Citizen Service Number

To work in the Netherlands, your employee needs a Citizen Service Number. In Dutch, this is called a burgerservicenummer (BSN). You can find the BSN in Dutch passports and other Dutch identity documents.

If your employee is from abroad and doesn't have a BSN yet, they must do the following:

• Staying less than 4 months in the Netherlands

  They must register at one of the 19 municipalities with a Non-Resident Registration desk. In Dutch, this is called loket Registratie Niet-ingezetenen (RNI).

• Staying 4 months or longer

  They must register with the municipality in the Personal Records Database. In Dutch, this is called Basisregistratie Personen or BRP.

After registration, your employee will receive a copy of their details, including their BSN.

You can find more information about RNI and BRP registration on rvig.nl (only available in Dutch). This is the website of the Dutch government organisation reposnible for personal records.

When applying for a BSN, employees must:

• show a valid, original ID document to prove their identity
• if they come from a non-EU/EEA country, have a valid residence endorsement in their passport showing they are allowed to work in the Netherlands

Although Switzerland is a not in the EU/EEA country, employees from Switzerland do not need a residence endorsement in their passport.