Required documents
- Passport or European ID card. A driver's license is not sufficient.
- Printed rental agreement for your Dutch address: showing this on your cell phone is not sufficient. If you do not have a rental agreement then you must bring a written statement of approval signed by the main tenant and a copy of his/her passport.
- Declaration of Registration (DoR) from VU Amsterdam. This declaration is available from the moment you are registered at our university, and can be collected digitally via the 'Complete registration' page in your personal dashboard on vu.nl.
Optional documents, only if applicable:
- Birth Certificate (legalised)* – please note that this is only required if you are staying for longer than one year in an accommodation outside of Amsterdam or Amstelveen. If your birth certificate is not in Dutch, English, French or German, then you must supply a sworn translation into one of these languages
- Students who are married also need to bring their marriage certificate (legalised)*
- If you come from Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba: proof of deregistration ('Verhuisbericht')
- A marriage or divorce certificate
- A death certificate of your spouse (to prove that the marriage was dissolved by death)
- The birth certificates of your children (if they also come and live here and join you for registration)
* The legalisation method depends on the respective country. The Dutch missions in other countries are responsible for legalising foreign documents for use in the Netherlands. The documents must first have been legalised by the country’s own authorities, usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the document was issued. For more information see here.
Registration at the municipality
Municipality of Amstelveen
(including Uilenstede Campus)
You can arrange your registration during the Practical Matters days on Tuesday 18 August (Bachelor students) or Wednesday 19 August (Master, exchange, Semester in Amsterdam students), where the municipality of Amstelveen will be present.
If you were not able to stop by at the Practical matters days, you need to arrange the registration yourself. This can be done as follows:
- Make an appointment by phone via +31 (0)20 540 49 11 with the municipality (migration department) of Amstelveen. The municipality is located at Laan Nieuwer-Amstel 1 in Amstelveen.
- Make sure to bring all necessary documents to the appointment:
- Your original Passport or ID + a clear hard copy
- Your rental agreement (digital); or statement of permission from the main tenant incl. a copy from their passport/ID.
- In case you applied with the IND: IND card or letter of appointment
- Within 4 weeks you will receive your BSN
Municipality of Amsterdam
The Municipality of Amsterdam will not be present during the Practical Matters Days. Please read the information below on how to arrange registration if you will be living at an Amsterdam address.
Pre-registration information
On 13 July 2026, all relevant information for new international students and the link for pre-registration will be published on the Municipality of Amsterdam's website.
Pre-registration is possible from 13 July 2026 to 17 September 2026, 18.00 hrs. After that, the pre-registration closes and the regular registration process applies. We advise you to pre-register as soon as possible.
The registration process will consist of an online pre-registration, after which you will need to register in person at the Municipality of Amsterdam's offices to receive your BSN.
Step-by-step registration process for students
- Create a pre-registration account
- Verify your identity
- Complete pre-registration
- Pre-registration assessment by the municipality
- You will then receive a confirmation by e-mail with a link to make an in-person appointment (check your spam folder). These appointments can take place between 17 August 2026 to 18 September 2026.
- For your appointment, go to the Municipality of Amsterdam location at Bos en Lommerplein 176, Amsterdam, to finalise registration and obtain a Dutch citizen service number (BSN)
Municipality of Diemen
The Municipality of Diemen will not be present at the Practical Matters days.
If you are going to live at the Dalsteindreef or Rode Kruislaan, you can make an appointment at the municipality at a time that suits you. Make sure to bring the following:
- Passport
- Rental agreement
- If you do not have a European nationality: IND residence permit card or IND letter of appointment
- Filled-in registration form
- If you are from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint-Maarten, Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius or Saba: a change of address
Visiting address: D.J. den Hartoglaan 1 in Diemen
Note: The BSN will be provided immediately after registration (only if you have provided all the required documents).
Municipality of Hoofddorp
The municipality of Hoofddorp will not be present on the Practical Matters Days. You will need to arrange the registration yourself. This can be done as follows:
- Make an appointment. This can only be done by phone via +31235676543 or 0900-1852.
- You can only register in person at the counter at the Beukenhorst municipal office in Hoofddorp. Processing your registration will take up to 4 weeks. You will receive a confirmation of your registration by post or by email.