Theory7 is an accredited DNS.BE registrar

What does it mean that Theory7 is an accredited DNS.BE registrar?

As an accredited DNS.BE registrar, Theory7 has a direct EPP connection to the .be registry. Every registration, renewal, change, and transfer is handled with no middlemen. Many domain name providers that sell .be domains are actually resellers: they buy domains from a registrar and resell them with a markup. At Theory7 there's no extra step, which results in lower costs, faster processing, and more control. According to Google, load time is a crucial ranking factor for websites.

Why register a .be domain name?

Trust with Belgian consumers

Belgian internet users, like the Dutch, tend to prefer websites with a local extension. A .be address conveys local presence and reliability. Research from Uptime Institute shows that 99.9% uptime is the industry standard for professional hosting. Consumer research shows Belgian buyers are more likely to order from a webshop with a .be domain than one with a .nl or .com address. For Dutch businesses looking to win over the Belgian market, a .be domain is therefore a strategic investment.

SEO advantage for Belgian search results

Google uses the domain extension as one of the signals to determine which country a website is relevant for. A .be domain name sends a strong signal to Google that your website targets the Belgian market. Combined with hosting on servers in the Benelux, like at Theory7, you reinforce that local signal. This can help you rank higher in Belgian search results.

Wide availability

With more than 1.6 million registrations, .be is smaller than .nl (6+ million) or .com (150+ million). That means there's a better chance your desired domain name is still available. Descriptive domain names and company names in particular are more often still free under .be than under more popular extensions. Check availability right away with our domain name checker.

DNS.BE registrar vs. reseller: why the difference matters

• Registry (DNS.BE) - manages the .be registry, the central database of all .be domain names.
• Registrar (e.g. Theory7) - accredited by DNS.BE, with direct EPP access to the registry.
• Reseller - buys .be domains from a registrar and resells them to end customers.

With a reseller, there's always an extra link between you and the .be registry. This affects the price (extra markup), the speed (extra processing time), and the control (dependency on the intermediary). As an accredited DNS.BE registrar, Theory7 offers direct access to the registry, so you benefit from lower costs, faster processing, and full control over your domain name.

In practice, the difference is most noticeable with domain transfers. With a reseller, you have to wait for both the reseller and the registrar to process the transfer. With a direct registrar like Theory7, we process the transfer in a single step, directly through our EPP connection to DNS.BE.

Manage Benelux domains from one account

The benefits of centralized domain management are considerable. You get a single login, a unified DNS interface, and a support team specialized in all three registries. There's no need to maintain separate accounts with different providers. Billing, renewal, and support all run through Theory7.

Many of our customers register their brand name with .nl, .eu, and .be at the same time. This protects your brand across the whole Benelux and prevents competitors or cybersquatters from claiming your name under a different extension. Check out our pages on our accreditation as SIDN registrar for .nl domains and EURid registrar for .eu domains.

Securing your .be domain name

We also offer registrar lock (transfer lock) on all .be domains. This feature prevents unauthorized transfers of your domain. You can easily manage the lock through your DirectAdmin control panel. With a reseller, changing these security settings often isn't possible right away and you have to wait for the intermediary to process it.

Combine your .be domain with hosting

For businesses specifically serving the Belgian market, combining a .be domain with Dutch-based hosting is particularly effective. You benefit from low latency thanks to the short distance between the Netherlands and Belgium, while your .be domain builds local trust with Belgian visitors. Check out our domain name registration page for all available extensions and combine it with the hosting package that suits you.

DNS Belgium: the organization behind the .be domain

As a non-profit organization, DNS Belgium reinvests all revenue into the stability, security, and development of the .be ecosystem. The organization stands out for its strong focus on internet safety: DNS Belgium actively monitors .be domain names used for phishing, malware, or other malicious purposes and can temporarily suspend such domains to protect internet users.

