What is .nl?
A little context on Netherlands: the capital is Amsterdam, the main language is Dutch, the currency is the Euro (EUR) and the international dialing code is +31.
Next door on the map, you'll find .be for Belgium and .de for Germany.
IANA lists SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland) as the manager of .nl, with an address in Netherlands. The registry's website is https://www.sidn.nl. ccTLD managers set their own policies — who can register, which second-level names exist, pricing to registrars — so those rules differ from country to country.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 3 name servers for .nl, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .nl haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.domain-registry.nl).
.nl FAQ
What country is .nl?
.nl is the country-code top-level domain for Netherlands, in Western Europe.
What is Netherlands's domain extension?
Netherlands's website extension is .nl, its country-code top-level domain. "NL" is its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
Who owns the .nl domain?
IANA lists SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland) as the manager of .nl: it runs the registry and sets the rules for Netherlands's ccTLD. Individual .nl names belong to whoever registers them.
Can I register a .nl domain from the US?
It depends on SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland)'s policy. Some ccTLDs are open to anyone in the world, while others require a local address, company or trademark. Check the registry (https://www.sidn.nl) or an accredited registrar before you buy.
Is .nl DNSSEC-signed?
Yes. The root zone has a DS record for .nl, so DNSSEC validation works all the way down from the root.
How do I look up who owns a .nl domain?
Query the registry's registration data service: the WHOIS server is whois.domain-registry.nl, and RDAP lookups go to https://rdap.sidn.nl/. Many registrants use privacy services, so personal details may be hidden.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed June 20, 2024. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
