In this guide
This guide separates the official registration requirements from practical preparation. Arranging the correct appointment and documents early reduces delays in later administration, but the municipality makes the decision in each case.
If you are still in the planning phase, read our moving to the Netherlands guide first: the BSN fits into a wider sequence of administrative steps.
💡 Looking for a complete banking comparison? Read Best banking for expats in the Netherlands 2026.
What Is a BSN, and Why Does Everything Require It?
The BSN (burgerservicenummer, or citizen service number) is a unique personal number for everyone who is registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Everyone who registers in the BRP automatically gets a BSN (Government.nl). The government uses it to find your details, so you do not have to provide your data to every organisation again.
The BSN is used, among other things:
- in healthcare: care providers such as GPs and health insurers have to use it (Government.nl);
- in education, where it is called the personal identification number (PGN) (Government.nl);
- for childcare benefit, housing benefit and healthcare benefit: childcare organisations must ask for your and your child’s BSN (Government.nl);
- in your dealings with the Belastingdienst and other government bodies.
You do not choose your BSN. It is assigned to you when you register.
If you are not registered with a municipality, you may be able to get a BSN in other ways. If you do not live in the Netherlands or will stay for less than 4 months, you can register at a municipality with a Non-residents Records Database (RNI) desk. In certain situations the Belastingdienst can register you, for example if you are going to work for a Dutch employer while living abroad (Belastingdienst; NederlandWereldwijd). If you are staying longer, which most expats do, you register with the municipality as described below.
When Should You Register?
If you are going to stay in the Netherlands for more than 4 months, you must register with the municipality where you are going to live, within 5 days of arriving in the Netherlands (Government.nl). Make an appointment with the municipality. When you register, the municipality arranges your BSN and your registration in the BRP.
You must legally be a resident in the Netherlands, so you may need to apply for a residence permit first, and your identity must be confirmed, which may need extra investigation or more information (Government.nl).
Book your appointment as soon as you have a confirmed address. Municipalities differ in how long appointments take: Utrecht says that, due to high demand and staff shortages, it may take longer than usual to make an appointment, and that it will not register you before the day your rental or purchase contract takes effect (utrecht.nl).
| Action | Timing |
|---|---|
| Book municipality appointment | As soon as you have a confirmed Dutch address |
| Gather documents | Before you move; check your municipality’s list |
| Register with the municipality | Within 5 days of arriving |
| Apply for DigiD | After you have your BSN |
| Open a Dutch bank account | Check each bank’s rules on when the BSN is needed |
| Take out health insurance | No later than 4 months after arriving |
If you are coming as a highly skilled migrant, your employer may help with parts of this process. See our HSM visa guide for how the IND process connects with municipal registration.
Required Documents
The documents differ per municipality, so check the website of the municipality where you will live. As an example, Utrecht lists (utrecht.nl, read 6 October 2026):
- a valid ID for each person you register;
- proof that you are allowed to live in the Netherlands;
- a rental or purchase contract for your home, or permission from your homeowner, who fills out a declaration of residence;
- original documents from abroad for yourself and your children, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate or divorce certificate.
Utrecht accepts only English, German and French documents without a translation by a certified translator, and foreign documents must comply with the rules for legalising foreign documents. Whether you need an apostille or legalisation depends on the country that issued the document; NederlandWereldwijd explains the rules, and your municipality tells you what it requires. If you register with a partner or children, they must come with you to the counter.
For proof of address, a rental contract or a declaration from the homeowner is what Utrecht names. If you stay with someone, the homeowner can fill in the municipality’s declaration form. A hotel booking or employer address is not named as proof of address in the sources we checked; ask your municipality what it accepts for temporary housing.
Booking an Appointment
Use the website of your municipality. Look for registering as a new resident or registering from abroad, and choose the right appointment type; Utrecht’s page, for example, says you have to make an appointment, and that anyone who lived in the Netherlands before must also make an appointment to register again. We do not quote waiting times per city, because they change and we have no primary source for them. Our BSN Appointment Planner helps you prepare your documents.
For city-specific information, see our guides to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Eindhoven.
After the Appointment
How fast you receive your BSN depends on how the municipality processes registration. Utrecht, for example, says it may take up to 4 weeks before it registers your application in the BRP, and that you receive your BSN then (utrecht.nl). Ask your municipality when you will receive it.
After Registration: What to Arrange
1. Apply for DigiD
DigiD is the digital identity used to log in to many government websites. You apply at digid.nl, and the activation letter arrives at your registered address within a maximum of 5 working days (digid.nl). Read our DigiD guide for the step-by-step process.
