Registering from abroad

All members of your household that need to be registered, have to be present at the appointment. This includes spouses and/or (minor) children. Furthermore, please bring the following items with you to your appointment:

• Passport or identity card (not your driving licence)
• A copy of your rental contract, a purchase contract, or if you are going to live in with someone: a statement from the co-occupant
• If you come from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland and do not have Dutch nationality: proof of lawful residence from the IND
• If you come from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius or Sint Maarten: a certificate of deregistration
• If you have them: original legalised and translated foreign documents about yourself and your children, such as birth, marriage or divorce certificates. If the documents were created by the issuing authority in French, German or English, they will be accepted in most cases. If in doubt, the municipality can ask for a Dutch translation. You can check the requirements for your documents through the website of Netherlands Worldwide.

Documents from certain countries must be legalised or have an apostille stamp. For more information, see the Dutch Government’s website.

You must be lawfully residing in the Netherlands. That means that you either:

• have the Dutch nationality or
• have the nationality of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland or
• have a valid residence permit, valid for more than 4 months.

You will receive a BSN after the municipality has processed your registration. This can take up to 4 weeks. You will get the BSN sent to you by post.