Opening a Dutch bank account before your BSN (citizen service number) arrives

This guide is for adults moving to or living in the Netherlands who are waiting for their BSN.

Both routes use a mobile app. Compare their address, tax residence (where you are treated as a resident for tax), document and deadline rules.

bunq requires residence in a supported EEA country and EEA tax residence. A European address alone does not qualify you if your tax residence is outside the EEA. Check bunq tax-number rules (External site, opens in a new tab) before applying.

Use an original physical identity document for the app’s identity check. Check bunq accepted identity documents (External site, opens in a new tab) for country-specific exclusions. Scans and photocopies are not accepted.

If you are still tax-resident elsewhere, follow bunq’s instructions for that country’s address and tax number.

bunq reviews tax-number exemption requests individually for specific cases, such as students in countries that do not issue tax numbers at birth who have not started work. Its tax-number page lists the conditions and evidence. Newcomers who are waiting for a tax number use the 90-day window instead.

ABN AMRO’s app route requires you to be at least 18. Check the bank’s accepted-document list for your identity document.

If you use a non-Dutch passport or identity card, ABN AMRO requires proof that you live in the Netherlands. You can open the account before supplying this proof. You can use the account only after the bank approves the proof. An extract from the RNI (Registratie Niet-ingezetenen, non-residents register) does not meet this requirement.

ABN AMRO BSN guidance (External site, opens in a new tab) warns of a block after 90 days without your BSN and an end to the customer relationship after 120 days. The ABN AMRO account application (External site, opens in a new tab) lists 120 days after opening to supply the BSN. The ABN AMRO expat account route (External site, opens in a new tab) says 90 days after opening your account. Ask the bank to confirm your deadline before applying.

Check all four points before choosing an account:

• Eligibility: check the address, age, identity-document and tax-residence rules.
• Timing: check when you can use the account and the deadline for supplying your BSN.
• Everyday access: compare the monthly fee, debit card, app language and customer support.
• Payments: check iDEAL | Wero (External site, opens in a new tab) (online payment method) support and which country’s IBAN (international bank account number) the bank provides.

In October 2026, bunq lists its Free plan at €0 per month and Core at €3.99 per month. ABN AMRO lists its BasisPakket Betalen (basic payment package), including one debit card, at €4.30 per month. Check what each plan includes and any extra fees before applying.

For example, 12 months at ABN AMRO’s October 2026 price would cost €51.60 (€4.30 × 12), before any extras. The total changes if the monthly price changes.

Once you have chosen a bank whose conditions you meet, follow these steps in order:

1. Apply through the bank’s official app.
2. Complete the identity check with an accepted original document.
3. Supply any other evidence the bank requests, such as ABN AMRO’s proof of Dutch residence.
4. Provide your tax number through the bank’s stated process before its deadline, unless bunq has approved an exemption.

For euro transfers and direct debits in SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area), you can use a euro payment account from another EU or EEA country. The account needs to support the payment. Its IBAN does not have to start with NL (the Netherlands’ country code). The European Commission (External site, opens in a new tab) calls refusal of a covered payment from another EU country’s account IBAN discrimination. This protection does not require a business to offer every payment method.

iDEAL | Wero sends you to your bank’s app or online banking. You need access to a participating bank’s online or mobile banking to use it. The official iDEAL | Wero participating banks (External site, opens in a new tab) list includes bunq and ABN AMRO. It also includes N26 and Revolut, which are licensed outside the Netherlands. Check bank participation rather than relying on the IBAN’s country code.

ABN AMRO’s app route requires an official Dutch home address. bunq’s pre-move route requires residence in a supported EEA country and EEA tax residence. If a landlord or registration problem is delaying your address registration, use the address registration problems guide. A briefadres (correspondence address) does not guarantee that a bank will accept your application.

An online form that accepts only Dutch IBANs may have another way to enter your account details. Ask customer service whether it can enter your IBAN manually. If the organisation still refuses a covered euro transfer or direct debit, complain to it in writing and keep its reply.

De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, Dutch central bank) (External site, opens in a new tab) handles reports about IBAN discrimination by companies and institutions in the Netherlands. If your complaint brings no suitable solution or response, use the DNB IBAN discrimination report form (External site, opens in a new tab). For a refusal in another EU country, follow the Commission’s guidance to that country’s authority.

bunq temporarily restricts account access if you miss its 90-day tax-number deadline. Submit the required tax number to restore access. Accepted exemption evidence can also restore access if you qualify. If you have trouble submitting evidence, contact Support through the bunq app.

ABN AMRO blocks your account if you do not provide your BSN within 90 days. It ends its relationship with you 120 days after you became a customer if your BSN is still missing. You lose access to the account when it is blocked.

If you expect to miss the BSN deadline and have money in your ABN AMRO account, the bank tells you to transfer it before the block. If your account is already blocked, provide your BSN and then contact ABN AMRO to remove the block.

Contact the bank before your confirmed deadline and ask what evidence it needs. Ask whether it can extend the deadline; wait for its answer before relying on extra time. If registration is delaying your BSN, follow the BSN and gemeente (municipality) registration guide.

Continue with these guides:

• First 90 days in the Netherlands: arrival checklist
• Cost of living in the Netherlands: build your monthly budget