If this is your first registration in the Netherlands, the municipality will provide you with a citizen service number (BSN). You will need this number for your health insurance, opening a bank account and accessing all kinds of government services. It can take up to five weeks to be issued your BSN number, so it is best if you register as soon as possible.

As a student, you need the following documents to register at your municipality in the Netherlands:

• valid passport 
• proof of residence in the Netherlands: a rental agreement signed by your landlord and yourself
• a legalised or apostilled copy (not older than six months) of your birth certificate. If your birth certificate is in a language other than English, Dutch, German or French, it must be translated into one of these languages by a sworn translator. The legalisation or apostille is usually done in your country of origin. Contact your local Dutch embassy or consulate for more information on sworn translations. If you don’t have this document in time for your registration appointment, you may submit it later.

If you’re living in Maastricht, find out more information about your first registration with Gemeente Maastricht.

If you are moving from abroad to an address in the Netherlands and planning to stay longer than four months, you need to register your new address with the municipality where that address is located. The municipality will update your information in the in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie personen, BRP). 

Registering for the first time in the Netherlands?

Anyone from abroad who wishes to live in the Netherlands for more than four months is required to register with the municipality (gemeente) in which they live within five weekdays of arrival. If this will be your first time living in the Netherlands, you will also need a Dutch citizen service number (Burgerservicenummer, BSN. Read more about registering your first address in the Netherlands.

If you are moving from the Netherlands to another country for at least eight out of the next twelve months (this does not need to be eight consecutive months), you should deregister from the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie personen, BRP). You need to do this at the municipality from which you are moving. The municipality will automatically inform Maastricht University, DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs) and other offices linked to the BRP of your new address abroad. 

Depending on your new country of residence, moving abroad may have consequences for the fees at your Dutch bank. Check with your bank regarding possible additional fees, and make sure you have enough in your account to cover them. 

If you are registered in Maastricht and are moving abroad, read more about deregistering from the Municipality of Maastricht.

Wanting to solve the rental problems that students can sometimes experience, Maastricht University (UM), Economische Samenwerking Zuid-Limburg (ESZL) and Gemeente Maastricht joined forces to form Huurteam Zuid-Limburg. We want all of our students to feel at home in Maastricht. To find out more, take a look at the Huurteam Zuid-Limburg website.

Looking to secure short-term accommodation in Maastricht well ahead of time? Consider the Maastricht University Guesthouse, which offers a selection of fully furnished rooms and studios that have everything you need to begin your stay in Maastricht. By booking early, you can ease your worries about finding a place to live. Plus, you have the flexibility to cancel your reservation up to one month before your arrival.

Discover more about our accommodations and see what’s available by visiting the Maastricht Housing website. Select ‘UM Guesthouse’ in the menu ‘Show offers by’ to see the available rooms and studios. 

Staying with a host or host family with Hospi Housing will provide you with a soft landing in Maastricht. It is the perfect way to connect with the local culture and language. You’ll have your own private room and shared facilities like a kitchen and bathroom.

Hospi Housing works with UM and the Maastricht municipality and has a large network of verified hosts and host families. They can help you connect with the local community and provide you with all the advice you need to make Maastricht feel like home!

  Register and apply for free at Hospi Housing

Huurteam Zuid-Limburg can conduct a check of your rental price or your rental contract if you’re unsure about anything. Once you have a place to live, they can also help you if you encounter any rental issues such as delayed repairs or problems with your landlord. To find out more, take a look at the Huurteam Zuid-Limburg website. 

The diploma on which you were admitted to your study programme at Maastricht University (UM) needs to be verified for authenticity. For Dutch diplomas, this will happen automatically via DUO. For all other diplomas, we request a certified copy of your diploma, final grades transcript and, if applicable, other qualifications as mentioned in your conditional admission letter to complete your enrolment. You will find comprehensive instructions regarding the certified copy of your diploma in the MyApplication portal, the online environment in which your application process will take place. Please wait until the task ‘Send certified copy of diploma’ becomes active in the portal before taking any action regarding your diploma or grades transcript.

If you have completed or will complete your prior education at a non-Dutch educational institution but will NOT receive your diploma before your UM programme starts (1 September or 1 February), you will need to submit a Statement of Graduation and a certified copy of your final grades transcript and, if applicable, other qualifications as mentioned in your conditional admission letter to complete your enrolment.
You will find comprehensive instructions regarding the Statement of Graduation in the MyApplication portal, the online environment in which your application process will take place. Please wait until the task ‘Send certified copy of diploma’ becomes active in the portal before taking any action regarding the Statement of Graduation. If you would like to preview the form, you can download it here.

UM Statement of Graduation

Please note: Only the UM Statement of Graduation form will be accepted. The only exception is if you are going to obtain an International Baccalaureate Diploma or a ‘Certificat d’Enseignement Secondaire Superieur’.

Please note that all hard copy documents submitted will become property of UM. Based on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), these documents will be digitalised and later destroyed in a secure manner. UM will save your documents for two years after the start date of your study programme. If your study programme starts on 1 September, we will save your documents for two years after 1 September.