The Dutch BRP register:

registration of personal details for

the government and for you
Anyone who becomes a parent or moves house is required to inform How does the government obtain all of these personal
their municipality. But what does the Dutch government do with the details?
details of all of the Netherlands’ citizens? This brochure explains which There are details you need to provide yourself, for instance if you move
personal details the Dutch population register (Basisregistratie Personen, house, have a child, marry abroad, or if a member of your family passes
or ‘BRP’) contains, and what they are used for. We also outline your away. However, some details are registered or adjusted automatically.
rights and obligations and explain the procedure for people living If, for instance, you marry in the Netherlands, the registrar informs the
abroad who want to stay in the Netherlands for an extended period. municipality where you live.

If you live abroad and want to stay in the Netherlands

Why is the BRP register important? If you live abroad and want to stay in the Netherlands for longer than
The government needs to have accurate details on file for the country’s four months, within five days of entering the country you must register
citizens so it can issue passports, ID cards and driving licences, so it knows as living in the municipality where you are staying and provide the
who has the right to vote in elections, so it can award benefits, and so it municipality with your residential address. However, you must be staying
can levy council tax. Organisations like the Dutch Tax Administration in the Netherlands legally. In other words, you must have Dutch
(Belastingdienst), benefit agencies and pension funds use your personal nationality, the nationality of a Member State of the European Union (EU)
details to tailor their decisions to your situation. or the European Economic Area (EEA), Swiss nationality, or a valid
residence permit.
Which personal details?
In the Netherlands, your personal details are listed in the BRP register, A unique Burgerservicenummer for every citizen
along with the personal details of everyone else who lives or has lived in Your Burgerservicenummer (BSN) is your own personal number for your
the Netherlands. The BRP register contains the following and other details contacts with the government. One of the purposes of this unique number
for every citizen: is to prevent cases of mistaken identity. Everyone who registers in the BRP
• Client register for the first time is issued a BSN. The same applies to newborn
• Date, place and country of birth children, for whom a BSN is issued as soon as they are registered by their
• Address parents. Your BSN is stated on your passport, driving licence and ID card.
• Burgerservicenummer (BSN) The BSN has a number of advantages both for you and the government.
• Parents It facilitates your contacts with the municipality and other government
• Nationality (and right of residence, if applicable) agencies and organisations. When you start working, you will need to give
• Marriage and registered partnership your employer your BSN so that they can take care of a number of
• Children formalities with institutions like the Tax Administration and your pension
• Travel document and ID card fund. The Dutch healthcare system also uses the BSN, and you may be
• Right to vote asked for it at your doctor’s surgery, at a hospital, at your pharmacy,
or when applying for home care. For more information, go to
www.rijksoverheid.nl.
 Immediate registration with the municipality is not possible in the
Your privacy will be protected at all times
situations listed below:
The BRP register contains personal details that are not accessible to
• If you do not have a valid residence permit, you must first apply to
the public. The government will protect your privacy carefully, and
the Dutch Migration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to obtain one.
will use your details solely to aid it in performing its duties.
For more information, go to www.ind.nl.
• If you have applied for asylum and are staying in a reception centre or
asylum seekers’ centre, the centre will take care of your registration for
Your rights your first six months in the country. When this period has ended, or if
Your rights are as follows: you leave the centre to live elsewhere in the Netherlands during this
• Everyone who registers in the BRP register for the first time is issued period, you must register in the municipality where you are living.
a copy of their registered details. This copy is free of charge. If you • If you have lived on one of the islands in the Dutch Caribbean, you must
register in the Netherlands again at a later date, the same will apply. provide documentary evidence of your deregistration from there, so as
• You may view your details in the BRP register at any time at your to prevent you from having duplicate registrations in the Kingdom of
municipality free of charge. If you require a hard copy of your registered the Netherlands. Should you also want to register your partner and/or
details, the municipality will usually charge a fee. You can also view your children, they must accompany you to the town or city hall.
your details at mijn.overheid.nl. You will also need to take original copies of the documents showing
• As a resident of the Netherlands, you are entitled to use the surname of your identity, marital status with you, and your place of residence in the
your current or former spouse or registered partner. This is called ‘use Netherlands. Naturally, you will also need to have your passport with
of partner’s surname’. The name you choose to use is communicated to you and, if necessary, proof that you are staying in the Netherlands
government agencies such as the Tax Administration, pension funds, legally. You will also need to take the following documents: birth
the water management authorities, and the Dutch National Vehicle and certificates (of you and your children), marriage certificates (also for
Driving Licence Registration Authority (RDW). Your passport, ID card or previous marriages) and leases or purchase agreements for your home
driving licence will still bear your own surname. in the Netherlands, or proof that you are permitted to share a house
• You can have your details corrected or supplemented if they are with a principal occupant.
incorrect or incomplete. If you do this, your municipality will ask you to
provide documentary evidence for verification purposes. Registering as a non-resident
• You can also ask the municipality not to pass on your details to certain If you live abroad and want to stay in the Netherlands for less than four
institutions. Your municipality will be able to advise you about this. months, please read the brochure on how to register for a short stay in
• The municipality where you are registered as living can also provide you the Netherlands (‘Inschrijven bij kortdurend verblijf in Nederland’).
with a list of the institutions to which it has provided your details over You can find this brochure at www.rijksoverheid.nl.
the past several years. This list will be provided free of charge.
If you have any questions
Your obligations If you have any questions after reading this information, please contact
Your obligations as a citizen are as follows: your municipality.
• In your contacts with the government, you must be able to identify
yourself at all times with a valid identity document. Colophon
• If you live abroad and want to stay in the Netherlands, within five days This brochure is a publication for the National Office for Identity Data,
of your arrival here you must register with your local municipality and a division of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. No rights
provide them with your residential address. may be derived from this brochure.
• If you move house in the Netherlands, you must register your new
address with your new municipality within five days of the move. November 2016
You may also do this up to four weeks in advance.
• If you will be staying abroad for a period longer than eight months,
you must inform your municipality no later than five days before your
departure.
• If requested by the municipality where you live, you must provide
additional information on your details as registered in the BRP register.
• If your personal details change during your stay abroad (for instance,
you get married or have children), you must be able to show the
municipality the original copies of the documents showing this change.