If you’re moving to the Netherlands, you are usually required to register with the municipality where you’ll be living. This process is known as “First registration”. Depending on the length of your stay, different rules may apply. Please read further and select the option that best matches your situation.
Note for ISS students: This information does not apply to you. Since ISS is located in The Hague, not Rotterdam, you will receive specific registration instructions directly from the institute after your admission.
- Are you moving to the Netherlands for the first time?
- Will you be staying for more than four months?
- Have you never registered in the Netherlands before (and don’t have a citizen service number, or BSN)?
If you answered yes to all three, you’ll need to register with the municipality where you’ll be living. This is called a first registration. You can start your application online. After submitting the form, you will receive a confirmation email from the Municipality of Rotterdam. It will include your case number and a link to book your appointment.
Please note:
- You must visit the Municipal Office in person if you live in Rotterdam, and your address falls within a postal code area that requires a housing permit (HVV). To find out if your street or neighborhood requires this additional documentation, please use the postal code check tool.
- If you live outside the municipality of Rotterdam, such as in Schiedam or Capelle, please use the guidelines for registration in Capelle and Schiedam.
- This can be a passport or an identity card.
- Are you moving to the Netherlands from a country outside Europe? Then you must bring your residence permit or the authorization for temporary residence (MVV sticker) in your passport.
If you're allowed to travel without an entry sticker and your Dutch residence permit cannot yet be collected, you can print the IND approval letter that was sent to you via Osiris by our Immigration Office. - If you're registering from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saba, or Sint Eustatius, you must also bring proof of deregistration.
Depending on where and with whom you're living, you will need one or more of the following documents. If you don't have all of them yet, bring whatever you have to your appointment (Step 4).
| My living situation | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| I'm renting an apartment or a house | Rental contract or tenancy agreement* |
| I'm living with a tenant who is the main occupant | Declaration by the main occupant* and a copy of their ID + tenancy agreement* |
| I'm living with the owner | Declaration by the main occupant* and a copy of the occupant’s ID |
| I'm renting a room | Rental contract or tenancy agreement* |
*Documents must be no older than 3 months and must be completely filled out and signed.
- You can start your online registration on the website of the Rotterdam municipality. Make sure to upload the required documents.
- Please select the appointment type: Afspraak Eerste vestiging Studenten. You can choose your own timeslot.
You will receive an email with the date and location of your appointment to complete the registration.
For EU/EEA or Swiss nationals:
- Case number (you receive this after you start your registration online)
(Important: If you don’t bring your case number, your registration cannot proceed.) - Proof of identity
(Valid passport or valid identity card) - Proof of your living situation
(Rental contract, tenancy agreement, or a declaration by the main occupant along with a copy of their valid ID)
For non-EU/EEA nationals:
- Case number (you receive this after you start your registration online)
(Important: If you don’t bring your case number, your registration cannot proceed.) - Proof of identity
(Valid passport) - Residence permit or MVV sticker (authorization for temporary residence)
- If you're allowed to enter the Netherlands without an entry sticker and your Dutch residence permit cannot be collected yet, bring the IND approval letter (sent via Osiris from our Immigration Office).
- Proof of your living situation
(Rental contract, tenancy agreement, or a declaration by the main occupant along with a copy of their valid ID)
Are you intending to study in the Netherlands for less than 4 months? If so, you will need to register as a non-resident in the RNI. You can book an appointment online via the link or by calling 14 010. It is mandatory to appear in person.
Step 1 - Fill in the form.
Download the form 'Registration Forms for Registration of Non-Residents" and complete it.
Step 2 - Provide valid proof of identity
This may be a passport or ID card.
Step 3 - Make sure to bring all the required documents in hard copy with you
- Original and a printed coloured hard copy of your valid passport or ID card.
- Completed and printed form: 'Registration Forms for Registration of Non-Residents ' undersigned by you.
- Your address in the country of origin (legible)
Choose your registration location
There are 19 municipalities in the Netherlands with a counter for non-residents. You are free to select which RNI municipality you wish to register in.
Costs
Registration is free of charge.
How long does it take?
You will be registered at the counter, and you will receive your BSN immediately.
Contact
If you have any questions, call 14 010.
If you are calling from a foreign number, call+31 10 267 16 25.
Are you moving back to the Netherlands from abroad? And are you staying longer than 4 months? Or have you been deregistered from the municipality? If so, you must re-register. This application is referred to as “resettlement”.
Conditions
- You were previously registered in the Netherlands.
- You already have a citizen service number (BSN).
- You are going to live in Rotterdam for more than 4 months.
- You have been deregistered from the municipality.
Step 1 - Download and complete the form from the municipality
Download the form "First registration in the municipal personal records database (BRP) form abroad."
Step 2 - Provide valid proof of identity
EU/EEA/Switzerland: passport or ID card
NON-EU/EEA: passport or ID card + residence permit or IND approval letter
Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Saba or Sint Eustatius: passport or ID card + original proof of deregistration.
Step 3 - Gather documents for your living situation
- Independent as a tenant
- Rental contract or tenancy agreement
- Sublet
- Rental contract or tenancy declaration
- Living with the main tenant as a tenant
- Declaration by main occupant
- Tenancy agreement
- Copy of valid identity document of the person you are going to live with
- Living with the main tenant as owner
- Declaration of residence
- Copy of valid identity document of the person you are going to live with
- Independent as owner and not yet registered in the Land Register
- Copy of the deed of transfer, signed by the notary
You can book an appointment online via the website of Gemeente Rotterdam.
If you are relocating within or to Rotterdam, please provide your new address no later than 4 weeks before the moving date or within a maximum of 5 days after the moving date. You can report your move online through the website of the Municipality of Rotterdam.
If you plan to leave the Netherlands for more than 8 months, it's important to deregister from the Municipal Personal Records Database (BRP) Rotterdam. After deregistration, the Municipality of Rotterdam, will update your information and automatically notify other government authorities. You can deregister online through the website of the Municipality of Rotterdam.
If you live in a municipality other than Rotterdam, for example Schiedam or Capelle, here’s what you need to know about registering in Capelle and Schiedam
The municipality of Rotterdam can impose a fine if you deliberately provide incorrect information for the Persons Database (BRP).
Note: If you stay in the Social Hub, remember to ask for a confirmation of residence. Without registration as a Social Hub resident, you are obliged to pay tourist taxes. The Social Hub is familiar with issuing rental statements.
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