Registering in the Netherlands

If you will be working or living in the Netherlands for less than 4 months, you will be registered in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP) as a non-resident, which we call the Non-Resident Registration (RNI). There are 19 RNI desks in the Netherlands where you can register as a non-resident in the RNI.

1. Pre-registration: before registering at the RNI office, complete the online registration form.
2. Appointment RNI counter: within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands make an appointment at one of the 19 RNI counters.
3. Apply for DigiD as a non-resident; After receiving your BSN, apply for a DigiD.
4. Report changes in contact information or temporary residence address through MyRNI.
5. Report departure from the Netherlands through MyRNI.
6. Are you still in the Netherlands after four months? Then you must register with the municipality as a resident.
7. Stay in touch with the Dutch government after you leave the Netherlands. Report your changes through MyRNI.

If you are coming to live and work in the Netherlands for less than 4 months, then you must register. You will then be regarded as a non-resident of the Netherlands (‘niet-ingezetene’) and you will be given a citizen service number (BSN). This is a unique number given by the Dutch government to everyone who lives or works in the Netherlands, whether temporarily or permanently.

When you register, you must take along valid proof of identification – either a passport or an EU ID card.

In addition, you must provide your home address outside the Netherlands. Fill in the registration form and take it with you to the servicepoint.

Through MyRNI, you can have your temporary residence address in the Netherlands and contact information recorded, modified and viewed in the Non-Residents Registration (RNI) as a non-resident. By providing your temporary residence address and contact information, the Dutch government can reach you in case of unexpected emergencies and inform you of your rights. Are you leaving the Netherlands? Then pass on your departure. For MyRNI you need a DigiD.

1. Go to MyRNI.

2. Log in with DigiD and view or change your details.

Have you worked or lived in the Netherlands before? And did you register then? Then you already have a citizen service number (BSN). You do not have to register again. However, your new employer will need your BSN. Have you forgotten or lost your BSN? Then you can request it at one of the 19 RNI offices in the Netherlands. You will have to pay for this.

If you will be living or working in the Netherlands for less than 4 months and you have already been registered and have a BSN and DigiD, you do not have to report to an RNI desk. It is important that you provide your temporary address and contact information. You can do this quickly and easily via MyRNI.

Will you be living or working in the Netherlands for less than 4 months and are you already registered and in possession of BSN but not DigiD? Apply for a DigiD and provide your temporary address and contact details digitally via MyRNI or make an appointment at one of the 19 RNI desks.

Will you be living or working in the Netherlands for longer than 4 months and are you already registered and in possession of a BSN? Then report to your municipality of residence for registration.

If you will be working or living in the Netherlands for longer than 4 months, you will be registered in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP) as a resident of the Netherlands.

1. Register with municipality: Within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands, make an appointment at the municipality where you will live for registration as a resident.
2. Apply for DigiD as a resident of the Netherlands. 
3. Report changes to your municipality about your move within the Netherlands or your departure from the Netherlands to a foreign country. 

Are you going back to the country that you came from, or to a different country, for longer than eight months? Then you need to deregister at the municipality you live in, within five days before you leave. Your partner and/or children must also deregister if they move with you.

When you register at the town hall, you need to take some documents with you. Take along a valid passport or EU ID card. It is also useful to take along documents of certain life events, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, declaration of acknowledgement of paternity, or divorce certificate. Ask the municipality where you will be living which documents you should take along. Sometimes, it is also possible to hand in documents later on. You can ask the municipality where you will be living about that as well.

Do you normally work in another country within the EU, EEA or Switzerland? And are you coming to work in the Netherlands temporarily, but will remain employed by your foreign employer? In that case, you are a posted worker. That means the above rules apply. Your (foreign) employer is obliged to report your arrival and any changes in your assignment in the online portal ‘Posted Workers’.

These terms of employment also apply if you are a posted worker.

If you want to work in the Netherlands for more than 4 months, but live outside the Netherlands, then you must register as a non-resident (‘niet-ingezetene’). You can do so at one of 19 offices of the Dutch government in the municipalities of Alkmaar, Almelo, Amsterdam, Breda, The Hague, Doetinchem, Eindhoven, Groningen, Goes, Heerlen, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Venlo, Westland and Zwolle. These are offices of the Registry for Non-Residents (RNI). 

If you are moving to a different municipality in the Netherlands, then inform your new municipality of your new address. You can do so through the website or at the office of your new municipality. You do not need to go through the entire registration procedure again. Your new municipality will process your change of address. If you are moving house within the same municipality, you must also inform the municipality of your change of address. You can do so at the town hall, sometimes it is possible to make the change through the website of the municipality.

Yes, then your partner and/or children must also register in the Netherlands. They must also do so at the municipality where you will be living. Your partner and/or children will then also be given a citizen service number (BSN).

If you are registered as a non-resident*, follow these steps:

1. Complete the DigiD application form ‘DigiD Application (Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba and abroad)’ or go to www.DigiD.nl for more information.
2. Remember your username and password well.
3. After completing the application you will receive a front desk code. With the counter code you will go to one of the DigiD counters or to the Netherlands Worldwide video call desk (from abroad) within 30 days after the date of your application. There you will receive the activation code for your DigiD.
4. Before you can go to the DigiD desk for the activation code, you must make an appointment with the DigiD desk where you want to pick up the code. Do this as soon as possible. You may have to wait a while.

