Key facts
- Register in person within 5 days of arriving if you will stay at least 4 months in the next 6.
- Registration is free. You only pay for translating or legalising documents.
- Eindhoven sends a confirmation letter with your BSN within 4 weeks.
- DigiD needs a BSN, a registered address and a mobile phone. The activation letter arrives by post within about 5 working days.
- Eindhoven appointments: 14 040, or +31 40 238 6000 from abroad.
What to do
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Book online on eindhoven.nl, choosing the EU or non-EU option, or call 14 040. Slots open daily for about 4 weeks ahead, so check again if nothing is free.
If your employer is an IND-recognised sponsor, or you have certain non-EU residence permits, you may register through Holland Expat Center South instead. Ask your employer or check their site.
Eindhoven asks non-EU nationals to contact the IND before registering. Your university or employer usually arranges the residence permit route.
Bring a valid passport or ID card, your rental contract, and original birth and marriage certificates where relevant, usually legalised or with an apostille. If you live with someone, bring their signed consent form and a copy of their ID.
Your partner and children who are moving with you must come in person. Registration happens at the Inwonersplein (Residents' Plaza).
Your BSN arrives by post within 4 weeks. The tax office, DUO, health insurers and others are informed automatically.
Once you have a BSN, apply on digid.nl. Enter the activation code from the letter that comes to your registered address, then set up the DigiD app.
Why the BSN matters
The BSN (citizen service number) is your personal number for the Dutch government. Employers need it to pay you correctly, and you need it for health insurance, the tax office, DUO and most banks.
You get it by registering in the BRP, the personal records database, at your municipality. In Eindhoven that means an in-person appointment.
Staying less than 4 months
If you will stay less than 4 months in a 6-month period, you register in the RNI (non-residents records) instead. You get a BSN there too, and it stays the same if you later register as a resident.
What DigiD is for
DigiD is your login for Dutch government and many health services. You use it for the tax return, allowances like zorgtoeslag, DUO and the municipality.
The activation letter is posted to the address where you are registered. If you have no fixed home yet, you can register a postal address with the municipality, but not a PO box.
Banking while you wait
Some banks, including ING, bunq and ABN AMRO, let you open an account before you have a BSN, as long as you add it within 90 days. Check the bank's current conditions before applying.
Mistakes to avoid
- Waiting until you have a house key before booking: appointments can take weeks.
- Bringing copies instead of original documents.
- Not getting foreign certificates legalised before you leave home.
- Coming to the appointment without the partner or children who are moving with you.
- Letting someone else apply for DigiD for you. Your DigiD is personal.
Useful links
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More official sources
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We checked this guide against its sources on 9 October 2026. Rules change: the official source always wins. Spotted something out of date? DM @gone.with.us or email contact@gonewithus.nl.