How to transfer a .nl domain (the SIDN token)

How do I transfer a .nl domain?

A .nl domain moves with a SIDN token: a one-time code your current registrar issues, which the gaining registrar uses to pull the domain across. Ask your registrar for the token, hand it to the buyer or to the escrow service, and the buyer’s registrar does the rest.

What is the token, and how do I get one?

It is the .nl equivalent of an authorization code. It is issued by the registrar that currently holds the domain, and SIDN requires them to hand it over within five days of the request. Most registrars have a button for it in the control panel; some still make you email support.

Two things to check before you ask for it:

• The domain is not locked or pending another change at your registrar.
• The registration record lists an address you can still receive mail at, because confirmations go there.

How long does the transfer take?

Hours to days once the gaining registrar has the token. There is no five-day auto-approval clock to wait out, the way there is with a gTLD authorization code. The token itself is the approval.

Does the 60-day lock apply?

No. The 60-day rule is an ICANN rule: no transfer within 60 days of registration or of a previous transfer. It applies to gTLDs like .com, .net, .org, .io and .dev. .nl is run by SIDN, which sets its own rules. Your registrar may still impose restrictions of its own, so check before you promise a buyer a date.

What about a change of holder?

Transferring the domain to a different registrar and changing who owns it are two different operations. A sale usually needs both: the domain moves to the buyer’s registrar, and the registrant on the record becomes the buyer. Some registrars do them in one step, some in two, and some apply their own lock after a registrant change.

How is delivery proved?

Through RDAP (or the older WHOIS), which is the public registration record. When the registrar and registrant of record show the buyer, the domain has been delivered. That is the evidence escrow services rely on, because it does not depend on either party’s say-so. If a buyer goes quiet after a transfer completes, delivery is normally auto-confirmed after a timeout on the strength of that record.

The short version, in order

1. Agree the price and the payment route. Use escrow if you do not know the other party.
2. Unlock the domain if your registrar has a lock.
3. Request the SIDN token; your registrar has five days.
4. Give the token to the buyer or the escrow service.
5. The buyer’s registrar initiates the transfer.
6. Check RDAP shows the new registrar and holder, then release payment.

While the domain is still yours and still for sale, its nameservers can point at nics.dev so the name itself carries the offer form. Nothing about the delegation affects the transfer: the domain stays in your registrar account throughout.

Questions

How long must my registrar take to give me the token?

Within five days. SIDN requires the current registrar to hand the token over on request within that window; the transfer itself is usually done in hours once the gaining registrar has it.

Does the ICANN 60-day lock apply to .nl?

No. The 60-day rule is an ICANN rule for gTLDs such as .com and .net. .nl is a country-code domain run by SIDN, which sets its own transfer rules. Your registrar may still apply its own restrictions.

Do I have to move registrar to sell a .nl domain?

No. If buyer and seller use the same registrar, the domain can usually be moved between accounts directly, which takes minutes and needs no token at all.

How does the buyer prove they received it?

Through the public registration record. RDAP or WHOIS shows the new registrar and, for a change of holder, the new registrant. Escrow services poll that record rather than taking either party's word for it.