You will say "my BSN" more often in your first month in the Netherlands than you would ever say your tax number back home. Your employer wants it, the insurer wants it, the school wants it. The good news: your BSN number in the Netherlands costs nothing and arrives almost by itself.
What is the BSN number in the Netherlands?
BSN stands for burgerservicenummer, the citizen service number. It is a nine-digit number that identifies you in your dealings with the Dutch state. The government's own wording is that you need it for your contacts with the authorities "such as care or tax", and the Official Journal of the EU lists the Dutch nine-digit number as the tax identification number for individuals. In other words, there is no second number to chase for the tax office: it is the same one.
The BSN is personal to you and is not a number you will be given twice.
How do you get your BSN?
By registering with the municipality (gemeente) where you live. If you will live in the country for more than four months, you register in the Personal Records Database (BRP) within five days of arriving. You are given the BSN at that registration. There is nothing to apply for separately, and registration as a resident is free (Rijksoverheid).
Your partner and children must come with you to the municipality. A child born in the Netherlands is registered automatically, but only if both parents were registered in the BRP on the day of birth.
The practical side matters more than the rule. Many municipalities work by appointment, and busy ones book out. Look at your municipality's website before you travel, because they list the documents they want (your ID, and often proof of address and civil-status documents). Our guide to residence in the Netherlands for EU citizens covers the registration in more detail.
What if you stay less than four months, or live abroad?
Then you do not register as a resident. You register instead in the Non-residents Records Database (Registratie Niet-Ingezetenen, RNI), using your address abroad, and you also receive a BSN. The RNI is a good fit for a seasonal worker, a short contract or someone who keeps their home in another country but needs a BSN for a Dutch employer or the tax office.
The RNI is handled at special municipalities that act as counters. Ask your employer or check the government page for the nearest one.
If you are not sure whether you should be a resident or a non-resident, because you work in the Netherlands and sleep in Belgium, or you are on a long assignment with a return date, Moovy can walk you through what the rules say for your situation and which office to ask.
Who will ask for your BSN?
- Your employer, to pay you and file the payroll tax.
- Your health insurer and your GP. Healthcare providers are required to use the BSN to identify you, so give it as soon as you have it. See health insurance in the Netherlands.
- The tax office, and the toeslagen office, once you have a DigiD. See DigiD in the Netherlands.
- Your child's school. In education the number is called the PGN or onderwijsnummer, so the name changes but the number is the same.
- Many banks, as part of opening an account. This is a bank-by-bank requirement; see bank account in the Netherlands.
How should you protect your BSN?
Treat it like a passport number. Government bodies and some regulated organisations are allowed to ask for it. Private companies may use it only if a law lets them, so a webshop, a gym or a landlord has no business collecting it. If someone asks and you are not sure, ask them which law requires it. You can usually give another proof of identity.
Do not send a photo of your passport or ID with the BSN visible to people you have not verified, and never post it in a rental ad or social media group. A landlord asking for a copy of your ID before you have even seen the flat should make you pause. A copy of your ID is fine for a bank or a municipality, which are required to check it, but not for a stranger offering you a room.
What are the common mistakes?
- Waiting past five days. The BSN is the key to health insurance, taxes and the bank, so a delay at the start delays everything else.
- Thinking the BSN is only for taxes. It is the identifier used by the state, by care providers and by schools.
- Registration delayed for non-EU nationals. If you need a residence permit, the municipality may wait until your stay is lawful before it registers you. That affects British citizens who arrived after 2020; see moving to the Netherlands from the UK.
- Thinking you must pay. Registration in the BRP is free. If a website charges you for "getting your BSN", it is a service charge for something the municipality does at no cost.
What do you bring to the appointment for your BSN number in the Netherlands?
Your valid passport or European ID card is the core. Beyond that, each municipality sets its own list, so read your municipality's page before you go. Amsterdam, for example, asks newcomers for proof of address: a copy of a valid rental contract, or a consent form signed by the longest-registered resident if you are lodging with someone. Owners bring the original purchase contract. Foreign birth and marriage certificates may also be required, and these can need an apostille or a translation. Amsterdam registers foreign documents free of charge.
Amsterdam's own pages disagree slightly on whether you need an appointment: one says you can walk in to a City Office, another says it is by appointment only. The lesson is general. Check the current booking page for your municipality, because rules and queues change. Bring your partner and children if they are moving with you; they must come to the municipality with you.
How long does the BSN number in the Netherlands take, and what can delay it?
The BSN is attributed when you are registered, so in a straightforward case you leave the town hall with it. Two things can slow that down. The first is lawful residence: you must legally be a resident, which for non-EU nationals may mean applying for a residence permit first. The second is identity: Government.nl notes that the municipality may need to confirm your identity, which can involve extra investigation or more information from you.
If you cannot get an appointment within the five days, keep proof that you tried to book (a screenshot or a confirmation email). That is practical advice rather than a legal rule, but it shows good faith if anyone asks later why your registration is a few days late.
Do not confuse your BSN with other Dutch numbers
Newcomers collect several numbers in the first months, and they are not interchangeable. Your BSN identifies you personally. The DigiD is a login that is linked to your BSN; see DigiD in the Netherlands. If you start a business, you receive a KVK number for the business and, in the tax office's letter, a VAT number. Your IBAN belongs to your bank account. At school, your child's number is the PGN or onderwijsnummer. When a form asks for "your number", read which one it means.
What happens after you have your BSN?
You can ask for a DigiD, sign up for basic health insurance, give your number to your employer and give your bank account number to the tax administration. The Belastingdienst's immigration checklist lists the same chain of steps. If you are self-employed, the KVK registration (the Chamber of Commerce) comes next.
For the whole sequence of your first weeks, start with moving to the Netherlands.