Identity
DigiD for expats: what it is and how to get one
DigiD is the Dutch government's digital identity system — you need it for taxes, healthcare, and dozens of official services. Getting one is straightforward if you know the steps.
Identity
Identity
The BSN number explained: how to get one in the Netherlands
The BSN is your key to almost everything in the Netherlands — taxes, healthcare, banking, and more. Here is exactly what it is and how to get one as quickly as possible.
Identity
How to exchange your foreign driving licence in the Netherlands
Whether you can swap your licence without a test depends on where it was issued — and the 30% ruling opens a route that is otherwise closed. Here's the exchange process, the health declaration that delays people, what happens to your no-claims history, and the timing trap to avoid.
Identity
Registering at the gemeente: the complete process for expats
Registering at the gemeente triggers your BSN and unlocks nearly all Dutch administration — and it has a five-day deadline that applies again every time you move. Here's BRP versus RNI, what to bring, what to do without a permanent address, and how to deregister properly when you leave.
Identity
The inburgering exam in the Netherlands: who needs it and how to pass
Integration is a legal obligation with a three-year deadline for most non-EU newcomers, and the language bar is rising to B1. Here's who must sit it, who's exempt, what the exams involve, what it costs, and what happens — including to your residence status — if you miss the deadline.
Identity
Dutch citizenship in 2026: naturalisation rules and a looming change
Five years of residence still applies today, but a bill would raise it to ten and the language bar from A2 to B1. Here's what's required now, how naturalisation differs from the option procedure, what renunciation really involves, and how to keep your residence clock intact.
Identity
Moving to the Netherlands: the arrival checklist, in order
Registration, BSN, DigiD, banking and health insurance have to happen in a specific order, and three of them carry legal deadlines. Here is the sequence that actually works, with the deadlines that matter.