1. General
2. CO.NL & the Operator
3. Disputes
4. Whois
5. Trades & Transfers
6. Deleting domain names
7. Sunrise

General

How can I become an accredited registrar for .co.nl domain names?

On the front page of the CO.NL website, click on the "Becoming a Registrar" link. There is a step-by-step explanation. There you can also find examples of the documents that need to be signed.

What if the name I want contains spaces or special characters?

The CO.NL Operator does not support IDN, so domain names may only contain:

1. The letters a - z
2. The numbers 0 - 9
3. Hyphens (-)

Domain names should consist of at least 2 letters and/or numbers and a maximum of 63 characters. It is not possible to let your domain start or end with a hyphen.

What is the cost of a .co.nl domain name?

The fees that the accredited registrars charge to their customers can vary and depend among other things on the registration services they provide. A list of all accredited CO.NL Registrars can be viewed via the left menu bar. From each registrar's website you can see how much they charge.

Who can register a .co.nl domain name?

Every natural person or organization can register its .co.nl domain name(s). An address in the Netherlands is not required.

How long is the registration period?

During Grandfather, the Sunrise phase for Trademarks and the Landrush the minimum period of registration is two years. As per Go Live, the minimum period is 1 year.

How can I get a .co.nl domain name?

It's quite easy to get your own .co.nl domain, just contact your accredited registrar and they will guide you through the registration process. More in detail, the registration procedure goes like following:

1. Check via the whois tool if the domain name you want is still available
2. When you found a name that is available, contact one of the accredited CO.NL Registrars and ask this registrar to register the domain.

CO.NL & the Registry

Why do we need a .co.nl domain?

Anyone without an address in the Netherlands is not able to register a domain under the national Dutch TLD. These international companies and individuals are given the opportunity to display their local business with a .co.nl domain. 

Furthermore the number of .nl registrations is growing fast towards 3 Million so the availability of Dutch domain names is decreasing. Besides the strong international image, .co.nl is re-offering availability of the best key words under the trustworthy Dutch domain name extension.

Who are the targeted customers of a .co.nl domain?

Dutch companies and individuals with an international perspective as well as international companies and individuals with interests in the Netherlands.

Is .co.nl an official ICANN approved extension?

The .nl is an ICANN approved extension and is run by SIDN, the Dutch registry. .co.nl domains are official third level domains of this .nl extension and therefore not an approved extension in itself. But the .co.nl happens to have a strong international appearance.

Who is the founder and operator of the CO.NL Operator?

The CO.NL Operator is operated and founded by EuroDNS S.A. This Luxembourgish company is the largest multi-tld of Europe, has an extensive experience with the management of domain names and is familiar in the ICANN community.

What is the governance structure of the CO.NL Operator?

The operator is owned by EuroDNS S.A.

Disputes

The operator will offer an ADR via an independant court. More information can be found on our site.

Whois

What is the whois?

The WHOIS is a database containing all .co.nl domain names that have been registered to date. By querying a name you are able to see if the domain is already registered or not i.e. whether it is still available. If the name has already been registered you will be able to see who registered it.

What do the different statuses of domain names mean?

• Available: The name is available, you can register it
• Reserved: The name is reserved by the operator and can't be registered
• Premium: The name is reserved by the operator for as a special Premium name.
• Registered: The name is already registered
• Invalid: The name you entered contains characters that are not allowed, or contains less then 2 or more then 63 characters

Trades & Transfers

What is a trade/transfer?

A trade is the change of ownership of a domain name from one registrant to another.

A transfer is the change of registrar (ISP) of a domain. The ownership does not change.

How do I trade/transfer my domain name(s)?

Trade: If you would like to sell your domain name to another party, it is up to your registrar to execute that trade. The request can only be initiated by a CO.NL Accredited Registrar.

Once the CO.NL Operator has received the trade request, it will be dealt with in the following few hours.

Transfer: If you would like your domain name to be managed by another registrar, you have to request your current registrar to transfer that domain to your new registrar. Hence you need to inform both your current registrar and your new registrar. Only CO.NL Accredited Registrars can process transfer applications.

Once the CO.NL Operator has received the transfer request (the 'push') from your current registrar, an email is issued to the new registrar. If the transfer is not confirmed, the procedure will be terminated and your current registrar should initiated a new transfer.

What happens if I make a mistake when initiating a trade/transfer?

If you make a mistake, you will have to wait until the request has expired (10 days). Afterwards you can initiate the trade or transfer again.

How long does it takes to complete the trade/transfer?

When the request has been confirmed by all parties involved, the domain will be traded or transferred instantly with a minimum of delay.

Can domains be traded/ transferred in bulk?

Yes, both are technically possible. Contact your accredited registrar for more information.

Deleting domains

How do I delete my domain name?

Request your CO.NL Accredited Registrar to delete your domain. You will need to specify as per when you want the domain to be deleted. Deletions must be offered before the expiration date of your domain.

How do I get back my deleted domain?

Following the deletion, the domain will be in redemption for 45 days, afterwards it will be available for registration for the public again. There are 3 option to get back your domain:

1.If the deletion data has not yet passed, you can ask your registrar to undelete the domain.

2.If the deletion data has passed, but the domain is still in its redemption period, you can ask your registrar to reactivate the domain. You will be separately charged for reactivation.

3.If the redemption period passed as well, you can re-register the domain (but so can third parties!)

What happens to my domain after deletion?

Any "delete" of a domain name will result in a 45-day Deleted Name Redemption Grace Period. This grace period will allow the domain name registrant, registrar, and/or operator time to detect and correct any mistaken deletions.

During this 45-day period, the deleted name will be placed on OPERATOR-HOLD, which will cause the name to be removed from the zone. (The domain name therefore will not function/resolve.) This feature will help ensure notice to the registrant that the name is subject to deletion at the end of the Redemption Grace Period, even if the contact data the registrar has for the registrant is no longer accurate.

During the Redemption Grace Period, registrants could redeem their registrations through registrars. Registrars would be able to redeem the name for the original registrant by paying renewal fees, plus a service charge, to the operator.

Sunrise

What is Sunrise and how does it work?

The CO.NL Operator will use a launching procedure (fully described on this website) for the phased opening of the .co.nl zone. This procedure is also refered to as a 'Sunrise'. In short, the Sunrise is a period before opening for general registration of domain names where holders of prior rights can apply for domain names. The objective is to avoid the so called cyber squatting.

The Sunrise of .co.nl takes place in two phases: It starts with Sunrise 1 "the Grandfather period" and ends with Sunrise 2 "Registered Trademarks".

What is Sunrise 1 and how does it work?

The Sunrise opens up with a so called "Grandfather" period. During this period current holders of a .nl domain have the exclusive right to claim there .co.nl domain as well. After this period the registration for these domains opens up for other interested parties as well. During "Grandfather" each application will be verified by an independent agent to make sure that only the rightful owner will receive their .co.nl domain.

What is Sunrise 2 and how does it work?

During the second phase of Sunrise the holders of registered Trademarks have the priority right to register their .co.nl domains, assuming the domain has not been registered during Sunrise 1. All applications will be verified by the same agent as during Sunrise 1. It's important to realize that all applications will be evaluated and assigned based on a first come first serves basis.