2. Open a Dutch bank account
Banks have their own rules on when they need your BSN. ABN AMRO lets you open an account once you are registered at a Dutch address and hand in the BSN within 120 days, and Bunq gives you 90 days after signup to add your tax ID. See our guide to the best bank accounts for expats in the Netherlands for a comparison.
3. Take out Dutch health insurance
Take it out as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after arriving, with cover from the day you arrived (Government.nl). Our health insurance guide for expats covers the options.
Check a.s.r. health insurance →
4. Look for a GP (huisarts)
You are not required to register with a family doctor, but the government advises it so you can access care when you need it. Ask practices in your area whether they accept new patients (Government.nl).
5. Inform your employer
Your employer needs your BSN for payroll and tax. If you may be eligible for the 30% ruling, the application is filed with the Belastingdienst together with your employer. When you start working for a new employer, submit it within 4 months after you started to have it apply from the first working day (Belastingdienst); the Belastingdienst informs you within 8 weeks. Read our 30% ruling guide for the details. If you are planning for the long term, our guide to Dutch nationality explains the residence and language requirements.
While You Wait for Your Appointment
Open a Wise Account
Wise (formerly TransferWise) asks in its verification guide for a photo of a government-issued ID, and sometimes proof of address or a photo of you holding your ID; it does not mention a BSN. Once verified, you get EUR account details with a non-Dutch euro IBAN (Wise uses a Belgian BIC and address), which a Dutch employer may not refuse for salary (De Nederlandsche Bank).
This is not a permanent replacement for a Dutch bank account, but it can bridge the waiting period, and your employer decides whether it pays into it.
Open a Wise account for international transfers →
Keep your home-country bank account active
Do not close your home-country account before you have a Dutch one.
Prepare your documents
Use the waiting time to collect the original documents your municipality asks for, and check whether they need legalisation or a translation.
Health coverage before you move
Your Dutch health insurance obligation runs from your arrival: take out a policy no later than 4 months after arriving, with cover from the day you arrived (Government.nl). Insurers usually ask for a BSN. For the period before you move, check whether your existing coverage (employer insurance, travel insurance or your home country’s system) applies.
Common Problems
No appointment slots. Keep checking the municipality’s booking page, and call the municipality if you need the BSN urgently; Utrecht says urgent cases can call it. Remember that you must register where you are going to live.
Wrong documents. Ask the municipality exactly what is needed, including whether a translation or legalisation is required, and rebook.
No permanent address yet. For people without a permanent address the BRP allows a correspondence address in certain cases (Government.nl: for example inland waterways crew or people staying in an institution). Ask your municipality what applies to your situation.
Residence permit pending. You must legally be a resident, so you may need a residence permit first (Government.nl). Ask your municipality what it needs.
Name or date of birth discrepancy. Bring documents that explain the difference and ask the municipality what it accepts.
BSN for Your Partner and Children
Each person who registers receives their own BSN. If your partner and children are also registering, they must come with you to the municipality (Government.nl). For children under 16 registering at an RNI desk, you need the child’s passport or ID card and a birth certificate or recognition certificate showing that you are the parent (NederlandWereldwijd). Check your municipality’s list for registration in the BRP.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get a BSN in the Netherlands?
You receive your BSN when you register with the municipality, because everyone who registers in the Personal Records Database (BRP) automatically gets one (Government.nl). How quickly the municipality processes the registration differs: Utrecht, for example, says it may take up to 4 weeks before it registers your application in the BRP, and that you receive your BSN then (utrecht.nl). The wait for an appointment also differs per municipality, so check the municipality's website.
Can I work in the Netherlands without a BSN?
Your employer uses your BSN for payroll and tax. If you live in the Netherlands for more than 4 months you must register with the municipality within 5 days of arriving (Government.nl). If you will stay less than 4 months or live abroad, you can be registered at an RNI desk and receive a BSN there (Belastingdienst, NederlandWereldwijd). Ask your employer what it needs.
What documents do I need for BSN registration?
It depends on the municipality, so check its website. Utrecht lists a valid ID for each person, proof that you are allowed to live in the Netherlands, a rental or purchase contract (or a declaration of residence from the homeowner), and original documents from abroad, such as a birth or marriage certificate. Utrecht accepts English, German and French documents without a certified translation (utrecht.nl).
Can I register at any gemeente in the Netherlands?
No. You register with the municipality where you are going to live (Government.nl).
Who can register at an RNI desk?
People who live outside the Netherlands or stay less than 4 months. After registration you receive a BSN. If you do not have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you can only go to the RNI desks of Breda and Venlo (NederlandWereldwijd).