.nl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Introduced | April 25, 1986 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | SIDN |
| Sponsor | SIDN |
| Intended use | Entities connected with the  Netherlands |
| Actual use | Very popular in Netherlands |
| Registration restrictions | No restrictions on second-level registrations; third-level "personal" registrations limited to natural persons; registrants must provide contact address in Netherlands |
| Structure | Registrations are taken directly at the second level; "personal" registrations also available at third level beneath all-numeric second level domains |
| Documents | Regulations for registration of .nl domain names |
| Dispute policies | Arbitration procedure |
| Website | SIDN |
.nl is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Netherlands. Registrations are processed via a network of participants. It is one of the most popular ccTLD's, ranked 4th in the annual VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief, after .de, .uk and .eu. [1]
It was the first ccTLD ever to be registered. The authority for the .nl domain was handed over to Piet Beertema of the Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica in 1986.
Since January 31, 1996 .nl domains are registered by the Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie Nederland (SIDN). Registrants have to pay the SIDN a fee for each domain since April 1, 1996, until then registration was free. In the early days, most of the registrants were universities and research departments of large companies, such as Philips Research.
Individuals are allowed to register a second-level .nl domain since 2003. As a forerunner, individuals were allowed to register a third-level domain since 2000. Such 'personal domains' had the form of janjansen.123.nl. They never became popular, and registration has been suspended since 2006. Because there are only around 500 of such domains registered, in contrast to about 2 million second-level domains, SIDN announced the discontinuance of personal domains as of 2008 on July 4th, 2007. Owners of such domains will be contacted by SIDN and offered a small fee if they cooperate.
The cost of a .nl domain varies, but depending on the registrar the price is around 10 to 15 euros. 70% of the .nl domains are used by businesses. A survey by SIDN showed that at least 62% of all .nl domains have a website.
