What a DigiD is and what you need it for
A DigiD is your digital proof of identity for arranging things online in the Netherlands.
Government services, healthcare providers, schools and pension funds all use the DigiD login. Some services ask for a stronger login than a username and password. For especially privacy-sensitive data, you log in with your identity document through the DigiD app.
For a newcomer, this matters fast. Tax letters, health matters, toeslagen and your inburgering with DUO all run through it. In Mijn Inburgering you check your civic integration status and book exams, and you log in there with DigiD.
DigiD is strictly personal. You may not apply for a DigiD for another adult, and you should never give your login details to anyone. If someone helps you, use DigiD Authorisation instead (see below).
Children under 14 can have a DigiD that a parent or guardian applies for with the child's details. From 14, the child must apply personally.
What you need before you apply
DigiD lists three things: your citizen service number (BSN), a registration address with a Dutch gemeente (municipality), and a mobile phone.
Your DigiD registration builds on your registration in the BRP (Personal Records Database). If you have just arrived, register with your gemeente first.
The activation letter goes to the address where you are registered in the BRP. You cannot choose another address. If that address is wrong, contact your municipality before you apply.
No permanent home address? You can still apply if you register with the municipality at a postal address. It must be a real address of a person or institution that receives your government mail, not a PO Box or an empty address.
Moving to Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba or abroad? Apply before you move. A DigiD you already have keeps working after the move. If you already live in the Caribbean Netherlands or abroad and have a BSN, you can still apply.
How to apply for DigiD in the Netherlands, step by step
- Apply in the DigiD app or with the form on the official DigiD application page. If the form does not work in your browser, try Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari, or try again later.
- Choose a username and password, and remember both. If you forget the password before activation, you cannot reset it and must apply again.
- Wait for the letter. DigiD posts an activation code to your BRP address within 5 working days, often within 3. It comes in a white envelope.
- Activate within 21 days, on the official activation page or in the app.
DigiD activation: the code in the letter
For DigiD activation on the website, you enter your username and password, then the SMS code if you turned on text message (SMS) verification, then the activation code from the letter.
Keep the codes apart. The activation code starts with A. An SMS code has 6 digits, and an email code starts with E. Use the last code you received, and watch for characters that look alike, such as S and 5, Z and 2, B and 8, or O and 0.
Activation without a phone is possible. DigiD warns, though, that many organisations will soon no longer let you log in without one.
When something goes wrong:
- No letter after 5 working days: check whether you moved recently. You can request a new activation code once, and it is again valid for 21 days.
- The second letter is lost too: apply for a new DigiD.
- You have not received a text message with the SMS code: check the phone number, wait one minute, then request a new code.
- Wrong activation code three times: the application stops for security reasons, and you must apply again.
- More than 21 days have passed: the code has expired, so apply again.
The DigiD app and your identity document
The DigiD app is the easiest way to log in securely. The advantage of using the app is that you use a PIN code of your choice instead of your password.
The app can also activate your account and the app in one go. Enter your username and password, then the SMS code, then the activation code from the letter, and tap OK. You then finish the steps that activate the app itself.
The app also adds the stronger login levels. Some organisations require an ID check, which you do by adding your identity document in the app. Until you do, those services stay closed to you. The login methods page explains each level.
Letting someone else arrange things for you
Never hand over your username, password or app. Use DigiD Authorisation (DigiD Machtigen) instead.
You can authorise a family member, a social worker or a tax adviser for a specific task, such as a tax return or rent benefit (huurtoeslag), and for a fixed period. You can authorise more than one person.
You request an authorisation code and give it, with your BSN, to the person helping you. A helper can also request the code with your BSN. It is then posted to your home address, and you hand it over in person. Without a DigiD of your own, you can arrange it by phone through the DigiD helpdesk on 088 123 65 55.
In the Caribbean Netherlands or abroad the letter route does not work, so authorisation is arranged online and the code appears on screen. The rules are on the DigiD Authorisation page.
Keeping your DigiD safe
Treat your DigiD like your passport. Scammers send fake emails and text messages with links to false login pages, so do not follow links in unexpected messages.
Turn on two-step login (inloggen met 2 stappen). With the app or an SMS check, someone who knows your password still cannot get in. If you think someone has your login details, or your phone with the app is stolen, act at once. The DigiD security page says what to do.
A DigiD you have not used for 3 years expires, and you then need a new one. If you gave an email address when you applied, you get a warning 30 days before.
What the KNM exam asks about this
KNM treats DigiD as everyday knowledge about Dutch government services online.
Expect questions on what DigiD is for, that it is personal, that you need a BRP registration, and that a helper uses authorisation rather than your login. Practise those situations in Dutch with DUO's official practice materials, and see the exam overview page for how the exams are arranged.