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BSN and BRP registration in the Netherlands – citizen service number, DigiD and residence document

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

The BSN is the number the Netherlands runs on: no salary, bank account, health insurance or DigiD without it. You get it by registering in the BRP at your gemeente within five days of arriving, and each city handles that a little differently. Here is how it works in 2026.

Woman signing a form at a reception desk with an employee
Photo: bernardbodo/Adobe Stock

Two things before you queue. Since January 2026 – a national change – a non-EU national staying under four months can only register for a BSN (burgerservicenummer – citizen service number) at the RNI desks in Breda or Venlo. And NetherlandsWorldwide, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' information service, warns that municipal waiting times are currently longer than usual.

The BRP (Basisregistratie Personen – the population register) is kept by the municipalities under a national act in force since 6 January 2014. It logs every access for 20 years and records your names, gender, BSN, parents, nationality, marriage, address, settlement date, residence permit type and dates, children and travel document.

What is the BSN and who has to register in the BRP?

The BSN is the unique number given automatically to everyone in the BRP, issued once and never changed, even if you leave and return. GPs and insurers must use it; schools use it as your child's education number; landlords use it for toeslagen (benefits). Without it you cannot be paid, open a bank account, take out health insurance or claim benefits.

Your situationWhere you registerWhat you get
Over 4 months, any nationality (non-EU: permit or pending application)Your gemeente (municipality), in person, within 5 daysBRP registration; BSN within a few weeks
Under 4 months or abroad; Dutch, EU, EEA or SwissAny of the 19 RNI desks (non-residents part of the BRP)BSN on the spot, free
Under 4 months; any other nationalityOnly Breda or Venlo since January 2026, or the Belastingdienst (Tax Administration) formBSN
No home yetA correspondence address, if the gemeente agrees, with the main occupant's written permissionBRP registration and BSN

Source: NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Rijksoverheid, read 24 September 2026.

BRP registration step by step: what to bring and the five-day rule

Nationally you register in person within five days of arrival, partner and children included, with a valid identity document, proof of occupancy – a rental contract, a purchase contract or the main occupant's written permission – and any birth or marriage certificates the gemeente asks for, legalised where required and translated unless in Dutch, English, French or German. Non-EU nationals must be lawfully resident first, and identity checks can need extra investigation.

The details are municipal. Utrecht accepts only English, German and French documents without a certified translation and registers nobody before the contract starts. Eindhoven wants original certificates, and non-EU nationals must contact the IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – the immigration service) first. Rotterdam registers non-EU nationals only with a permit or pending application.

City (population 1 January 2026)How first registration worksWhere and when
Amsterdam (941,927)Walk in, no appointment – except Weesp; everyone attendsCity Office; Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri 09:00–16:00, Thu 09:00–18:00; 14 020
Rotterdam (673,804)Appointment, free; usually processed within 4 weeksOnline or 14 010 (+31 10 267 16 25 from abroad)
The Hague (569,468)Appointment online; recognised sponsors' staff via The Hague International Centre, freeCity Hall, Spui 70; Mon–Thu 9:00–17:00; +31 70 353 50 43
Utrecht (378,121)Appointment; BRP entry and BSN can take up to 4 weeksStadskantoor, Stadsplateau 1; +31 30 286 00 00, press 1 for English
Eindhoven (249,783)Appointment at the Inwonersplein; new slots added daily about 4 weeks aheadOnline or 14 040 (+31 40 2386000)

Source: the municipalities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven, and CBS, read 24 September 2026.

Highly skilled migrants of recognised sponsors can use an expat centre that does registration and IND formalities in one visit. IN Amsterdam, at the World Trade Center, Strawinskylaan 1767, serves the Amsterdam Area: submit the online form, then call +31 (0)20 254 7999. Its 2026 fee is €76 excluding VAT (€91.96 with it) for registration and BSN, €321 (€388.41) combined with IND services, no cash. The Rotterdam International Center at Weena 725 also charges; Eindhoven's Holland Expat Center South works by appointment. The Hague's centre and the IND's own desks are free.

The residence document, your V-number and the IND desks

As a non-EU national you book an IND appointment within two weeks of arrival to collect the document, once the IND letter or My IND says it is ready – the target is two weeks after your biometrics. Collect it yourself, with passport and appointment code, at the desks in Amsterdam (Pieter Calandlaan 1), The Hague (Rijnstraat 8), 's-Hertogenbosch or Zwolle, or at the expat centre in your letter. Biometrics are free at the desks; fees are paid by debit card, contactless or cash, not credit card.

The card shows the type: I temporary regular, II permanent regular, III temporary asylum, IV permanent asylum, V long-term EU resident, plus EU/EEA, EU family and Article 50 cards. The back states your purpose of stay and work rights, and the ten-digit V-number follows the letters VNR. Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged regular card costs €171 and takes up to eight weeks. While you wait, the IND's written statement of lawful residence – the article 9 letter – satisfies the police, since everyone aged 14 and over must be able to show a valid identity document on request.

How do you get DigiD as a newcomer?

DigiD is the login for MijnOverheid, the Belastingdienst, your insurer, the toeslagen and your municipality. Apply online with your BSN, BRP address and mobile phone; the activation letter reaches your BRP address within three business days, five at most, and you activate within 21 days or apply again. Log in with the app, an SMS code – a foreign number works – or username and password, which many organisations will soon refuse on its own. The app's identity check accepts only Dutch passports, ID cards and driving licences, so with foreign documents you activate by SMS or letter and cannot reach the 'substantieel' level.

Registered in the RNI and still abroad? Apply with BSN, ID, phone and e-mail; the collection code starts with B and lasts 30 days, and a video call with NetherlandsWorldwide or a DigiD desk swaps it for an activation code starting with A, valid 21 days. Helpdesk: +31 88 123 65 55, Monday to Friday 08.00–22.00, Saturday 09.00–17.00.

Moving house, leaving and keeping your record right

A move within the Netherlands goes to the gemeente – online, in writing or in person – from four weeks before to five days after; it tells the IND for you, and a new municipality deregisters you from the old. Amsterdam updates the address within two weeks, confirms by post within three; report late and the day the report arrives becomes your moving date.

Leaving for more than eight months in a year, even if you keep your home, you deregister in person from five days before departure; your record moves to the RNI. A permit holder who did not deregister within four weeks of leaving must tell the IND or risk a fine, and the document stays state property: cut off a corner and post it to IND Bureau Documenten, Postbus 49, 9560 AA Ter Apel. An international extract proving deregistration comes from any of the 19 RNI municipalities.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Over 4 months: BRP at the gemeente; under: the RNI (Breda or Venlo for non-EU citizens)Before you travel
2Book where required; Amsterdam is walk-inWeeks before departure
3Register in person, with partner and children, ID, proof of occupancy and certificatesWithin 5 days of arrival
4Non-EU: collect the residence document, note the V-numberAppointment within 2 weeks
5Apply for DigiD, then activate itWithin 21 days of the letter
6Report later moves; deregister in person before leaving the country4 weeks before to 5 days after; from 5 days before departure

Source: Rijksoverheid, the IND, DigiD and NetherlandsWorldwide (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.