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DigiD, BSN and MijnOverheid: The Government Logins You Need in the Netherlands

Your BSN is your number for everything official; DigiD is how you log in to the tax office, benefits, your health insurer and more; MijnOverheid is where their letters arrive. How to get each, what you use them for, the DigiD app and its security levels, authorising someone else, and how to avoid DigiD fraud.

← Living in the NetherlandsGetting started11 min readUpdated 18 Oct 2026
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1The three keys in a nutshell

  1. 1Registerat the municipality
  2. 2BSNarrives with your registration
  3. 3Apply for DigiDat digid.nl
  4. 4Activation letterby post, usually within a week
  5. 5DigiD appfaster and more secure logins

2Your BSN

What it is
A nine-digit personal number that stays the same for life, even if you leave and come back.
How you get it
When you register at your municipality. Staying shorter than four months? Register as a non-resident (RNI).
Where you find it
On your registration letter, your residence document, your Dutch ID or passport, and your payslip.
Who may ask for it
Your employer, the tax office, your health insurer, doctors, banks, schools and other bodies with a legal task.
Who should not
Landlords before you sign, shops, web shops and anyone without a legal reason.

3Getting DigiD

  1. 1
    Apply online

    At digid.nl, with your BSN, date of birth, postcode and house number.

  2. 2
    Choose a username and password

    And add your mobile number for text-message codes.

  3. 3
    Wait for the activation letter

    Sent to your registered address, usually within five working days.

  4. 4
    Activate within the deadline

    Enter the code from the letter. If it expires, apply again.

  5. 5
    Install the DigiD app

    Log in by scanning a QR code with your phone and a PIN. With an ID check in the app you reach the higher security level.

Hands holding a smartphone, ready to log in
The DigiD app replaces typing a password and waiting for a text message.
How you log inTypical use
BasicUsername and passwordA few simple services
MiddlePassword plus text message code, or the appTax return, allowances, most services
SubstantialThe app with an ID check of your passport or ID cardYour health insurer, medical and pension data
HighA Dutch ID card with a chipA small number of sensitive services

4What you use DigiD for

Mijn Belastingdienst

Your tax return, provisional assessments and letters from the tax office.

Mijn toeslagen

Healthcare, rent and childcare allowance and child budget.

Your health insurer

Claims, your policy and switching insurer.

Pension overview

Mijnpensioenoverzicht shows the state pension and workplace pensions you have built up.

DUO and UWV

Study finance and civic integration (DUO); unemployment benefit and job search (UWV).

Your municipality

Moving, permits, municipal taxes and certificates.

5MijnOverheid and the Berichtenbox

MijnOverheid is a personal page where you see what the government has registered about you (your address, your vehicles, your WOZ value) and where letters arrive in the Berichtenbox. Many organisations, including the tax office, send their letters there instead of by post once you turn it on.

Set it up once0 of 4 done
Infographic: BSN, DigiD and MijnOverheid explained

6Letting someone act for you

Who will act for you?

A tax adviser or bookkeeperGive them an authorisation (machtiging) through DigiD Machtigen, or let them use the tax office's own authorisation code.
Your partner or a family memberDigiD Machtigen, for the specific services they need. They log in with their own DigiD.
Your fiscal partner for the tax returnYour partner can often fill in both returns; each of you signs with your own DigiD.

7Staying safe

Real

  • Websites ending in .nl that you typed yourself, such as digid.nl and mijn.overheid.nl.
  • Letters in your MijnOverheid Berichtenbox.
  • The DigiD app asking you to confirm a login you just started.

Fake

  • A text message or email with a link "to keep your DigiD active".
  • Someone calling who asks for your activation code or app PIN.
  • A login request in your app that you did not start.

8DigiD questions

I live abroad. Can I get DigiD?

Yes, if you have a BSN. You can apply from abroad and activate it at one of the DigiD desks, or with the app and an ID check if your document supports it.

I lost my phone with the DigiD app.

Remove the app from your account by logging in with your username, password and text message, or by requesting a new activation code.

My activation code expired.

Apply again at digid.nl: a new letter is sent to your registered address.

Is my BSN the same as my tax number?

Yes. For individuals the BSN is also the tax number; companies get a separate number.

Sources

This article is based on these official pages. If anything here differs from them, the official page is right.

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