Registering a family member with the Gemeente

Hi again.

You will need the agreement of your landlord, normally a letter of acknowledgement is sufficient.  Then your father can go to the Gemeente and register etc.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Hi Cynic,

Thanks for the quick reply. I will ask my landlord for the letter, but I am not sure how quick he is going to be. I heard that people can register themselves with a friend or family address. Is this something we could do while waiting for the landlord's confirmation?

Personally, I would draft the letter for the landlord and take it around for them to sign it.

The family address issue is something that's done if, for example, you were deregistering while your new house is being built and you need somewhere for your correspondence from the authorities to go to.

Best if you speak to the Gemeente and ask them.  It would be better if you got this sorted before your father arrived as you may be embarressed if your landlord declines.

All right... Is there a template for this? I couldn't find anything specific on the internet...

Try this (link).  I suspect you will need your current rental agreement so you can refer to specific parts.

Thanks, Cynic. That helps a lot.

So my landlord just confirmed (via email) that he is okay with my father moving in. Unfortunately, the landlord is very sick and was in the hospital, so I don't want to bother him more unless absolutely necessary.

Do you know that the Gemeente will accept the email? Or will they ask for a written and signed letter?

I would say yes, there is no official form to fill in, so it's down to the discretion of the Gemeente.  You have 5 days to register his arrival; that's 5 days to make an appointment, I hear from some people that it takes months to actually get a slot for an appointment, but as long as you have contacted them, you've done your bit.  All you can do is try, take your father to the Gemeente and tell them you are there to register him and if they ask for evidence - they may not, show them the landlord's e-mail and if they hesitate, explain the landlord is poorly etc and the landlord says it's enough.

So I got an appointment from the Gemeente and they were fine with the landlord's email, but they told me that my father has to have a letter from the IND that says he can register himself here. I contacted the IND and they told me that registration with the Gemeente first is not necessary. And when I asked but isn't it important to have BSN number while waiting for the application, open a bank account, arrange health insurance etc they said oh yeah, but it's up to Gemeente to register him.

Isn't there any law that regulates these things?

My experience is that it depends on who you talk to at the Gemeente. They have the ability to issue a BSN immediately or to demand the IND's decision before doing so and there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. I know if it's a short-term stay they will immediately, and also in the case of certain visas. I'm not aware of where you could find definitive info on that, your best bet is to just ask the Gemeente.

CarinCan wrote:

My experience is that it depends on who you talk to at the Gemeente. They have the ability to issue a BSN immediately or to demand the IND's decision before doing so and there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. I know if it's a short-term stay they will immediately, and also in the case of certain visas. I'm not aware of where you could find definitive info on that, your best bet is to just ask the Gemeente.

The BSN number is on the screen of the Gemeente person who is registering you, just make a note of it on a piece of paper; the actual letter with the BSN and DigiD normally takes a week or so.  The IND is like any organisation, if you ask 5 people the same question, you are likely to get 5 different answers.

CarinCan wrote:

I know if it's a short-term stay they will immediately

Well that is the type of visa my father currently has... So if BSN didn't work out, do you suggest going with the RNI? Is that even possible with a Dutch address?

I feel your pain. Honestly, I would try going back to the Gemeente and speaking with someone else. That's probably your best bet, as Cynic said, ask 5 people, get 5 different answers. The next person you ask is fairly likely to give it to you if you explain the situation.

That being said, you don't have to have a BSN for a privérekening (personal account) with Dutch banks, it's generally the proof of income they're sticky about, and only if you want a credit card but if he's a pensioner, that shouldn't be an issue, I think. I know for certain that you can open an online account with Bunq.. you might try that.