Registration for non-residents a.k.a temporary BSN

Hi Magda,

No, you can't register with any Gemeente in Holland until you have a permanent address in the Netherlands.

What is this then? https://www.rotterdam.nl/loket/registra … gezetenen/

Sounds like you can register and get BSN as non[-resident too

Hi Magda,

That is the "Registratie niet-ingezetenen" system; this is for people who are coming to work or study in Holland for less than 4-months; you gain nothing by using this system and have to provide exactly the same information and still physically be there (at the Gemeentehuis) to register.

The link you provided just gives you the ability to make an appointment online for your registration interview at the Town Hall.  There are no benefits to be gained by registering first as a 4-month person.

Just to add - I had to make an appointment with the Gemeente Enschede last week; I called into the Gemeentehuis in the morning while out shopping with my wife and got an appointment the same day (2 hours later).  It really isn't a difficult thing to get done.  The only thing of note was that because our questions were related to us as a couple, we had to book a double appointment; we were done in 10 minutes.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

I don't Understand why Cynic says that it doesn't make any difference. When you first arrive to the Netherlands you obviously can't find a place to rent on the first few days, and a BSN number is important to start looking for a job otherwise you need the enough money to do nothing for like a month until you find a place, get your BSN and then look for a job.

Wouldn't it be easier/possible to arrive, get my RNI, start looking for a job and an accommodation? So that then, after I have a rent contract I can go to the geneente to register?

I'm moving to the NL for a year in a December and I have the same question.

It probably would be easier, but that's the Dutch system; you have to register within 5-days of arrival and you won't get a BSN (or RNI) until you do.  There is nothing stopping you from registering at one address, then change your address at a later date once you've found your dream house.  In fact, it's important to re-register, or you'll continue to pay the local taxes for that old address and the new one.

One word of advice - check that the person who owns the place where you are living will allow you to register at that address.  We've had information that some landlords who are trying to hide the rental income they receive, from the Dutch tax-man, will not permit registration.

I tried to move to the Netherlands the first time around 10 years ago. The system was so frustrating, I left after a week. You had to get a SOFI number but couldn't of you never had a tenancy or job. Then the catch 22 came in, where you couldn't get a job or a tenancy without a SOFI.

Now the system is way better. I returned to try again. Now you just go to their local town council office (Gemeente Amstel 1, 1011 PN Amsterdam, Netherlands) and give them your hotel address to obtain the temporary BSN, take that BSN to the SNS Bank, open a bank account, get a job/rent.

It sounds strange that you managed to provide your hotel as your address. I think you registered as a non-resident (RNI), right? So then you can register once you find an address, and in the meantime you look for a job because you have a BSN already, is this correct?

I got the BSN the first day I arrived, printed there and then. I had no address. It was a hostel I got the BSN sent to.

Also to note that I'm British and my friend who came with me was Lithuanian. He didn't get the BSN on the same day. I think there's a little racism going on

I think the Dutch government are trying to clamp down on black market workers so they've made it easier

Hi there,

I just wanted to see how you went with this, were you able to register for a temporary BSN, and then swap it when you found a place?

I'm moving from Australia in April and planning to do the same thing.

Thank you!

Smurf33 wrote:

Hi there,

I just wanted to see how you went with this, were you able to register for a temporary BSN, and then swap it when you found a place?

I'm moving from Australia in April and planning to do the same thing.

Thank you!

Just to confirm; the only people who receive a "Temporary BSN", are "temporary workers", i.e. people who are in Holland working for a short period of time and need a number to access Health Care and open a bank account.  If you are moving to Holland to live, then you just have to register within 5-days of arriving in the country, you will then receive your BSN number.

The only thing to watch out for is that if you are renting somewhere to live, that the owner will permit registration at that address; there are some unscrupulous landlords who try to hide the income they receive from the rental, from the taxman.  As you've seen from above, people have registered at hotels, hostels etc without any problem at all.  The important thing to remember is that when you move from your temporary address, to your permanent one, is to let the Council know, or you'll be paying twice the amount of local taxes.

There is no difference between a "Temporary" and any other type of BSN number; it is only temporary because the person using it is only in the country temporarily.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic wrote:

Smurf33 wrote:

Hi there,

I just wanted to see how you went with this, were you able to register for a temporary BSN, and then swap it when you found a place?

