Step 1: Learn these key terms

Before you begin searching for housing, take some time to understand the terms you will come across during your search.

— BSN
— Registration
— No Registration
— Residency Permit
— DigiD

/// BSN (Burgerservicenummer)

The Burgerservicenummer (citizen service number) or BSN is your own personal number to identify you in any contacts with the Dutch government. As a foreign national, you receive a BSN when you register in the Personal Records Database. This database hold the records of all of the people living in the Netherlands. Your BSN can be applied for from Gemeente Eindhoven (Eindhoven City Council).

To apply for a BSN you visit Inwonersplein (City Hall) in person and bring certain documents with you. These documents include a valid identification (e.g. passport, national ID card), a birth certificate, and proof of accommodation (e.g. contract, signed letter from property owner).

You should aim to make an appointment to visit the Inwonersplein that is no later than 5 days after your arrival in the Netherlands.

You are required to have registration at your address, so make sure the accommodation allows that. If you are unable to register, you risk being fined.

Sometimes people do not find a home and cannot register.

To find out more about how to make an appointment, visit the Gemeente Eindhoven website. You can also contact them directly on their phone line at +31 40 238 6000 where you can ask to be put through to an English speaking staff member.

In the Netherlands, a BSN is required for access to services such as health insurance, the Dutch banking system and medical assistance. This directly influences a range of other important processes in the Netherlands (e.g. without health insurance it is not legally allowed to work in the Netherlands). For these reasons, it is extremely important to obtain a BSN, regardless of your nationality, if you are planning to stay in the Netherlands for more than 4 months.

What is a BSN needed for:

• Starting a job or becoming self-employed.
• Opening a Dutch bank account.
• Get a DigiD (see below for more information)
• Using the health care system, seeing a doctor, or receiving prescriptions for medicine.
• Applying for benefits, such as the Housing Benefit and Student Loans from DUO.

Please note, you will be asked for your birth certificate when you apply for a BSN, so please make sure you have access to this.

/// Registration

While looking for housing, you might see details given on how many people are allowed to live in a rental, or phrases such as “registration allowed”. The occupancy of housing in the Eindhoven is strictly regulated and the city council use measures such as fines to ensure these regulations are met.

The regulation of housing in Eindhoven is based upon an umbrella zoning plan, a general plan for the distribution of housing in Eindhoven. This plan stipulates that any self-contained home may be filled by two occupants. Each of these two occupants can legally register to receive a BSN. In certain cases, where a permit has been received, more than two residents may be registered in a home.

You can find all official information regarding the zoning plan and rentals on the Gemeente Eindhoven website.

If there are more people living in a house the local council may conduct an address investigation and send someone to check who is living there. This may also happen if there are more than two people using the same address to register for a BSN. This check can lead to a demand that the occupancy is reduced in line with council regulations. The responsibility of ensuring this will rest with the property owner, who will be contacted in the case of infringement.

Due to the tension caused by this, some people rent rooms ‘without registration’ meaning that you will not be able to register for BSN, see a doctor, be paid for any work you do, or begin a business while studying. This can leave you in a very precarious situation and we strongly advise that you avoid living without a BSN during your time at DAE.

/// No Registration

Each year many students struggle to find housing, and some take on sub-lets without registration. While the impact of not having a BSN may not immediately be felt, there will inevitably be points at which you need a BSN to continue your studies. For this reason, we advise all students coming to the Netherlands to make getting a BSN a priority.

Given the lack of housing in Eindhoven, subletting has become a common practice in Eindhoven and can be a great way for incoming students to find housemates from within the DAE community. This said, subletting frequently is used to describe housing where registration is not made available by an outgoing tenant, or where the Umbrella Zoning plan (see Registration above) is not being respected.

It is a legal requirement that residents leaving a room, or subletting to another person, should deregister during this process.

Upon your arrival in the Netherlands for the first time, a BSN can only be received by applying in person at Inwonersplein with proof of accommodation. This proof of accommodation may be a contract made up and signed by a landlord, or a signed letter from the property owner stating that you are welcome to live with them.

Please be aware that Design Academy Eindhoven cannot provide a registerable address for you, nor provide a proof of accommodation.

The DAE Housing Officer is on hand to assist you with problems and issues experienced with housing and can offer advice regarding registration. Ned can be reached at housing@designacademy.nl or by appointment on the 2nd floor.

/// Residency Permit

If you are coming to study in the Netherlands from outside of the European Union, you will need to receive a Residency Permit from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service of the Netherlands (IND).

The residency permit is different from a BSN. Every person living in the Netherlands must have a BSN, however only international guests from outside of the European Union require a Residency Permit.

As an international student, this permit can only be applied for by the institution that you will study at - Design Academy Eindhoven.

Applications for residency permits are managed by Student Administration at DAE who will send you an e-mail shortly after your acceptance into a course to request all of the necessary information to make an application on your behalf.

This permit must be applied for in advance of your arrival and proof of this application may be requested at customs on your way into the Netherlands.

Be aware that during the summer months, in the busiest season, this process can take up to 6 weeks, so it is beneficial to send all of the required documentation and payments to Student Administration as soon as possible. Please also check your passport in advance to make sure that it is valid for at least a couple of months after arriving in the Netherlands, as otherwise IND might reject your application.

If you have any questions about the process of obtaining a permit or any of the information in this section please send a mail directly to StudentAdministration@designacademy.nl.

/// Digi-D

DigiD is an identity management platform which government agencies of the Netherlands, including the Tax and Customs Administration and Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO), can use to verify the identity of Dutch residents on the Internet.

To register for DigiD, you must have a BSN.

DigiD has recently become necessary for anyone who has a BSN to access Studielink -where you sign up and register for the course of study that you are following. It can take some time for your DigiD details to be mailed to your home address, so we recommend that you apply for DigiD as soon as you have received your BSN.