Please note, due to heavy traffic at some DigiD desks, the waiting time for an appointment may sometimes be longer than your desk code is valid (30 days). Therefore, make an appointment at the counter of your choice before applying for a DigiD account.

* If you are registered as a non-resident but have been staying in the Netherlands for more than four months, first register as a resident with the municipality where you are staying.

To obtain a DigiD, you must be registered in the Netherlands. How to apply for your DigiD depends on how you are registered (see also: I am not yet registered; where do I arrange my registration in the Netherlands?). If you do not know how you are registered or accidentally choose the wrong application process, you will be automatically directed to the correct application process based on your BSN.

If you are registered as a resident of a municipality, follow these steps:

1. Complete the DigiD application form ‘Request DigiD’ or go to www.DigiD.nl for more information.
2. Remember your username and password well.
3. Within a maximum of 3 working days you will receive a letter at home with an activation code. The speed depends on the mail delivery in your region. Note: the letter goes to the address at which you are registered with your municipality in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP).

If you stay abroad:

• In order to apply for DigiD, you will need:
  • A valid identity document (passport or identity card)
  • You have a citizen service number (BSN). If you do not have a BSN, find out how to get one.
  • You have a telephone that can receive text messages (SMS) both in the Netherlands and abroad.
  • You have an email address.
• Apply for DigiD though the website DigiD: Application (abroad) | Personal data. You will receive a service desk code by email and by SMS. This code is valid for 30 days.
• With the service desk code, you can collect a DigiD activation code by arranging a video call through the netherlandsworldwide.nl website. You can also collect the DigiD activation code at one of the collection points abroad: Collecting a DigiD activation code abroad | NetherlandsWorldwide.
• Attention! The video call can only be held in Dutch and English and sometimes in Spanish or French. If you do not communicate in these languages, ask your family or friends to help you. For more information, visit: Collecting your DigiD activation code via video call | Netherlands Worldwide
• After you receive the activation code, you need to activate your DigiD within 21 days after collecting the activation code.
• If you receive, or will soon be receiving, a Dutch General Old Age Pension (AOW), you can apply for DigiD via the Social Insurance Bank (SVB). You will not need to go to a DigiD service desk or make a video call.
• If you don't have a DigiD, but do have another EU-approved login key, you can use this to access and use the online services of Dutch organisations. In that case you do not require a DigiD.

Be careful. DigiD is personal: do not communicate your username and password to others.

Read more about DigiD here: Registering in the Netherlands | Work in NL

You can use a DigiD for the online services of government organisations.

For example, you need a DigiD to arrange matters online with your health insurer. You can also use a DigiD to make an application to the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency). Having a DigiD means that you no longer have to physically go to a service point for everything you need.

If you are abroad, you can also receive your DigiD activation code via video call. Or you can pick up your activation code at a DigiD service point abroad.

If you expect to work or live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you should register with the municipality where you will be living.

See also:  What should I do if I want to work or live in the Netherlands for more than four months?

If you expect to work or live in the Netherlands for less than four months, you can register at one of the  19 RNI service points. This is possible in the municipalities of Alkmaar, Almelo, Amsterdam, Breda, The Hague, Doetinchem, Eindhoven, Groningen, Goes, Heerlen, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Venlo, Westland and Zwolle.

You must collect your activation code yourself. You cannot authorise someone else to do this.

To apply for a DigiD, you must be in possession of:

• a valid proof of identity (passport or ID card)
• citizen service number (BSN)
• mobile phone on which you can receive text messages both in the Netherlands and abroad
• an e-mail address.

No, that is not necessary if you are living here for less than four months.

You can register with one of 19 different municipalities if you do not have a permanent address in the Netherlands.

You can register using your temporary residential address in the Netherlands.

No, that is not permitted. Without a BSN you cannot work in the Netherlands if you are working for a Dutch employer. Your employer needs your BSN in order to file your payroll tax return. You also need a BSN if you live in the Netherlands. Only ff you are not living here, but you are only working here (temporarily) for an employer abroad, or have been posted here by an employer abroad, then you do not need a BSN.

If you are staying in the Netherlands for more than four months, then you are obliged to register a Dutch home address with the municipality.

In that case, make sure you always notify the municipality where you are registered of any change of address as soon as possible. You must also notify your health insurance provider of any change of address.

A BSN is the registration number you get from the Dutch government. You will need this unique personal number for your contact with the government. Organisations outside the government may only use the BSN following legal approval. You will need the number for working in the Netherlands, for opening a Dutch bank account and for taking out Dutch health insurance. Never give your BSN to anyone else, unless it is a legal obligation, as people could misuse it.

If you are coming to work in the Netherlands, register within five days of your arrival with the municipality where you will be living. After registering, you will receive a BSN (citizen service number). This is a unique personal number used to process your personal data. The number is issued only once. You will not be able to take out health insurance without a BSN number.