If you live in the Netherlands for four months or longer, you should register at the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen). The BRP is a database which contains personal data of all residents of the Netherlands (as well as from people who have left the Netherlands again). When you register yourself at the BRP, you’ll receive your  Citizen Service Number (burgerservicenummer = BSN) within four weeks after registration (normally!). With the BSN, you can be identified by governmental and non-governmental organisations, which is why you’ll basically need it for all steps ahead (opening a bank account, getting health insurance, register at a GP etc.).

To register at the BRP, you must make an appointment at your municipality. In most municipalities, you are supposed to do this within five days of arriving in the Netherlands.

If you are staying in the Netherlands for less than four months, you need to register nonetheless to get your BSN, but you are allowed to use your address abroad. Check the website of the Dutch Government for instructions on how to register in the Non-residents Records Database.

To register at the BRP and receive your BSN, you need to make an appointment at your resident municipality in the Netherlands. Most municipalities allow making an appointment online: e.g. Amsterdam, Delft, Den Haag, Eindhoven, Groningen, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Utrecht.

Normally, you will only receive your BSN if you already have a residential address in the Netherlands. If you already arranged your housing in the Netherlands, you need to bring the following documents to the appointment:

• Valid travel document (identity card or passport, no driving licence);
• Residence permit (if applicable);
• Original documents from abroad (e.g. certificate of birth and marriage, registered partnership or divorce if applicable);
• Rental contract or contract of sale.

If you did not arrange your housing in the Netherlands yet, there are other possibilities. You are allowed to register with a postal address of your employer or someone you know in the Netherlands. To do so make sure you have written consent from the postal addressee, e.g. the primary occupant of the postal address. The consent needs to include date and place of birth, nationality and the data of the addressee.

If you want to register at the address of your employer or someone you know, you need to bring:

• Valid travel document (identity card or passport, no driving licence);
• Residence permit (if applicable);
• Original documents from abroad (see above);
• Signed written consent from the postal addressee, e.g. the primary occupant of the postal address. The consent needs to include date and place of birth, nationality and the data of the addressee,
  
• and an identity card (or a copy thereof) from the postal addressee.

Read more about this on the Dutch government website (website only in Dutch).

Make sure that you register under your permanent address as soon as you sign your rental contract.

Some municipalities accept certified copies of your official documents. However, it’s always better to bring the original document if possible to be safe. A regular copy won’t be enough!

After your arrival in the Netherlands, make sure you get enough fuel to start the bureaucratic battle of the coming days. The most common supermarket in the Netherlands is the Albert Heijn. Once you recognise the blue and white logo, you will find stores everywhere. When in doubt, type it into Google Maps.

Other supermarkets are Plus, Jumbo, Dirk, Spar, Coop, Lidl and Aldi.

Please note that paying by credit card at Albert Heijn is NOT POSSIBLE. Therefore, bring your Maestro Card from home or enough cash with you if you don`t have a Dutch bank account yet.

If you`d rather grab a bite to eat, look for an eetcafe. As Dutch people love their bread for lunch, in an eetcafe you find a nice selection of sandwiches (broodjes) and salads. The places called “restaurant” are mainly for a fancy dinner with friends.

Last resort: order your food online at, e.g. Thuisbezorgd.nl or Deliveroo.

For once, a cliché is 150% true: the Dutchies bike! And most of them have more than one bike at home. And let’s be honest, it’s just the easiest way to get around if you live in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is about time you get a bike as well. Make sure you buy it second-hand since there is a likely chance it will be stolen someday. If you keep your eyes open, there are a lot of bike shops around, where you’ll find bikes between €60 and €100. Go for a test ride and make sure the bike is comfortable, and off you go. Make sure you buy a good lock as well, and always try to attach the bike to something like a lamppost if you lock it.

Another possibility is a pretty popular Swap fiets, which are available in most cities in the Netherlands. It works with a monthly subscription. You’ll pay a monthly fee and are guaranteed a bike even when it breaks or gets stolen (own contribution).

