New to the Netherlands

If you are new to the Netherlands, you will be given a BSN when you register here. You use your BSN to arrange important matters. This page explains how this works. 

Register to get a BSN 

When you register in the Netherlands, your details are entered in the BRP and you are given a citizen service number (BSN). You can then apply for a DigiD and arrange matters such as health insurance, work and taxes. 

Municipality or RNI desk?  

Where you need to register depends on how long you will stay in the Netherlands and where you live. Only people who have a valid right of residence can register as residents of the Netherlands. 

Longer than four months: municipality 

If you plan to live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you must register with the municipality in which you will live. You need to do this within five days after you arrive in the Netherlands. 

• Make an appointment with the municipality. You can usually do this online, on your municipality's website.  
• The municipality will let you know which documents you need to take with you to your appointment, such as your passport or your tenancy agreement. 
• Go to your local city hall or city office. If you have a partner and/or children who came with you to the Netherlands, they must come with you when you go to the municipality. 
• Save the confirmation e-mail or link for your appointment. You might have to show this. 

Less than four months: RNI desk 

If you will be staying in the Netherlands for less than four months, you can be registered in the Non-residents Records Database (RNI). This is not compulsory. Registration is necessary, however, if you want a BSN. You can register at any of the 19 RNI desks in the Netherlands. 

• Before you go to the RNI desk, enter your details in the form on the website of RvIG (the National Office for Identity Data). 
• Once you have completed the form, you will be given a personal QR code. 
• Make an appointment with an RNI desk .
• Make sure you take the QR code and your identity document with you when you go to the RNI desk. 

If you stay in the Netherlands for longer than four months, you must register with the municipality in which you live.  

If you will be working but not living in the Netherlands: the RNI desk 

If you come to work in the Netherlands but you still live in another country, you can also be registered in the Non-residents Records Database (RNI). This enables you to get a BSN, which you need to arrange important matters in the Netherlands such as work, insurance and taxes. 

Valid right of residence in the Netherlands 

You are allowed to live in the Netherlands if you have valid right of residence. That means you have permission to live here. 

If you come from a country in the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) or from Switzerland, you can live and work in the Netherlands without a residence permit. 

If you are from a country outside the EU, you must have a residence permit from IND. You need this if you want to work or study in the Netherlands or join your family here, for example. If you have no right of residence or your permit has expired, you cannot register as a resident with the municipality.