REGISTERING AT THE MUNICIPALITY

An important part of moving is to pass on your new address to the right authorities. Think of friends and family, but also for example the doctor, sports clubs and of course the municipality. Registering with a municipality can often be done online nowadays, however, not always. It may be that you have to report to a (district) office. Below, you will find the most important points that you should consider when you register at the municipality.

What will you need?

You need the following documents to register your move:

 A valid proof of identity (passport, driver's license, Dutch identity card or alien's document);

 Proof of occupation (rental contract, purchase deed or authorization of consent of the main occupant).

Who can register my move and when schould I do this?

You must register your move within four weeks before and no later than five days after you change addresses. The date that you state on your registration as your moving date is will then be the official date of your move. Do you only register your move after these five days? Then the declaration date is set as the official moving date. Municipalities can give you fine of up to € 325 if you do not pass on important changes on time.

Several people can pass on your move:

• Every adult for themself;
• Every minor of age 16 or 17 for themself;
• Cohabitating spouses/registered partners for each other; 
• The parent, guardian or caretaker for underaged children; 
• Parents for resident underaged children;   
• Adult children for their resident parents;
• The curator for a person who is placed under his/her guardianship;
• An authorized representative.

What else should I think about?

Ongoing services when moving to another municipality 

If you are using certain services offered by your current municipality and you are moving to another municipality; check with the new municipality whether you can use the same services and how they can be applied for.

Services that fall under the Social Support Act (Dutch: WMO) and the granting of financial assistence do not relate to the Basic Registration Persons (BRP). Every municipality has its own way of doing this, therefore, the process is not always easy. This is also one of the reasons to carefully check how the transfer of these services works. 

Indefinite period of residence at health institution

Are you staying in a health care institution for an indefinite period, designated by the municipality? Then, you have to make a declaration of your move to the municipality. Your home address will then be the address of the institution where you are staying. However, you can also register for a letter address at a family or friend's home instead of at the home address of the institution. This is useful when someone else handles your business for you.

Would you like to keep your current address if you are temporarily staying in a health care institution designated by the municipality? Then the address you will have to chose is the address where you will probably stay most, for the next six months. Are you expecting to stay in the designated institution for more than half a year? Then you are obliged to notify the municipality of your address change to the instituation.

To whom do you have to pass on address changes?

Contrary to what many people think, an address change only needs to be passed on to a limited number of parties and authorities. If you have informed the municipality, they will report your changes to the tax authorities. However, this is not always the case with the following conditions:

International move: Different rules apply when moving abroad. The best thing you can do is contact the tax authorities. They will provide more information and send you the required forms.

Separate mailing address: Is your postal address not the same as your home address? Make sure you report this to the tax authorities to prevent problems.

Receiving rent allowance: If you are entitled to a rent allowance, you are obliged to notify the tax authorities of your move within four weeks of the start date.

For more information, click on the site of De Rijksoverheid

Looking for a handy list that will help you get an overview of all the parties/people that need to know you moved? Then, quickly go to our Moving Checklist here!