they renew .nl domains per month or quarter with SIDN instead of per year. In addition, SIDN does not support multiyear renewals. In case your current provider has renewed the domain for more than 1 year, they will not have renewed / paid for this period at SIDN (yet). Only the remaining registration period of SIDN will be unchanged at the moment of transfer.
  • An authorization code is not required if the current registrar is bankrupt, contact support for more information.
  • Escalation procedure is possible if the current registrar does not provide the authorization code.
  • Bulk transfers are possible (more info)
  • Transfer from quarantine is possible; additional costs apply. More info here.
  • In exceptional cases, SIDN can request us to send the authorization code directly to the domain holder.
  • Openprovider does not (yet) support .nl Control. If you want to transfer a domain that runs under .nl Control, please deactivate this at the current registrar before ordering the transfer in Openprovider.
  • If registry expiration date is close or expired (<= 1 day), you will have 1 day after activation and Openprovider will enable auto-renew (and notify about that).

Proof of ownership

In some cases, for example when requesting us to escalate a transfer or to transfer a domain from quarantine, we are obliged to check the ownership of the domain name. The domain holder can request those data from registry SIDN, or you can do so for the domain holder:

  • Visit SIDN's website in English or Dutch
  • Fill in the domain name, the domain holder's e-mail address and zip code
  • SIDN will now send two links to the domain holder and administrative contact:
    • one link for the domain holder himself
    • and one link that can be shared with others
  • Do not open the second link (as it can be opened only once!), but send it to Openprovider
  • Openprovider is now able to validate the owner details
Authorization code required yes
Method of confirmation authcode
Registration period after transfer unchanged
Average transfer time Realtime
Advanced and simple transfers available Contact our Sales department to check if easy transfer of 100 or more .nl domains is available.
Outgoing transfer
Update

Owner change (trade)

  • requested as a normal domain update via RCP or XML API or REST API
  • processed realtime

Other update

 

If you notice that the nameservers or the contacts are not correctly updated after a transfer, the update was not accepted by SIDN due to one of the missing requirements above.
Make sure to correct the data in the used handles, before processing a domain update.

 

Pledged domains (Domeinen met pandrecht)
In case you receive the error "This transaction is incompatible with the domain name's current status" it can indicate that the domain is Pledged (pandrecht). This is a service between SIDN and the registrant directly.

When requesting an update for a pledge domain, the registry will not directly process them realtime, but they will be handled manually. This can take 1 till 3 days.
The error "This transaction is incompatible with the domain name's current status" is shown because we do not get a direct response from the registry back that the update is successful or not. The request is actually pending at the registry.

Owner update: SIDN need approval of the pledgee within 3 days.
Nameserver change: SIDN will process this within 1 workday.

Deletion / Restore

Delete

  • requested via RCP or XML API or REST API
  • processed realtime
  • will result in a quarantine period

In case error is shown "Cannot delete domain on registry side" the domain is limited (Pledged / pandrecht). Please contact the registrant and / or SIDN to resolve this.

In case the registry does not allow a domain deletion, we can request a special cancellation procedure with the registry. The fee for this procedure is €25,00 per domain name. Contact our support department for more information and to start the procedure.

 

Note:

After domain cancellations, former registrants/domain owners may receive an e-mail from SIDN regarding mail traffic to cancelled domain names. You can find more information about this at: Mail traffic to cancelled domain names  

Restore / reactivate

  • restore / reactivation supported via RCP or XML API or REST API
  • quarantine period can be found under
    Detailed extension information > Technical information > Quarantine period

 

 

Detailed extension information
Registry
  • Registry: SIDN
  • Registry whois: whois.domain-registry.nl
  • Registry web based whois: https://www.sidn.nl/en/whois
  • Registry zonefile updates: Every hour (00:00, 01:00, 02:00, ...)
Technical information
  • DNSSEC support: yes
  • Minimum length: 2 characters
  • Maximum length: 63 characters
  • Allowed characters: a-z 0-9 - (If you include a hyphen, it must have a letter or number on each side of it)
  • IDN characters: n/a
  • Registration period: 1 year
  • Renewal date offset: 2 days
    The number of days before the registry's expiration date, that Openprovider requires the domain to be renewed or expired. More info.
    Note that the dates as shown in your Openprovider account are always leading, even if they do not match the renewal date offset mentioned here.
  • Soft quarantine period: n/a days
    During this period, following after an expiration, the domain can be restored for free. This period does not apply if the domain is deleted explicitly. More info.
  • Quarantine period: 38 days
    During this period, an expired or deleted domain name can be reactivated at an additional fee.
Restrictions
  • Local presence required? no
  • Does Openprovider provide local presence services? n/a
  • Local activity required? no
  • Correct nameserver configuration required? no
  • The Domain(s) can be registered without further limitations.
  • A Postal Box (postbus) in not allowed in the contact handles.
  • WPP is not supported after October 1st 2023.
  • The phone number in all contact handles needs to have a valid amount of numbers.
Policies
Registration agreement The registry requires that a registration agreement is in place between the provider and the domain holder. The text of this registration agreement and any required supplements is the following:

Due to the regular changes in registry rules and configuration or missing information from registry side, and despite our effort to keep our knowledge base up-to-date, information in the knowledge base may be outdated or incorrect. If you encounter some issue, please report it through the "HotJar" feedback collector on the bottom right, or (if it is blocked by your browser) by clicking the "Submit a request" link below. No rights can be derived from the information in this knowledge base. If there is discrepancy between the knowledge base and the process in Openprovider, the process in Openprovider is leading.

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