The citizen service number (in Dutch: BSN or burgerservicenummer) is a unique, 8- or 9-digit personal number allocated to you upon your first registration in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Everyone who moves to the Netherlands and plans to stay for more than four months, is required to register themselves in the BRP and is automatically given a BSN. Registration is done at your local town hall (in Dutch: gemeente) within the first five days after arrival. Having a BSN will allow you to open a bank account and take out health insurance in the Netherlands.
The government uses your citizen service number (BSN) to process your personal data. You can use your BSN for any government service in the Netherlands, which means you do not have to provide your data to each different government organisation. They can easily find it using your BSN. Likewise,Ā general practitioners and health insurance providers, as well as schools and childcare providers, may ask for your BSN.Ā The main purpose of the number is to facilitate contact between different (non-)government organisations and individuals, and to prevent identity fraud.Ā
Registration appointment
In order to obtain the BSN through registration at your local town hall, you will first need to schedule an appointment. Contact the municipality where you would like to register well ahead of time. The waiting times at several municipalities are currently longer than usual, which may delay the process of getting a BSN.
There are a few documents you are required to provide during the appointment:
A valid passport or ID card in case you are a citizen of the European Union, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland. All other nationalities must bring a valid passport and a Dutch residence permit document.
In some cases, an employment contract.
A rental agreement in your name or a proof of purchase, if you own a home. Or, if you will be living with someone else, a written and signed consent form by the main occupant with a copy of their proof of identity.
Your birth certificate and any other certificates you have, such as a marriage or divorce certificate, adoption certificate, or family book (Daftar or Livret d'Etat Civil). Bring the original certificates with you. They must be in Dutch, English, French, or German, or translated by a sworn translator. Check beforehand if your certificates need to be legalised, too.
Please keep in mind additional documents might be applicable to your situation and may be requested by the municipality.Ā
If your partner and/or children have also come to live in the Netherlands, they must register in person at the municipality, too. It is recommended to make one, single appointment for your entire family.Ā
Important:Ā You receive a BSN only once, as it will always remain valid and unchanged. Even if you live abroad, are going to live abroad, or if you return to the Netherlands at a later point in time.
RNI
If you intend to stay in the Netherlands for less than four monthsĀ and plan to retain your foreign home addressā , you can register as a non-resident in the Personal Records Database (BRP). To do so, you have to register yourself in the Non-Residents Record Database (RNI), which is part of the BRP. You will be given a citizen service number (BSN) once you have registered. Only certain municipalities offer registrations for non-residents: Alkmaar, Almelo, Amsterdam, Breda, Den Haag, Doetinchem, Eindhoven, Goes, Groningen, Heerlen, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Venlo, Westland, and Zwolle.Ā
In order to obtain the BSN through registration at one of the above-mentioned municipalities, you will first need to schedule an appointment. Contact the municipality where you would like to register well ahead of time. You will need to attend the registration appointment in person, bring a valid identity document with you, and give your residential address in your country of origin.