Moving from abroad

To register, you must make an appointment by telephone with the Municipal Office (Stadskantoor). You have to do this within 5 days of your arrival in the Netherlands. Also indicate for how many people you make the appointment. Please call:

•  14038 if you are calling from the Netherlands
•  +31 38 498 31 38 if you are calling from abroad.

After you have made the appointment, you will receive a written invitation to report your change of address to the municipality. This may be a permanent home address or a correspondence address. You are required to register in person at the migration desk. Do you immigrate with other family members? Then they must come with you to the appointment and get registered as well.

When you register with the BRP, you will receive a citizen service number (BSN, Burgerservicenummer). You need this personal social security number for your contacts with the Dutch government, for example concerning health care, buying or renting a house, taxes, work and education.

You can find more information about registering as a resident on the website of the Dutch government:

• https://www.government.nl/topics/new-in-the-netherlands
• https://www.government.nl/topics/personal-data/question-and-answer/when-should-i-register-with-the-personal-records-database-as-a-resident

Are you not a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland?

In order to register you must apply for a residence permit first. You can do this at the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND, Immigratie-en Naturalisatiedienst). You can make an appointment with the IND by calling: (0900) 1234 561. Once the IND informs the municipality that your stay in the Netherlands is lawful, your registration will be final. 

Settling and resettling from abroad

Have you been registered in the Netherlands before? And therefore you already have a citizen service number (BSN) or the old Sofi number? If you move to the Netherlands from abroad you need to register again (re-register) with the BRP.

Both with a first and a renewed registration you need to produce proof of lawful residence in the Netherlands (you must have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland or have a valid residence permit).

Customs

Customs can ask you for a proof of customs clearance for importing goods, such as your household effects. You can collect this proof at our service desk or take it with you after your appointment at the migration desk.

Please bring the following items with you to the appointment:

•  A valid proof of identity: a passport or an identity card. A driving licence will not be accepted.
•  Documents of vital events that took place abroad *(such as birth, marriage, registered partnership, divorce, death (if the marriage is dissolved by death).
•  Proof of occupancy (for example: a copy of your signed rental or purchase contract, an Address registration permission form or permission from the housing association). If you are going to live in with someone, you must bring written permission from the main occupant/owner. This must also include a copy of a valid identity document of that person.

Supporting documents

These are certificates or declarations of vital events, such as birth, marriage or divorce. 

•  They must be in Dutch, English, French or German. Are they in another language? Then you must have them translated into Dutch by a sworn translator.
•  The declarations must often be legalised with an apostille of:

Proof of deregistration

You need proof of deregistration from the population register if you move to the Netherlands from: 

•  Curaçao
•  Sint Maarten
•  Saba
•  Sint Eustatius
•  Bonaire
•  Aruba

Fine

It is important that the correct details are on your Change of Address declaration. If the information is incorrect, you may receive an administrative fine. That is a maximum of € 325 (Article 4.17 of the Basic Registration of Persons Act).

•  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
•  The Dutch embassy abroad. Read more about this on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: legalisation of documents.

Registering a move from abroad is free of charge.