Registration

When should you register?

• If you live abroad and want to move (back) to the Netherlands, you need to register with the municipality.
• If you want to live in the Netherlands for more than 4 months in the next half year, you need to make an appointment for your registration with the municipality within 5 days after your arrival.
• If you have a partner and/or children who also need to be registered in Utrecht, they need to come with you to the appointment.
• If you have never lived in the Netherlands before, your registration is a ‘first registration’ at the municipality.
• If you have lived in the Netherlands before, you re-register at the municipality. Please note that if you moved abroad before 1 October 1994, you still need to register as if you register for the first time.

Make an appointment

Make an appointment for your registration within 5 days after the arrival and choose ‘verhuizen vanuit buitenland (immigration)’. The link below is a step-by-step explanation of the procedure for making an appointment. You will receive an email confirming your appointment and explaining which documents you should bring with you.

Make an appointment

When you go to your appointment, bring the following documents:

• A valid proof of identity of every person to be registered.
• A valid travel document or other legal documents with your personal details and nationality.
• A proof of deregistration when you come from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba or Sint Eustatius.
• A rental contract or contract of sale of your home, or your proprietor’s permission, for which you need to complete the form 'verklaring bewoning adres' (pdf in Dutch).
• Original documents from abroad (not older than 1 year) of yourself and of your children, such as certificates of birth, a marriage certificate or a deed of divorce.

Only English, German and French deeds will be accepted without translation by a sworn translator. Foreign documents have to meet the rules for rules for legislation foreign documents. These rules depend on the country where the documents were issued.

The ‘verhuizen vanuit buitenland (immigration)’ appointment enables you to receive your BSN (burgerservicenummer, citizen service number). A BSN is required in order to open a bank account, make use of a healthcare institution (a doctor or hospital), apply for benefits or an allowance and more. If you have immigrated to Utrecht via a job with an erkend referent (recognized sponsor) and your employer has made the appointment for you, you can receive your BSN during the ‘verhuizen vanuit buitenland (immigration)’ appointment. In other scenarios, it may last between two and four weeks to receive your BSN via post.  

Up to 4 weeks later, your registration will also be listed in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP). If you also apply for a residence permit, your registration will become definitive if the municipality is informed by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, IND) that you are allowed to live in the Netherlands.