ResideNL · Moving to NL · BRP registration
How to register with your municipality (BRP)
Registering in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, or BRP) at your municipality is the first official thing you do as a new resident. It makes you a registered resident and triggers your citizen service number (BSN).
Who needs to register
- Anyone planning to live in the Netherlands for more than 4 months.
- You register at the gemeente (municipality) of the town or city where you'll live.
- Staying under 4 months? You register as a non-resident (RNI) instead, which still gives you a BSN.
What to bring
- A valid passport or ID card.
- Proof of your Dutch address — usually your rental contract or a letter from your landlord.
- Your birth certificate. This often has to be legalised (apostille) and translated — arrange it in your home country before you leave, as it's slow to sort afterwards.
- If relevant: marriage or divorce certificates (also legalised/translated).
- A booked appointment at your municipality.
How it works
- Book an appointment with your municipality online.
- Bring your documents to the appointment in person.
- You're registered in the BRP, and the municipality arranges your BSN — often given at the appointment or by post shortly after.
Official source: government.nl — Personal Records Database (BRP). Confirm your own municipality's exact process on its website.
Not sure if this applies to you, or when it's due?
ResideNL asks a few questions about your situation and tells you whether you need to register, your personal deadline, and exactly which documents to bring — alongside the rest of your move (BSN, DigiD, health insurance and more).
Next steps:
ResideNL is not a government service and does not provide legal advice. Rules, fees and deadlines change — always confirm on the official pages we link to.