I'm moving from Australia in April and planning to do the same thing.

Thank you!

Just to confirm; the only people who receive a "Temporary BSN", are "temporary workers", i.e. people who are in Holland working for a short period of time and need a number to access Health Care and open a bank account.  If you are moving to Holland to live, then you just have to register within 5-days of arriving in the country, you will then receive your BSN number.

The only thing to watch out for is that if you are renting somewhere to live, that the owner will permit registration at that address; there are some unscrupulous landlords who try to hide the income they receive from the rental, from the taxman.  As you've seen from above, people have registered at hotels, hostels etc without any problem at all.  The important thing to remember is that when you move from your temporary address, to your permanent one, is to let the Council know, or you'll be paying twice the amount of local taxes.

There is no difference between a "Temporary" and any other type of BSN number; it is only temporary because the person using it is only in the country temporarily.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi,

I'm moving to Netherlands next week because I got a job in Leiden but I want to live in Den Haag. However, unfortunately, I haven't found a place to live yet and it's been really hard. So, I'm afraid that I might live there for an entire month without having an actual address to register.

Therefore, can't I just go to Leiden municipality and register with my office address and then change it in Den Haag for a permanent address?

Thank you

PT_Mendonca wrote:

Cynic wrote:

Smurf33 wrote:

Hi there,

I just wanted to see how you went with this, were you able to register for a temporary BSN, and then swap it when you found a place?

I'm moving from Australia in April and planning to do the same thing.

Thank you!

Just to confirm; the only people who receive a "Temporary BSN", are "temporary workers", i.e. people who are in Holland working for a short period of time and need a number to access Health Care and open a bank account.  If you are moving to Holland to live, then you just have to register within 5-days of arriving in the country, you will then receive your BSN number.

The only thing to watch out for is that if you are renting somewhere to live, that the owner will permit registration at that address; there are some unscrupulous landlords who try to hide the income they receive from the rental, from the taxman.  As you've seen from above, people have registered at hotels, hostels etc without any problem at all.  The important thing to remember is that when you move from your temporary address, to your permanent one, is to let the Council know, or you'll be paying twice the amount of local taxes.

There is no difference between a "Temporary" and any other type of BSN number; it is only temporary because the person using it is only in the country temporarily.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi,

I'm moving to Netherlands next week because I got a job in Leiden but I want to live in Den Haag. However, unfortunately, I haven't found a place to live yet and it's been really hard. So, I'm afraid that I might live there for an entire month without having an actual address to register.

Therefore, can't I just go to Leiden municipality and register with my office address and then change it in Den Haag for a permanent address?

Thank you

No, you will not be allowed to register from a commercial premises; just use your temporary address (hotel, AirBnB address, whatever); then change it to your permanent address when you have it.

Best of luck with your move.

I would recommend not to listen to what Cynic wrote before. He seems to have an issue understanding that the concept of moving to the Netherlands and finding accommodation within 5 days of arrival is completely impossible and silly to suggest, unless you are willing to pay 2 months of agency fee for that or more.

If someone else reads this in the future, you can go to the Utrecht gemeente and they'll provide you with the BSN through the RNI. That gives you 4 months to find a proper accommodation where you can register. And no, it's not only for EU nationals, that's false.

And yes, there is a gargantuan difference between one procedure and the other. Through the RNI you get your BSN number instantaneously whereas with the normal procedure through an address you have to wait two or three weeks (and you can't work since you don't have a BSN).

Good luck!

dbalmada wrote:

I would recommend not to listen to what Cynic wrote before. He seems to have an issue understanding that the concept of moving to the Netherlands and finding accommodation within 5 days of arrival is completely impossible and silly to suggest, unless you are willing to pay 2 months of agency fee for that or more.

If someone else reads this in the future, you can go to the Utrecht gemeente and they'll provide you with the BSN through the RNI. That gives you 4 months to find a proper accommodation where you can register. And no, it's not only for EU nationals, that's false.

And yes, there is a gargantuan difference between one procedure and the other. Through the RNI you get your BSN number instantaneously whereas with the normal procedure through an address you have to wait two or three weeks (and you can't work since you don't have a BSN).

