Who runs it
.nl is administered by SIDN, and its expiry process is a registry with a longer than average recovery window.
What happens after expiry
After expiry a .nl enters quarantine, during which the previous holder can reclaim it.
The grace period
Quarantine typically runs around 40 days.
Recovery after that
Reclaiming during quarantine is done through a registrar and is usually inexpensive compared with gTLD redemption fees.
Worth knowing about .nl
SIDN's quarantine is comparatively generous, but the domain stops resolving immediately at expiry, so the site and mail are down for the whole quarantine period regardless.
What is true of every extension
- The domain stops resolving the moment it expires. The website and the email both stop at once, because both depend on the same records.
- Your registrar panel may still show the domain as active while the rest of the internet already treats it as gone.
- Every stage after expiry costs more than renewing did, and the last stage cannot be undone at any price.
Registry policies change. The shape of the process below is stable, but confirm the exact windows with your registrar before relying on a specific number.