Registering with the municipality (BRP, BSN, DigiD)

Everyone who intends to stay in the Netherlands for more than four months must register with the municipality, and it is recommended to do so within five days of arrival.

• People who stay less than four months are not registered, but in some cases can get a BSN through the Register of Non-Residents (RNI) in designated municipalities.
• Registration is a legal duty and not optional, delay may expose you to a fine, and it will stop you from opening a bank account, getting insurance or working legally.
• If you move later you must report the move to the new municipality, as this guide explains.

In most municipalities you must book an appointment on its website, and in big cities such as Amsterdam and The Hague you may wait weeks, so book early and check for new slots every day.

• You usually need a valid passport and residence permit if any, an original birth certificate, a marriage certificate if married, and the rental contract or proof of address with permission from the landlord or main resident (toestemming hoofdbewoner) if renting a room.
• Foreign documents often need a certified translation and legalisation or an apostille.
• Check your municipality's exact list before the appointment, since lists differ.

After your documents are checked your data is recorded in the BRP, and you receive a BSN at once or within days, and a letter arrives by post confirming your number and registration.

• Keep this number, since it is yours for life, and share it only with trusted bodies such as your employer, bank, insurer and the tax authority.
• The municipality may later check your actual residence at the address by a visit or correspondence (adresonderzoek), so make sure the name on the letterbox is correct.
• The immigration service (IND), tax authority and other institutions are informed of your registration automatically.
• You can request an extract (uittreksel) from the BRP when an official body needs it.

DigiD is your digital account for entering government services, health insurance, taxes, schools and care through an app or text message.

• After getting your BSN request a DigiD on digid.nl, and the activation code arrives by post at your registered address within a few days.
• It is advisable to activate the DigiD app on your phone since it is safer than text messages.
• Do not give your DigiD details to anyone and enter them only on known official sites ending in .nl, since fraudsters impersonate government bodies.
• If you lose access follow the recovery steps on the official site.
• You can link DigiD to the electronic identity card if you have one.

When moving to a new address report it to the new municipality, which you can do online using DigiD from four weeks before the move or within five days after it. You do not need to tell the old municipality, since the new one transfers your data.

• When leaving the Netherlands for more than eight months you must deregister (uitschrijven).
• For rented rooms you need the landlord's permission to register, and some landlords refuse claiming tax or benefit reasons, which may violate the law, so ask a tenants' rights centre.
• Registration at addresses without permission is refused, and do not pay money to someone who promises registration for a fee.

Within how many days is registration recommended after arrival?