BSN (citizen service number): how to register

This guide is for people arriving in the Netherlands, including partners and children, and people who need a BSN for a short stay.

Government organisations use your BSN to process and exchange your personal data. Healthcare providers, health insurers, schools and the tax authorities also use it in their records. You need a BSN to apply for DigiD (digital identity) (External site, opens in a new tab), the secure login for Dutch government services.

For digital government post, use MijnOverheid (government account) and Berichtenbox (message box) (External site, opens in a new tab). Follow the MijnOverheid and Berichtenbox setup guide.

If you are unsure whether inburgering (civic integration) applies to you, check who must integrate in the Netherlands.

Resident registration requires the right to live in the Netherlands and an expected stay of at least 4 months in a 6-month period. Register with the gemeente where you live. The Wet basisregistratie personen (External site, opens in a new tab) sets this rule.

Special registration rules can apply if you have diplomatic status, are a NAVO (NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) (External site, opens in a new tab) staff or family member, or live in an asylum reception centre. Ask your gemeente which registration route applies to you.

You can wait to register while you have no valid residence status and your required residence permit is pending. If the gemeente needs to investigate your identity, you can wait for its decision. Ask the gemeente which rule applies to you. The Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government) registration guidance (External site, opens in a new tab) lists these exceptions to the 5-day deadline.

If your health or detention prevents attendance, someone else may be able to register for you. Ask the gemeente who can do this and what evidence it needs. RvIG (National Office for Identity Data) (External site, opens in a new tab) explains the rules.

For a child under 16, a parent, guardian or carer declares residence. They also declare for a 16- or 17-year-old who lives with them, unless the teenager declares residence themselves. The gemeente may require a represented child to attend to confirm their identity. Anyone declaring their own residence must attend in person unless a legal attendance exception applies. Ask the gemeente which family members need to attend. Each person needs a valid identity document.

Gemeente waiting times can be long. Contact yours well before you travel. Check what each family member needs to bring. Follow these steps in order:

1. Book a registration appointment with your gemeente.
2. Gather the documents on your gemeente’s checklist.
3. Attend in person within 5 days of arrival.

The gemeente enters your details in the BRP. If you already have a BSN, you keep it. If you need a new BSN, receiving it can take a few weeks. The timing depends on your gemeente.

For example, a move from abroad for a 6-month stay uses resident registration. A 2-month work visit uses the RNI route if you need a BSN.

If you have temporary protection for Ukraine and are 14 or older, collect your residence proof from the IND within four weeks after municipal registration. Book an appointment. You must have been registered for at least one week on the appointment day.

Eligible asylum seekers staying over six months, asylum permit holders and people arriving through asylum family reunification receive a specialised BRP registration-centre appointment automatically after assessment. Wait for that appointment; do not arrange it yourself with the centre, IND or national coordination point.

Requirements vary, so use your gemeente’s own checklist. The national moving checklist (External site, opens in a new tab) lists the documents below. Bring proof of your identity and address, plus any other documents required for your situation:

• A valid identity document.
• Proof that you live at the address: a rental contract, purchase contract or written permission from the main occupant.
• Your residence document, if your gemeente requires it for your situation.
• Documents about your family situation if the gemeente asks for them, such as birth, marriage or divorce certificates.
• Proof of deregistration if you are coming from Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, St Eustatius or Saba. The gemeente may also ask for this if you come from another country.

The national checklist gives a passport, driving licence, Dutch identity card or alien’s identity card as examples. Ask your gemeente which document it accepts for your registration.

Foreign documents may need legalisatie (official signature and stamp checks) before the gemeente can use them. Arrange any required legalisation in the country that issued the document. Check the official rules for your document’s country (External site, opens in a new tab) before you travel.

If a document is in a language other than Dutch, English, French or German, have it translated by a sworn translator. A translation made in the Netherlands needs no legalisation. A translation made abroad may need legalisation too; check the country rules.

An apostille (official signature stamp) is a sticker or stamp that authenticates the signature on a document. An apostille accepted by the Netherlands replaces further legalisation. The Netherlands accepts no apostilles from Bangladesh or Pakistan; check the official apostille country list (External site, opens in a new tab) for the alternative legalisation route. Many documents from another EU (European Union) country need no apostille. Check the requirements for your country and document.

If you meet the other registration conditions and cannot supply required foreign certificates within a few days, the municipality must register you using the strongest available evidence. Agree when to supply missing documents. Some family details may remain unrecorded until suitable evidence is available.

If you need a BSN for a stay under 4 months, such as a short work or study visit, you can register in the RNI. If you live abroad, you can also use this route for dealings with the Dutch government. RNI registration is optional. It is free in 2026.

The desk you can use depends on your nationality. In 2026, choose one of these options:

• Dutch, other EU, Norwegian, Icelandic, Liechtenstein or Swiss nationality: any of the 19 RNI desks.
• Another nationality: only the RNI desks in Breda or Venlo.

For a child under 16, also bring the child’s valid passport or EU identity card and a birth certificate or declaration of acknowledgement of parentage stating that you are the child’s parent. Check whether foreign documents need translation or legalisation.

You need a valid passport or identity card. If you speak neither Dutch nor English, bring someone to interpret. Once you have chosen an eligible desk, follow these steps:

1. Book an appointment at that RNI desk.
2. Gather the required documents.
3. Attend in person with everyone you are registering, including children.

You receive a letter with your BSN at the RNI desk. If your plans change and you expect to stay at least 4 months in a 6-month period, register as a resident with your local gemeente. You keep the same BSN.

If an appointment, an address or your BSN is missing, contact your gemeente. The sections below explain what to ask for.

You can still register after the deadline. The gemeente may fine you for registering late. If waiting times prevent registration within 5 days, book the earliest available appointment and keep the confirmation. At the appointment, ask whether the gemeente can register you from the date you booked. The national moving checklist gives this advice; it does not guarantee a backdated registration. Contact the gemeente directly if you need help booking.

If you have no home address, ask your gemeente about a briefadres (correspondence address) (External site, opens in a new tab). This route is also available to people living in an institution. The gemeente checks whether you qualify. A briefadres is an administrative address for government post.

A person registered at a home address, an approved institution or the gemeente can provide a briefadres. If you qualify but cannot find a provider, the gemeente must register you on a briefadres, for example at the town hall. The address must be in the Netherlands and cannot be a postbus (post office box).

For an address provided by a person you know, apply at Burgerzaken or Publiekszaken (population affairs department) in that address’s gemeente. Bring all these documents:

• Your valid identity document.
• The provider’s signed written consent.
• The provider’s valid identity document or a copy.
• A written explanation of why you need a briefadres, as described in the Government.nl checklist.

There is no maximum duration for a briefadres. You can keep it while you meet the conditions. Ask the gemeente which extra evidence it needs and when it will review your situation.

If you have a home address but your landlord or host refuses registration, tell the gemeente where you actually live. Explain the refusal and bring evidence of your address. Ask whether an adresonderzoek (address investigation) is needed. Registration follows where you live, rather than the landlord’s consent. Use the address-registration problems guide for help with this route.

A new BSN after resident registration can take a few weeks to arrive. The timing depends on the gemeente. The number is assigned automatically, so you can ask for its status without applying again. Ask how you will receive it. Contact the gemeente if the delivery date it gave you has passed.

For other tasks after arrival, choose the guide you need:

• First 90 days in the Netherlands: arrival checklist — for DigiD, health insurance, banking and other arrival tasks.
• Finding and using a huisarts (general practitioner) in the Netherlands — for registering with a doctor.