Initial registration in the Netherlands

When you move to the Netherlands, you need to register with a municipality. Have you never lived in the Netherlands before? Then you need to do an 'initial registration''.  If you have previously lived in the Netherlands but emigrated before October 1994, you also need to do an 'initial registration'.

After your arrival in the Netherlands, you must register within 5 working days.

The requirements for an initial registration in the Netherlands are:

• You have 
  • Dutch nationality, or
  • You have a passport from an EU/EEA country, or
  • You have a residence permit for a definite or indefinite period
• You will be residing in the Netherlands for more than 4 months

Here's how to register for the first time in the Netherlands:

• Visit the municipality in person.
• Bring along:
  • Your valid identification document (with your nationality stated).
  • Proof of your place of residence, such as a rental contract or proof of ownership. 
    • If you are moving in with someone: written permission from the main occupant (pdf, 34 kB) and a copy of the main occupant's valid identification document.
  • If you were not born in the Netherlands: your birth certificate.
  • If you do not have European nationality: proof that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) has approved your stay.
  • If you are coming from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, or Saba: a change of address notification.
  • Potentially, the following certificates:
    • Marriage or divorce certificate
    • Death certificate of your partner (as proof of marriage dissolution due to death)
    • Birth certificates of your children
• If you have a proof of deregistration from the previous country, bring that along as well.
• All individuals moving with you must also come in person.

If the requested documents are not in Dutch, English, German, or French, or if you do not have a multilingual model form, you will need to have them translated. If the translator is sworn in the Netherlands, you do not need to legalize the translation. If the translator is sworn outside the Netherlands, you must re-legalize the legalized original document in the Netherlands. You can find more information about this on Netherlandsworldwide.nl.

Please note:
The Netherlands aims to provide generous reception for refugees from Ukraine. Therefore, different rules apply to them. The rules for these refugees are only available in Dutch on RvIG.nl or nvvb.nl.

• Information about registration in the Personal Records Database (BRP)
• Information about legalization of foreign documents, per country