Once you have a BSN, the next piece of the puzzle is DigiD: your personal digital identity for logging into Dutch government and healthcare websites. You will use it constantly, from taxes to allowances to your GP, so it is worth setting up properly in your first weeks.
Getting a DigiD
- Apply at digid.nl once you are registered at the gemeente and have your BSN.
- An activation code is posted to your registered address within a few days; you enter it once to activate.
- Install the DigiD app and complete the ID-check (scanning your residence document or passport). This gives you the higher level of access some services require.
Use the app, not SMS
The DigiD app is safer and smoother than SMS codes, and the one-time ID-check unlocks services like DUO and your health records that need a higher assurance level. Do it once, early, and forget about it.
The portals you'll actually use
- MijnOverheid: your central government dashboard, including the Berichtenbox, the official inbox where many agencies send digital post.
- Mijn Belastingdienst: taxes, your pre-filled return (*aangifte*), and assessments.
- Mijn toeslagen: allowances (see every allowance you can claim).
- Mijn UWV: benefits and unemployment, including WW (see losing your job).
- Mijn SVB: child benefit and the AOW pension.
- DUO: education, student finance and diploma recognition (see getting your degree recognised).
- Your health insurer, GP and pharmacy portals, and gemeente and RDW services.
Check your Berichtenbox, and beware phishing
Official letters (tax, fines, decisions) increasingly land only in your Berichtenbox, so turn on email notifications in MijnOverheid or you can miss real deadlines. And be alert: DigiD phishing is common. The government will never ask for your DigiD by email, phone or text. Only ever log in through the official site or app.
Official sources
Questions & answers
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