Good luck!

Hi dbalmada,

Before you start making an erroneous statement of what I post here, you may want to check your facts.  The requirement to register with the Gemeente within 5-days is what Dutch law requires; it is not up to the individual to decide if/when they register.  That said, if you are a few days late, my EXPERIENCE is that they won't make a fuss.  Also, unless you register, you won't have a BSN number, without which, you can't work, can't get social housing, can't open a bank account, can't register with a doctor, can't register your car; all things that people need to do.

The RNI system is only for non-residents who are coming to Holland for less than 4-months (i.e. temporary workers) who need access to the services I've mentioned above; they can register with the RNI database at any of the 19 Gemeente's that operate the scheme; the details from the Dutch Government website that explains this are here.

You can register your status from a temporary address; I know people who have registered from a Hotel room; the only thing that we've heard of that may stop you is if your landlord does not permit it - there are some who rent cash only, no contract - they are hiding it from the Dutch taxman; which is putting the renter in further jeopardy because the taxman still wants his tax!

I hope that has clarified things for everybody.

Cynic
Expat Team

I m so amazed with what some people says on the processing on registration. I think no one gets a bsn number in 10 mins the same day. It says “within 4 weeks”  regardless what.

niru2709 wrote:

I m so amazed with what some people says on the processing on registration. I think no one gets a bsn number in 10 mins the same day. It says “within 4 weeks”  regardless what.

Again, this is not always the case; my daughter walked out of Gemeente Enschede with her BSN number in her pocket, having registered 5 minutes previously.

Well I guess where I m .. snails working but also wrk n student has a better chances 😩

Hello Guys,

I am supposed to star my new job in the beginning of June and I am trying to understand  how to obtain a BSN asap but without properly renting a place right now. I will be there for more than 4 months.

Could a hotel address work to register for a BSN, which allows me to secure a bank account, etc... ?

Looking forward to any good advice.

It can; people on here have previously reported themselves being able to do so - ask the hotel before you confirm your booking.

Hi, I would like to ask what happens to your BSN number if you work in the Netherlands for 6 months (permanent contract) and then you go back to your country for 2-4-6 months for example, before starting a new permanent or long term contract? Do I lose the BSN, or if I don't lose it, will I owe some money for health insurance for the period I wasn't working in the country (the Netherlands)?

Thank you!

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Once allocated, a BSN number is for life; when you first arrive, you are required to register within 5 days, when you move house or leave the country, you are required to let them know.  As long as you remember to notify them when you leave, you won't owe any money when you come back.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you!

..

Smurf33 wrote:

Hi there,

I just wanted to see how you went with this, were you able to register for a temporary BSN, and then swap it when you found a place?

I'm moving from Australia in April and planning to do the same thing.

Thank you!

HI
just wonder how it went for u. As I think to do the same way in a month time. And trying to source some info.

Hi Cynic,

I recently registered myself as non-residency at the Gemeente in Eindhoven last week and got my BSN. I provided my friend's NL address on the form (where i'm staying for a few months) and asked to fill in a form for my UK and NL addresses. Does any letter get sent to the NL address confirming to the owner of the address i'm staying there?

The reason i'm asking is because i'm trying to Register for DigiD and i try to fill in the details i gave to the Gemeente like the PostCode and House Number of my friend's NL address on the DigiD registration webpage and it doesn't work! An error comes up and says the information isn't found.

Does it take a few days for it to be all done on the system or do i have to contact Eindhoven Gemeente if something is wrong?

I'm sure with my BSN i should be able to use the DigiD service?

Thanks.

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

I've just checked out the DigiD website to see what errors you can make; I've translated (roughly) into English what it says in Dutch underneath the errors:

U vult op dit scherm uw burgerservicenummer, geboortedatum en adres in. Deze moeten hetzelfde zijn als hoe het bij uw gemeente staat opgeslagen. Krijgt u een foutmelding waardoor u niet verder kunt? Dat kan hier aan liggen:

You have to fill in the screen details for your BSN number, date of birth and address.  These have to be the same details that you gave at the Gemeente.  If you get an error, it could be here.  Note - If you are a married woman and registered with your maiden name, that could be the error (women in Holland keep their maiden names for official correspondence).

