Orientation Year Visa

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You must have a BSN number, it's not negotiable.  You will be allocated one when you register at the local town hall when you arrive in Holland.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic wrote:

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

You must have a BSN number, it's not negotiable.  You will be allocated one when you register at the local town hall when you arrive in Holland.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you Cynic for your feedback. could you please elaborate more.

Why it is not negotiable to get a BSN number>? what is the problem if i stay in a hotel each time i visit the Netherlands using my residence permit till i find a job then i obtain the BSN number within the 1 year period.

Firstly, If your Resident permit gets approved, you will get an MVV sticker on your passport for 3 months, within this time period  you have to travel to the Netherlands, and register yourself at any municipality, if you don't register, IND won't be able to see if you reside in the Netherlands (Their internal system) and revoke your Permit.

Secondly, Without BSN number, no company or job consulting firm will entertain you.

Resident permit and BSN are 2 very different things but both are necessary.

Hope that answers your question

Hi and welcome back.

BSN is required to open a bank account, register with the doctor, register a car, get a job (pay your taxes); it's how you interface with the Dutch government and there is no way around it.  You will be given a BSN number when you register with the Gemeente (Town Hall).  By law, in Holland, you must register with the Gemeente within 5 days of arriving in the country as a non-tourist - that is the non-negotiable bit.  Having registered, if you decide to leave Holland for any reason, then you need to de-register with the Gemeente (if you don't, you will continue to be charged for Gemeentebelasting (Council Tax) etc; then if you come back, you have to re-register (but you will keep your original BSN).

Another alternative is to come to Holland as a tourist, but as a non-EU citizen, you can only come for 90-days p/year.  Tourists don't need to register, but then, as you alluded to in your opening post, you can do none of the above.

You should also be aware that the moment you register in Holland, the Belastingdienst (Dutch taxman) will be able to assess you for taxes on your worldwide income.

You can find the details related to the visa you are considering on the IND website; this link will take you there.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Cynic,
I arrived on saturday to Netherlands, is the 5 days to go to municipality are 5 working days or even the weekends are counted? Also, if someone is staying with a friend or a family member, couldnt find a room, does this make a problem while the registration in the municipality?? Thank you

Hi again,

It will be 5 working days (they don't work weekends); no problem registering at a friends address as long as they are OK with it.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you Cynic,
A second enquiry please, I made an appointment to get my BSN on the 16/8, till that date, there is no chance to work or have a temporary job with my MVV visa?? I will get my residence permit on the 30/7.

Regards

Hi again.

Not an easy question.  You'll have a work permit (MVV is both a work and residence permit), but the BSN is the single thing around which everything else turns.  You won't be able to open a bank account without it, no bank account, you can't get paid or pay your taxes.  99.9% of employers won't offer you a contract and if you ask the Gemeente, they will tell you you can't work till you have the BSN.  You can't get medical insurance either.

Have you got a job to go to, or are you just hoping you'll get one in time between now and your interview?  If you have, then go back to the Gemeente and ask what they can do to help you get an earlier appointment.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thank you, I have just been rejected from a temporary work because not having the bSN, I arrived here 5 days ago, so it s about a month that will go with no benefit, as I cannot make money to survive this period of time.
Regards

All you can do is go back to the Gemeente and explain your hardship; hopefully, they will be understanding.