How can I register in the Non-residents Records Database (RNI)?

First, make an appointment at an RNI desk. Which one you register at is up to you. Registration in the RNI is free. The waiting time may vary by municipality.

Registering in person

You must register at an RNI desk in person so that a staff member can verify your identity. If you want to register anyone other than yourself, that person must be present too. This also applies to children.

What to bring

• A valid passport or identity card.
• To save time, you can download, fill out and print the registration form ahead of time. The form is also available at the RNI desks.
• If you don’t speak Dutch or English, bring someone with you who can interpret for you.

Registering children under 16

• When registering a child under the age of 16 you will also need to bring:
• The child’s valid passport or EU identity card.
• The child’s birth certificate or a declaration of acknowledgement of parentage stating that you are the child’s parent. Foreign certificates and declarations may first have to be translated and/or legalised. Check with the municipality to find out what requirements the document must meet.

Making an appointment

Making an appointment at a municipality with an RNI desk

After you have registered

At the RNI desk you will receive an overview of your data held in the RNI and a letter containing your citizen service number (BSN). You will need this number for your dealings with the Dutch authorities.

Applying for a DigiD

When you register at an RNI desk, your nationality is recorded in the RNI. If you have Dutch nationality or the nationality of another country in the European Economic Area (EEA), you can then apply for a DigiD.

If you live outside the Netherlands and will soon start receiving a Dutch state pension (AOW), the SVB can register you in the RNI. After registering you will be given a citizen service number. You do not have to be in the Netherlands for this.

Contact the SVB

Applying for a DigiD

If the SVB registers you in the RNI, it does not record your nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD through DigiD.nl.

If you live outside the Netherlands and want to register in the RNI (and receive a BSN) so that you can file an inheritance tax return, the Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) can register you in the RNI. After registering you will receive a BSN.

You can also apply for a BSN for another beneficiary who lives outside the Netherlands.

Find out more about applying for a BSN for the purposes of inheritance tax

Applying for a DigiD

If the Tax Administration registers you in the RNI, it does not record your nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD.

If you live outside the Netherlands and want to register in the RNI (and receive a BSN) because you are entitled to a benefit from the Netherlands – from the Tax Administration, the Central Office for Exceptional Medical Insurance (CAK) or the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), for instance – one of these organisations may be able to register you in the RNI. You do not have to be in the Netherlands for this. Once you are registered in the RNI you will receive a BSN.

• Contact the Tax Administration
• Contact the UWV
• Contact the CAK

Applying for a DigiD

If the Tax Administration, the CAK or the UWV registers you in the RNI, it does not record your nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD.

If you live outside the Netherlands and will be working on a ship sailing under the Dutch flag, the Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) can register you in the RNI. You do not have to be in the Netherlands for this. Once you are registered in the RNI you will receive a BSN.

Contact the Tax Administration

Applying for a DigiD

If the Tax Administration registers you in the RNI, it does not record your nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD.

If you live outside the Netherlands and want to register your benefit partner in the RNI because they need a BSN, you can apply for a BSN for your benefit partner using a form from the Tax Administration. The Tax Administration will register your benefit partner in the RNI. You and your benefit partner do not have to be in the Netherlands for this.

Applying for a BSN for your benefit partner using a form from the Tax Administration

After they are registered, your benefit partner will receive a letter from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations containing their BSN number and the information of theirs that is recorded in the RNI.

Applying for a DigiD

If the Tax Administration registers a person in the RNI, it does not record their nationality. Your benefit partner therefore cannot apply for a DigiD.

Through an application for child benefit

If you live outside the Netherlands and are entitled to child benefit, you can apply for it from the Social Insurance Bank (SVB).

Find out more about applying for child benefit

If the information on your application is correct, the SVB will register your child in the RNI. You will then receive a letter for your child from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations containing their BSN number and the data relating to them that is held in the RNI.

If the SVB registers a person in the RNI, it does not record their nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD for your child.

Through an application for childcare benefit

If you live outside the Netherlands and are entitled to childcare benefit, you can apply for it from the Tax Administration (Belastingdienst).

Find out more about applying for childcare benefit

The Tax Administration can register your child in the RNI. You can arrange this by sending a letter to the Tax Administration. You will then receive a letter for your child from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations containing their BSN number and the information of theirs that is recorded in the RNI.

Find out how to apply for a BSN for your child through the Tax Administration (in Dutch)

If the Tax Administration registers a person in the RNI, it does not record their nationality. You therefore cannot apply for a DigiD for your child.