Registering your first address in the Netherlands

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.
• UM certificate of enrolment or a copy of the conditionally approved email received from the admissions office
• Only for students with a non-EU nationality: a copy of your residence permit (front and back). If you do not have it yet, a copy of the email from the Maastricht University Visa Office ‘confirmation receipt of decision’; the email that mentions the assigned V=number
• Only for students who are registering at the municipality of Venlo: a form from city hall (available at Campus Venlo or download here). Please fill it out digitally, print, and sign it.

Be sure to make copies of all these documents beforehand.

Need to register in Maastricht?

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

Need to register in Venlo?

You can make an appointment via the website of the municipality of Venlo.