Citizens Service Number

As of January 2007 the SoFi number will be called the Burgerservicenummer (Citizens Service Number).

If you intend to work in the Netherlands, you will need to registered at the City Hall in the town/city where you are residing. You will also need to make an appointment at the City Hall to be issued your Burger Service Nummer. This BSN is your personal tax identification number and is required when you start working for registering your taxes and social security contributions to the Dutch government.

As an alternative you can obtain your BSN in person at the Belastingdienst (office of Tax Administration). You should first make an appointment with the Tax Office in your area. The general telephone number is: 0800-0543

Please note that having a BSN does not automatically mean that you are permitted to work in the Netherlands! You might still need a work permit as well. You can find further information about this on our page about work permits.
Additional information can be found on http://www.belastingdienst.nl/variabel/buitenland/en/citizen_service_number/index.html.  

And finally, please note that as a consequence of the introduction of the Health Insurance Act from January 2006, family members of a foreign employee must also have a BSN and a residence permit. This is due to the fact that the Health Insurance Act in many cases will also apply to them, as they have become residents of the Netherlands. Please read up on more information regarding obligatory Health Insurance in the Netherlands on our page about Health Insurance.