In this guide
Quick answer: You get your Dutch BSN when you register with your municipality. If you will stay longer than 4 months, register within 5 days of arriving. If you stay less than 4 months, you can be registered as a non-resident and receive a BSN that way (Government.nl).
What Is the BSN and Why Does It Matter?
The BSN (burgerservicenummer, citizen service number) is the number you use in all your dealings with Dutch government services and to get healthcare. It is arranged when you are registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP, Basisregistratie Personen) by your municipality.
Practical situations where you will be asked for it: health insurance and healthcare, tax returns and benefits, DigiD, payroll and many bank account applications. Some banks let you start before you have one, as described below.
How You Get a BSN
You do not apply for a BSN separately. The municipality arranges it when you register. The steps are:
- Find the municipality where you will live.
- Make an appointment with the municipality for registration.
- Register within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands, if you will stay for more than 4 months. If your partner and children have also come to live in the Netherlands, they must come with you.
- The municipality registers you in the BRP and arranges your BSN.
Register where you live
You register at your permanent home address. If you have no permanent home address, you register at a correspondence address; the government names examples such as inland waterways crew or people staying in an institution. Ask your municipality what it accepts if your situation is different.
Documents
Each municipality publishes what it needs when you book the appointment. Bring your passport or other ID and proof of your address, and ask whether documents such as birth or marriage certificates from abroad must be legalised or translated. If you need a residence permit, you may have to apply for it first, because you must legally be a resident in the Netherlands before you can register. Your identity must be confirmed too, which can mean extra investigation or extra information.
Our BSN Registration Guide and the BSN Planner help you prepare.
Staying less than 4 months
If you stay no more than 4 months, you cannot register with the municipality, but you can be registered as a non-resident (RNI). You are given a BSN, which you will usually need when you contact the government (Government.nl).
Moving within the Netherlands
If you move to another municipality you must register with the new municipality, and the municipality you leave makes sure you are deregistered. A move within the same municipality must also be registered.
After the BSN: Next Steps
1. Open a bank account
Banks differ on when they want your BSN. ABN AMRO lets you open a personal account without a BSN if you are registered at a Dutch address and provide it within 120 days. ING lets you open an account before you have a BSN and asks for it within 90 days with a non-EEA passport. bunq asks for your tax ID within 90 days. If you want a euro IBAN while you wait, Wise gives verified customers EUR account details with a non-Dutch euro IBAN (Wise uses a Belgian BIC and address), and you can keep it for international transfers afterwards.
2. Apply for DigiD
DigiD is the digital identity you use to log in to the Belastingdienst, MijnOverheid and many other government services. Apply at digid.nl. After you apply, a letter with your activation code arrives within a maximum of 5 working days (digid.nl).
3. Arrange health insurance and a GP
Everyone who lives in the Netherlands must have health insurance with a Dutch insurer. Take it out as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after arriving, with cover from the day you arrived (Government.nl). You are not required to register with a family doctor (huisarts), but the government advises it so you can access care when you need it. Ask practices in your area whether they accept new patients. Transtoyou is an online healthcare service (Transtoyou); check its site for what it offers and the current terms. It does not replace a huisarts.
4. Tell your employer
Send your BSN to your HR or payroll department, because employers use it for payroll tax.
5. Taxes and benefits
If you live in the Netherlands, the Belastingdienst sends you a letter asking you to file a tax return. Depending on your situation you may be entitled to benefits such as housing benefit, healthcare benefit, childcare benefit or the child budget. If you are self-employed you register with the KvK. See ZZP registration step by step.
Special Cases
Students and employer-arranged registration
Some universities and employers help with registration. Ask your international office or HR team what they arrange, and book the municipal appointment yourself if they do not.
Living abroad while working in the Netherlands
If you work in the Netherlands but live abroad, you do not live in the Netherlands. Ask your employer’s payroll team how your BSN is arranged in your situation; the RNI (non-resident) registration described above may apply.
Checklist
Before arrival
- Look up your municipality’s registration page and make an appointment
- Check which documents the municipality requires
- Decide how you will receive money before your BSN arrives, for example a Wise account
At the appointment
- Passport or ID
- Proof of address
- Residence permit if you need one
After registration
- Apply for DigiD at digid.nl
- Take out health insurance within the deadline
- Send your BSN to payroll
- Open a Dutch bank account
Related articles
- First 30 Days in the Netherlands: Checklist 2026
- BSN Number Netherlands: How to Register Step by Step (2026)
- MVV Visa and Family Reunification Netherlands
Official sources: Government.nl: registering with the municipality and Government.nl: when to register in the BRP.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a BSN in the Netherlands?
You do not apply for a BSN separately. If you will stay in the Netherlands for more than 4 months you register with the municipality where you will live, and the municipality arranges your BSN and your registration in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Make an appointment and register within 5 days of arriving (Government.nl).
Can I get a BSN if I stay less than 4 months?
If you stay no more than 4 months you cannot register with the municipality, but you can be registered as a non-resident in the BRP (the RNI). You are given a BSN, which you will usually need when you contact the government (Government.nl).
Do I need a BSN to open a Dutch bank account?
Not always. ABN AMRO lets you open a personal account without a BSN if you are registered at a Dutch address, as long as you provide the BSN within 120 days. ING lets you open an account before you have a BSN and, with a non-EEA passport, asks for the BSN within 90 days. bunq lets you start without a BSN and asks for your tax ID within 90 days. Wise gives verified customers EUR account details with a non-Dutch euro IBAN (Wise uses a Belgian BIC and address), which you can use while you wait.
Is a BSN the same as a DigiD?
No. The BSN is your citizen service number for dealings with the government and for healthcare. DigiD is the digital identity you use to log in to Dutch government websites, and you apply for it separately on digid.nl. After you apply, the letter with your activation code arrives within a maximum of 5 working days (digid.nl).
When do I need health insurance?
You must take out Dutch health insurance as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after arriving, and cover applies from the day you arrived (Government.nl). The BSN is the number you need to get healthcare.
Which documents do I need to register?
Your municipality tells you when you book the appointment. Bring your passport or other ID and proof of your address, and ask the municipality whether foreign civil-status documents need to be legalised or translated. You may also need a residence permit first: you must legally be a resident in the Netherlands to register (Government.nl).