Registering in Amsterdam: BRP, BSN and DigiD

Your Dutch life starts at a City Office counter, not at Schiphol. Get the address, get the number, then get the login.

The short version

If you'll live in the Netherlands for more than four months, you must register with the municipality where you live. In Amsterdam, the city asks you to do it within five days of arriving [1][2].
Registration puts you in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP) and gives you a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN) on the spot. Registration itself is free [2].
You need an address you're allowed to register at, your passport and your original Australian birth certificate with an apostille from DFAT [1][4].
Highly skilled migrants and some other permit holders can register through the IN Amsterdam expat centre, often collecting their residence permit and BSN in one visit [5].
With a BSN and a registered address you can apply for DigiD, the free government login. The activation code arrives by letter within about three working days [6].

Why registration comes first

In Australia, your Medicare card, TFN and bank account live fairly separate lives. You can open a Commonwealth Bank account with your passport and sort out the TFN later. The Netherlands is far more joined-up, and the BSN is the thread that runs through everything.

The City of Amsterdam is blunt about it: you need a BSN to work, open a bank account, take out health insurance or apply for benefits [1][3]. And you only get a BSN by registering at an address. That's why the first question any Amsterdam landlord gets from a newcomer is "can I register here?"

Here's the chain:

Step	What you need	What you get
Rent a room or flat	Deposit, ID, proof of income	A rental contract (or a signed consent form from the main occupant)
Register at a City Office	Passport, apostilled birth certificate, proof of address	BRP entry and your BSN, plus a confirmation letter [2]
Apply for DigiD	BSN, registered address, mobile phone	A government login, activated by letter [6]
Everything else	BSN and often DigiD	Salary on the right tax rate, Dutch health insurance, tax returns, allowances

What counts as an address

You must be in the Netherlands legally and actually live at the address in the municipality where you register [1]. In practice that means one of these:

your own rental contract (huurcontract);
a purchase contract (koopcontract) if you've bought;
if you're staying with someone, a consent form signed by the main occupant plus a copy of their ID [2].

Be wary of any room where the landlord says you "can't register". That's often a sign the sublet isn't allowed, and without registration you're stuck. Short-term holiday lets and many hotels won't work either.

Before you leave Australia: get your birth certificate sorted

This is the bit that trips Australians up, because it has to be done properly and it's easier from home.

Amsterdam wants the original of your birth certificate, plus your marriage or divorce certificate if relevant [1][2]. Documents in English don't need a translation [4]. But Dutch authorities want Australian documents legalised with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [4].

Order a fresh official copy from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where you were born [4]. Do the same for your marriage certificate if you're bringing a spouse.
Get it apostilled by DFAT before you fly. The apostille confirms the signature on the document, not its contents [4].
Already left? The Australian Embassy in The Hague (Carnegielaan 4, 2517 KH The Hague) issues apostilles by post. You send the originals by registered mail with a payment form, pay by card in Australian dollars, and the embassy aims to finish within five business days of payment [7]. Dutch pin cards and cash aren't accepted [7].
Bring originals for the whole family. Every family member being registered, including babies, must come to the appointment [2].

The good news: according to the Dutch government's guidance for Australia, a birth certificate stays valid after legalisation regardless of when it was issued [4]. One trip to the registry and DFAT should do you for life.

Booking the City Office appointment

For most new arrivals, registration happens in person at one of Amsterdam's City Offices (Stadsloket). The City of Amsterdam says to book in advance through amsterdam.nl [1]. Appointment slots can be tight in busy months such as August and September, so book as soon as you have a contract.

Take these to the appointment:

your valid Australian passport and, if you already have one, your residence permit;
your original apostilled birth certificate (and marriage certificate if married);
your rental contract, purchase contract or signed consent form with the occupant's ID copy;
the same set of documents for each family member.

Children under 16 need a parent, guardian or carer with valid ID [1]. You walk out with your BSN and a confirmation letter [2]. Guard that number: it's linked to your tax, health and bank records.

Staying under four months?

Short contracts and short courses don't require resident registration. If you still need a BSN for work, study or healthcare, you can register as a non-resident in the Registratie Niet-Ingezetenen (RNI) at one of 19 participating municipalities. IN Amsterdam also offers this for some short-stay migrants [1][3].

The IN Amsterdam shortcut

If your employer is an IND-recognised sponsor bringing you in as a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant), you may never see a City Office. IN Amsterdam, the official expat centre for Amsterdam and nearby towns such as Amstelveen, Diemen, Haarlem and Haarlemmermeer, can combine your residence permit and municipal registration in one appointment [1][5].

How it works:

After the IND decides on your permit, IN Amsterdam contacts you to book. The appointment takes about 45 minutes [5].
You collect your residence permit and register with the municipality in the same visit [5].
If you register in Amsterdam or Amstelveen, your BSN is issued during the appointment. Other municipalities in the network can take about two days [5].
Service fees may apply, and your employer usually handles the booking side [5].

Researchers, startup permit holders, orientation year permit holders, intra-corporate transferees and EU citizens working for a recognised sponsor can also use it [1]. Australians on a working holiday visa don't fall into these groups, so plan on the City Office route.

Why the BSN matters for the 30% ruling

The 30% ruling (the expat scheme) is a big deal for Australians recruited from home. Your BSN is one of the documents needed for the application, and the ruling only applies from your start date if you apply within four months of starting work [8]. Apply later and it starts only from the month after approval [8]. A slow registration can therefore cost you money. Our guide to Dutch tax basics for Australians explains the ruling itself.

Setting up DigiD

DigiD is the Dutch government's login. It's roughly what myGov is at home, except that far more organisations accept it: the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst), allowances, municipalities, water boards, pharmacies and Dutch health insurers [6].

Wait until you're registered. You need your BSN and the address you're registered at [6].
Apply online on the DigiD website, which has an English version. Enter your BSN, date of birth, postcode and house number, then pick a username and password [6].
Add your mobile number. It's used for SMS checks and makes life easier later [6].
Watch the letterbox. The activation code comes by post to your registered address within three working days [6].
Activate within 20 days, or you'll need to start over [6].
Install the DigiD app. After activation you can log in with a PIN instead of your password [6].

It's free. Nobody from government will ever ask for your DigiD password by phone, post or email, and phishing emails pretending to be DigiD are common [1].

Once DigiD works, you can register later moves online. Amsterdam lets you report a change of address no earlier than one month before the move and up to five working days after it [1].

The Australian side of the paperwork

Registering in Amsterdam doesn't change anything with the Australian government automatically. A few things to line up:

Smartraveller. Check the Netherlands advice on Smartraveller. It points out that anyone over 14 must carry ID under Dutch law, and police can fine you if you can't show it [9]. Until you have a Dutch residence card, that usually means your passport, so keep it current.
The embassy. Beyond apostilles, the Australian Embassy in The Hague handles passports and notarial services for Australians in the Netherlands [7].
The ATO. Moving doesn't automatically end your Australian tax residency. The ATO applies its own tests [10]. Keep your Australian TFN handy too, as some Dutch banks ask for a foreign tax number when you open an account.
Leaving again. You can deregister up to one month before leaving the Netherlands [1]. Do it, or tax letters keep coming to an address you no longer live at. If you come back later, your BSN stays the same [3].

Got stuck on a City Office booking or a consent form? Ask in Cooee Netherlands, our Facebook group for Australians in the Netherlands. Plenty of members have done the registration dance recently.

Registering in Amsterdam: the address, the number and the login that run your Dutch life