• U heeft mogelijk de verkeerde gegevens ingevuld of een typefoutje gemaakt. Controleer uw gegevens nogmaals.

You've filled in the wrong details or made a typing error, check again.

• Krijgt u een melding dat u geëmigreerd bent? Volgens uw gemeente woont u dan in het buitenland. Klopt dat niet? Neem dan contact op met uw gemeente.

If it says you are not living in the country, then the Gemeente think you are living abroad; contact the Gemeente to put this right.

• Uw gemeente heeft uw adresgegevens in onderzoek. Neem hierover contact op met uw gemeente.

Your Gemeente is investigating your address.  Contact the Gemeente.

• Er is een probleem rond uw geregistreerde A-nummer bij uw gemeente. Neem hierover contact op met de DigiD helpdesk.

There is a problem with your registered number from the Gemeente; please contact the DigiD helpdesk.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic wrote:

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

I've just checked out the DigiD website to see what errors you can make; I've translated (roughly) into English what it says in Dutch underneath the errors:

U vult op dit scherm uw burgerservicenummer, geboortedatum en adres in. Deze moeten hetzelfde zijn als hoe het bij uw gemeente staat opgeslagen. Krijgt u een foutmelding waardoor u niet verder kunt? Dat kan hier aan liggen:

You have to fill in the screen details for your BSN number, date of birth and address.  These have to be the same details that you gave at the Gemeente.  If you get an error, it could be here.  Note - If you are a married woman and registered with your maiden name, that could be the error (women in Holland keep their maiden names for official correspondence).

• U heeft mogelijk de verkeerde gegevens ingevuld of een typefoutje gemaakt. Controleer uw gegevens nogmaals.

You've filled in the wrong details or made a typing error, check again.

• Krijgt u een melding dat u geëmigreerd bent? Volgens uw gemeente woont u dan in het buitenland. Klopt dat niet? Neem dan contact op met uw gemeente.

If it says you are not living in the country, then the Gemeente think you are living abroad; contact the Gemeente to put this right.

• Uw gemeente heeft uw adresgegevens in onderzoek. Neem hierover contact op met uw gemeente.

Your Gemeente is investigating your address.  Contact the Gemeente.

• Er is een probleem rond uw geregistreerde A-nummer bij uw gemeente. Neem hierover contact op met de DigiD helpdesk.

There is a problem with your registered number from the Gemeente; please contact the DigiD helpdesk.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic,

I translated the error message and it says:

The control of the basic registration shows that your address information is not current or that you do not live in the Netherlands. If your information is not up to date, you can have your municipality change your address information. If you do not live in the Netherlands, select the option ' I live outside the Netherlands '.

Which is not true. I provided them with an NL address on the form i had to fill in at the Gemeente.

What do you think i should do?

Thanks,

Check it out with the Gemeente.

Hi guys, I just moved to NL a few weeks ago to live with my spouse and I already obtained my residence permit, can someone please help me know the steps I should check to obtain a BSN number? Also is it a must to obtain this number?

Yes. You need a BSN number to be able to work and open a bank account

hello,
Can someone please tell me if you can apply with your temporary BSN for different allowances? (for example for the healthcare allowance)

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

Temporary BSN numbers are for short term workers who come to Holland for a short period and need to access specific parts of the Dutch government system; you will not qualify for the healthcare allowance (zorgtoeslag), or any other allowances as a short-term worker.

Any particular reason why are you aiming specifically for a temporary BSN when the normal BSN is available?

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you for your answer! I just wanted to have all the information 😊

If you have the Temporary BSN and then decide to extend your stay in the Netherlands, are you able to convert it to the Long Term BSN/ Registration when you have a residential address?

breelee wrote:

If you have the Temporary BSN and then decide to extend your stay in the Netherlands, are you able to convert it to the Long Term BSN/ Registration when you have a residential address?

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

A BSN number is the same temporary or permanent; you will not get a different/new number;  the only difference between them is that it sits on a different database; you will need to go to the Gemeente and advise them of your change of status; they may ask to see any relevant immigration paperwork.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Okay, great thanks. And in order to obtain a temporary BSN what relevant documentation do you need?