With the OV Chipkaart, you can travel on all public transport in the Netherlands. You top it up with the money, check in and -out for every journey (check-in at the station of your departure and out at your final destination), and off you go. The OV Chipkaart works on trains, busses and even ferries. There are two types of OV Chipkaarts: the anonymous and the personalised one. Purchase the anonymous card at one of the different service points like sales devices at stations and, newsagents and supermarkets or apply for the personalised one online. The anonymous one will do the trick if you just moved to the Netherlands (especially if you don`t have a bank account yet). However, the personalised OV Chipkaart allows you to book abonnements, etc. on it and might be worth considering it if you live in the Netherlands for a more extended period.

Tip: Since you’ve just moved to the Netherlands, you’d probably like to explore Holland, and therefore the daaluurenabonnement might be recommendable. It costs €50 a year and allows you to travel off-peak (including weekends) with a discount of 40%.

Please note that you need a bank account to get a personalised OV Chipkaart.

In the Netherlands, all tax is automatically deducted from your gross income. The tax rate is generally around 40%, depending on your income. If you work in the Netherlands you might want to calculate your net to gross income especially if you are in the middle of salary negotiations. Use this calculator to calculate your net income based on your gross income. Wages in the Netherlands are usually paid monthly.

If you live in the Netherlands, in addition to food, you will likely need a few commodities. Here are some common retailers in the Netherlands:

• Etos and Kruidvat sell care products and toiletries but also medicine without subscriptions. E.g. for light painkillers or flu medicine in the Netherlands you don’t have to go to the pharmacy but can buy these at Etos or Kruidvat.
• Hema is a warehouse which sells a lot of basics for your house for a reasonable price. At Hema, you’ll find everything from bedding to kitchen gear and cutlery to (basic) clothing.
• At Gamma, Praxis, Karwei, Hornbach or Bauhaus you’ll find everything you need for DYO projects like screws and bolts, paints, tools etc.
• If you are looking for sports clothing or gear, you might find it at Decathlon.
• Bol.com is one of the biggest online marketplaces in the Netherlands. You’ll find everything from books to clothing to gadgets.

Most websites aren’t available in English. If you don’t want to order online, browse the site for winkels (“stores”) and type in your city or postal code. This will show you the physical stores in your neighbourhood.

If you live in the Netherlands, the following websites (also available as apps) will help you navigate the country.

• 9292.nl lets you plan your travels within the Netherlands, whether from or to an address or a public transport station. It shows you which public transport (including ferries and boats) is necessary to get from A to B successfully.
• ns.nl is the official website of the Dutch railway. It might be a good idea to check your journey before you take the train. The Dutch railway system is pretty busy, and trains are frequently not running due to disruptions.
• buienradar.nl shows you the rain forecast for the upcoming hours. This app is indispensable if you live in the Netherlands! One moment you are sitting on the bike and the rain is pouring down. Five minutes later, the sun is shining again. Unfortunately, the app is only available in the Dutch app store.
• Tikkie.me doesn’t help find your way in the Netherlands, but it is essential. Tikkie is widely used and allows you to easily ask for your money back via WhatsApp or messages. As Duchies usually share bills, it is pretty common that someone pays the bill at a pub or restaurant and afterwards sends a Tikkie to all participants to get the money back.

Are you having trouble finding apps in your app store? If you own an iPhone, you may need to change the app store.

We hope your stay in the Netherlands will be emergency free. However, should you need any medical assistance or emergency services while living in the Netherlands you might want to have the most important numbers at hand.

• For the police, an ambulance or the fire brigade call 112 (emergency number).
• If you need to reach the police in a non-emergency matter, call 0900-8844.

If you need to see a doctor at the weekend when your GP is closed, you can go to huisartsenpost (not the emergency room!). Just google huisartsenpost, and you will find one close to you.

Here are some useful Dutch words to know:

• Doctor = Dokter
• General Practitioner (GP) = Huisarts
• Hospital = Ziekenhuis
• Emergency Room = Eerste Hulp
• Pharmacy = Apotheek
• Dentist = Tandarts

Every first Monday of the month, exactly at 12 o’ clock, the sirens go off in the Netherlands. This is a test and no reason to panic.