Leiden Expat Center

Registering at the Municipality

If you plan to stay in the Netherlands for more than 90 days, you must register with the municipality within five days of arrival. This rule applies to both European and non-European citizens. The registry of the municipality is referred to as the GBA.

The GBA (Municipal Personal Records Database/Gemeentelijke Basis Administratie) is a government database which contains personal data of every resident in the Netherlands. Residents are required to register changes of address, births, marriages, deaths and other events that may affect their legal status or the government services which they are entitled to. Residence permit requests and the registration of the arrival of all people (Dutch and foreign) in a municipality is recorded in the GBA. The GBA is maintained by the Civil registration Office at the local town hall.

You can register with the municipality by visiting the town hall in the place where you live:

Katwijk

Leiden

Leiderdorp

Noordwijk

Zoeterwoude