Moving to Leiden from abroad
Are you moving to Leiden from abroad? And will you be living in the Netherlands for more than 4 months? Then you must personally register at the municipality of Leiden. This is a legal requirement, even if you have previously been registered with another Dutch municipality.
This also applies to Dutch nationals from Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint-Maarten, as well as the municipalities of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius.
Make sure to schedule an appointment for your registration within 5 days of your move. Do you have an address where you will be living in Leiden? Then make an appointment with the municipality in advance.
Conditions
- You will be living in the Netherlands for at least 4 months over the next 6 months and will be residing in Leiden.
- You have a valid residence permit or hold the nationality of a country within the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
- You must personally visit the counter for the appointment.
- Are family members moving with you? For example, a partner or children? They must accompany you to the appointment.
Moving from the Caribbean Netherlands?
Are you moving to Leiden from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, or the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, or Saba? Then you must present a moving notice to the municipality of Leiden. This is proof of deregistration from that country or special municipality, stating that you are moving to the Netherlands.
Making an appointment
Please bring the following documents to your appointment with the municipality of Leiden:
- A valid identification
- A copy of your purchase or rental contract in your name
- If you are moving in with someone, bring the completed form with written permission from the main resident of your address in Leiden, along with a copy of their identification
- If you are moving to the Netherlands/Leiden for the first time, bring a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, or a certificate proving the marriage was dissolved due to death (if this applies to you). You may need to have this document legalized.
- Proof of deregistration (only required if you are coming from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, or the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, or Saba).
After filling out the form, you will receive an email with a link. You can use this link to schedule your appointment online.
Fill out the form below:
Costs
Registering or re-registering in the Netherlands is free.
How long does it take?
Depending on your situation, it will take at least 5 working days for your registration to be processed.
If you have any questions, call: 14 071 or +31 71 51 65 165 (from abroad).
More information
Have you reported a move? The municipality will verify the new details to prevent errors and address fraud. Would you like to check which address you are registered at? You can do so with DigiD on MijnOverheid.
Basic Registration of Persons (BRP)
Your new address details will be registered in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP), where general personal information is stored. The government uses this data.
Address investigation
Is someone wrongly registered at your address? The municipality can conduct an address investigation. You can request an address investigation online or call 14 071.
Mailing address
Do you not have a permanent residence or place to stay? Or do you live in an institution? Under certain conditions, you can be registered at a mailing address in the municipality of Leiden. Read more about this under Briefadres (in Dutch).
According to the BRP (Basic Registration of Persons) law, the municipality must register you at the address where you live or stay, even if your place of residence does not officially have a residential function. The registration does not mean that you are authorized to live there. Whether an address has a residential function or not is determined by the zoning plan.
The BRP law obligates the municipality to register you at the location where you truly live or stay. In an emergency, such as a fire, it may be crucial for the fire department to know whether people live in the building. The fire department and other emergency services get this information from the BRP.
According to the law, the municipal executive must take action in such cases. Legally, this is referred to as the “duty to enforce.” For example, the municipality can impose a penalty. You would need to move within a specified timeframe, or you will be required to pay the penalty.
The municipality may also evict you from the illegal residence. The costs for the eviction will be your responsibility. Even if you, as a resident of the building without a residential function, have not yet found alternative housing, the municipality can evict the building.
Are you new to the Netherlands and want more information about becoming Dutch, integrating, and learning the Dutch language? Visit the Dutch government’s website.
On the website Work in NL you will find information about working and living in the Netherlands.