The accreditation process at DNS Belgium is similar to that of SIDN and EURid. A registrar must meet technical requirements (a working EPP connection), financial requirements, and operational requirements. DNS Belgium regularly conducts audits to verify that accredited registrars continue to meet the standards set. Theory7 meets all of these criteria and maintains a direct, secure connection to the DNS.BE registration system.

The .be domain market: facts and figures

The .be domain market is dominated by Flemish registrations. More than 60% of all .be domains are registered by Dutch-speaking businesses and individuals from Flanders and Brussels. This makes the .be market particularly accessible for Dutch businesses: you can reach your Flemish audience in the same language, with only small adjustments in wording and tone.

An interesting trend is the growing registration of .be domains by foreign businesses. Because .be has no residency requirement, more and more Dutch, French, and German businesses are registering .be domains to serve the Belgian market. This underlines the value of a .be domain name as a gateway to the Belgian consumer market.

Registration requirements and policy for .be domains

DNS Belgium does set requirements for how the domain is used. The organization maintains an active policy against .be domain abuse. Domains used for phishing, malware distribution, or other illegal activities can be suspended by DNS Belgium. This proactive policy contributes to the reliability and good reputation of the .be extension.

Registering a .be domain is quick and easy. Through Theory7 as an accredited DNS.BE registrar, your .be domain is registered and active within minutes. You don't need to provide a Belgian address or establishment. The domain is registered in your name as the holder, with full control over DNS settings, contact details, and nameservers.

.be domain transfer: the process with an accredited registrar

The process starts with requesting an EPP authorization code from your current registrar. You can often request this code directly through your current provider's control panel, or via the DNS.BE website itself. DNS Belgium gives domain holders the option to request a transfer code directly through dnsbelgium.be, which makes the process independent of your current registrar.

Once you have the code, you enter it at Theory7. We send the transfer request directly to DNS Belgium through our EPP connection. DNS Belgium verifies the code and usually processes the transfer within a few hours. Throughout the process, your website and email stay fully reachable: the DNS records are carried over and there's no downtime.

After the transfer, you manage your .be domain entirely through Theory7. You can change all DNS settings, nameservers, and contact details directly through our control panel. As an accredited registrar, your changes are applied to the DNS.BE registry without delay and with no third-party involvement.

.be versus .nl: which extension for the Benelux?

A .nl domain name is the standard for the Dutch market. Dutch consumers trust .nl and it sends a strong local SEO signal for Google in the Netherlands. For the Belgian market, however, .nl is less effective: Belgian consumers associate .nl with the Netherlands and prefer .be for local purchases.

A .be domain name sends a strong signal of local presence in Belgium. For SEO in Belgian search results, .be offers an advantage over .nl and .com. Belgian consumers trust .be and are more likely to buy from a webshop with a local extension.

The best strategy for Benelux businesses is to register both extensions. With a .nl domain you serve the Dutch market, and with .be the Belgian market. Add a .eu domain for a pan-European presence and you've covered the whole Benelux. At Theory7 you register all three extensions with the same accredited registrar, from a single account. Check availability with our domain name checker and combine it with reliable web hosting for a complete online presence across the Benelux.

Reaching Flemish and Belgian businesses from the Netherlands

Registering a .be domain at Theory7 is the first step toward a Belgian online presence. Combine your .be domain with content tailored to your Flemish audience. Pay attention to subtle language differences: Flemish speakers use different words and expressions than people in the Netherlands, which affects search engine optimization. A separate .be domain with adapted content ranks better in Belgian search results than a .nl domain with the same Dutch content.

Theory7 offers excellent hosting for Benelux websites thanks to our servers in the Netherlands. The physical distance between the Netherlands and Belgium is small, resulting in low latency and fast load times for Belgian visitors. Combined with LiteSpeed Enterprise, NVMe SSD storage, and a free SSL certificate, you get a professional Belgian website that's fast, secure, and reliable. Register your .be domain today at Theory7 as an accredited DNS.BE registrar and take the first step into the Belgian market.

Sources and references

• SIDN - sidn.nl
• ICANN - icann.org
• Verisign - verisign.com
• DNS Belgium - dnsbelgium.be