Moving to the Netherlands from abroad

Are you coming to the Netherlands from abroad and will you be living in our country for at least four months in the coming six months? Then you must register with the municipality where you live. If you are moving to Heerlen from abroad, you must visit in person to report your new address.

Call 045-5605040

Please note

The Netherlands wants to generously welcome refugees from Ukraine. That is why different rules apply to them. Read the rules for these refugees on RvIG.nl.

Approach

How to register for the first time in the Netherlands:

Always make an appointment by phone before visiting the municipality in person.
Bring along:
- your valid ID (showing your nationality)
- proof that you have a place to live, such as a lease or proof of ownership
- if you were not born in the Netherlands: your birth certificate
- if you do not have European nationality: proof that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) has approved your residence
- if you are moving from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, or Saba: a change of address notification
- possibly the following deeds:
  - a marriage or divorce certificate
  - a death certificate of your partner (as proof that the marriage was dissolved by death)
  - your children's birth certificates
- Do you have proof of deregistration from your previous country? If so, please bring it with you.
All persons moving with you must also come in person.

Are the documents written in Dutch, English, German, or French? Or do you not have a multilingual model form? Then you will need to have them translated.

Is the translator certified in the Netherlands? Then you do not need to have the translation legalized.

Is the translator certified abroad? If so, you will need to have the legalized original document legalized again in the Netherlands.

You can read more about this atNederlandwereldwijd.nl.

Description

If you are moving to the Netherlands for the first time, you must register with the Personal Records Database (BRP). You register with the municipality where you will be living. We call this your 'first registration'. You will then receive a citizen service number (BSN). You will need this BSN if, for example, you want to work in the Netherlands or open a bank account in the Netherlands.

Have you lived in the Netherlands before, but moved abroad before October 1994? Then you must also complete an 'initial registration'.

Requirements

Previously registered in the BRP resettlement)

You can register if:

you will be staying in the Netherlands for at least 4 months in the coming six months
we can verify your identity
Every person aged 18 and over must provide proof of civil status issued by the authority (municipality of registration) of the country from which you are departing to the Netherlands.

Not previously registered in the BRP first registration)

You can register if:

All persons moving with you must attend the appointment in person (this is mandatory).
you have Dutch nationality, or if you are a foreign national and have a residence permit for a fixed or indefinite period
there is a reasonable expectation that you will remain in the Netherlands for at least 4 months during a six-month period
we can verify your identity

You will need to bring:

valid identification (passport, Dutch identity card, residence permit)
a rental or purchase agreement for your home
if living with someone else: a written statement of consent from the main occupant and a copy of his or her ID

You can show the following original documents later:

an international birth certificate
if applicable: a marriage certificate
if applicable: a divorce or death certificate of the spouse
if applicable: birth certificate(s) of your child(ren)
if applicable: (a) adoption or acknowledgment certificate(s) for your child(ren)

The municipality must be able to read foreign documents and verify their authenticity. Therefore, you must present legalized documents. For documents that are not in Dutch, English, French, or German, we require an official translation.

People who settle in Heerlen from Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius, or Aruba must present a certificate of deregistration.