When you must report a move
You must report every move within the Netherlands, also when you stay in the same gemeente. You report it to the gemeente of your new home address. You can do this up to 4 weeks before your moving date and no later than 5 days after it.
A new address is one of the changes you report yourself. The gemeente records some changes in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP) automatically, such as a marriage in the Netherlands. Your address is not one of them.
BRP registration for newcomers
The first time you register an address in the Netherlands, the gemeente records it in the BRP. Are you moving to the Netherlands for longer than 4 months? Then you register as a resident within 5 days after you arrive in the Netherlands.
Registration is free. Afterwards you receive your citizen service number (BSN), which you need for work, taxes, health insurance and a bank account.
Good to know when you have just arrived:
- You register at your home address. Without a permanent home address you can sometimes use a correspondence address instead.
- A partner or children who come to live with you must come along to the gemeente.
- You may not be able to register straight away if you still need a residence permit or if your identity needs extra checks. The gemeente then asks for more information.
Staying in the Netherlands for less than 4 months? Then you register as a non-resident in the Non-residents Records Database (RNI) with your address abroad. You also get a BSN that way, but the BRP does not list you as a resident.
The Dutch government explains both routes on its pages about the BRP and about when to register as a resident.
How to report an address change in the Netherlands
You report the move to the new gemeente only. The gemeente you leave deregisters you, so you do not have to contact it yourself.
Depending on the gemeente, you report a move in one of three ways:
- online, usually through a form you log in to with DigiD
- by post, with the gemeente's own form
- at the desk in the town hall, often by appointment
Your new gemeente's website says which of these it offers.
Documents you need
For a move report the gemeente asks for:
- a valid identity document: a passport, driving licence, Dutch identity card (ID card) or residence document
- proof that you live at the address: a rental contract, a purchase deed, or written consent from the main occupant
To correct wrong data in the BRP, you bring proof such as a birth certificate.
Who can report the move for you
According to the Rijksoverheid, these people can do it:
- anyone aged 16 or older, for themselves
- spouses and registered partners who live together, for each other
- a parent, guardian or carer, for children under 18
- parents, for children aged 18 or older who live with them
- adult children, for parents who live with them
- a curator, for someone under guardianship (curatele)
- someone you authorise (a gemachtigde)
What changes after your address is updated
The BRP is the address source for government agencies. The Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax office) and pension funds use it. So does the gemeente that sends your election card. They all get your new address without a letter from you.
Some things do not update themselves:
- Toeslagen. A move can change your rent, your household or your income. Report changes that affect a toeslag within 4 weeks in Mijn toeslagen, with DigiD. Mijn toeslagen is only in Dutch, and the BelastingTelefoon can help you submit the change.
- Services from your old gemeente. These do not move with you. Ask the new gemeente what you can apply for there.
- Organisations outside the government. Your employer, bank and energy supplier need the new address from you.
Does the change affect your toeslag? Then the Belastingdienst adjusts the monthly payment. A new decision usually follows within 5 weeks. See its page on submitting a change.
What happens if you report it late
If you report the move later than 5 days after moving, the BRP lists your old address in the meantime. Gemeenten can give a fine of up to €325 when you report important changes too late.
A wrong address also sends government letters to your old home. And a toeslag based on old data can mean paying money back later.
Leaving the Netherlands: deregistering instead
Will you stay abroad for more than 8 months within one year? Then you report your departure to your gemeente, even if you keep your Dutch home. Your BRP registration changes from resident to non-resident.
If your address abroad changes later, report it to the Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens (RvIG). RvIG updates the BRP and passes the change on to organisations such as the Belastingdienst or your pension fund. The government page on deregistering from the BRP has the details.
What the KNM exam asks about this
The KNM themes Wonen (housing) and Instanties (organisations) include dealing with the gemeente. Questions check which organisation handles a step and when you must act:
- register within 5 days of arrival
- report a move to the new gemeente
- deregister when you leave for more than 8 months
You can try official practice questions on DUO's free practice page and see all exam parts in DUO's exam overview.