3.1 General information

Upon arrival
Diplomatic missions should register privileged staff members and family members forming part of their household with the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within ten working days of their arrival in the Netherlands so that identity cards can be issued.

Upon final departure
Within ten working days after the termination of a staff member’s employment at a diplomatic mission or consular post, the staff member’s and family members’ identity cards must be returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the staff members and family members forming part of their household must be deregistered. On leaving the Netherlands after handing in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ identity card, privileged persons who are not EU nationals are strongly advised to carry with them a copy of their former identity card and a declaration by their diplomatic mission or consular post that their employment there was the basis of their legal residence in the Netherlands (see Annex A for an example of such a declaration). Please note that a transit visa may be required for transit through another country, even a Schengen country.

3.2 Notifying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains a personal records database (PROBAS ePortal) of staff members of diplomatic missions and consular posts and their families. Diplomatic missions and consular posts must notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the following:

1. Arrival of new members of staff and family members forming part of their household, including those engaged locally (except Dutch family members). They must be registered with the Ministry within ten days of taking up employment in the Netherlands.
2. End of posting with the diplomatic mission or consular post.
3. Final departure from the Netherlands.
4. Change of position or rank at the diplomatic mission or consular post within 10 working days. If there is a change in position that affects the status of the staff member, the diplomatic mission must apply for a new identity card through the ePortal.
5. Changes in civil status.
6. Birth of a child.
7. Death of a registered member of the family.
8. Changes of address of staff members, those forming part of their household and of their private servant(s).
9. Change of nationality (only one nationality can be registered. Dutch nationality prevails)
10. Change of residence status
11. Expiration of the identity card.

Diplomatic missions and consular posts are responsible for ensuring that the obligation to notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is complied with.

Notification of births, changes in civil status and deaths
When a child is born in the Netherlands to a staff member of a diplomatic mission or consular post who is not a Dutch national or permanently resident in the Netherlands, two steps must be taken.

1. The birth must be registered within three working days with the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships (ambtenaar van de burgerlijke stand) at the town hall (gemeentehuis) of the municipality in which the child was born. If the birth is not registered according to the above-mentioned procedure, this may have consequences for the child.
2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be notified of the birth through the ePortal via the ‘add a family member’ option. A copy of the passport should also be uploaded upon registration.

A child is a Dutch national by birth only if either the father or the mother has Dutch nationality.

The notification procedure described above should also be followed in the event of the death, marriage, divorce or registered partnership of a staff member or a family member forming part of the household. A copy of the relevant certificate must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the ePortal as an attachment.

Change of status Any change in a staff member’s residence status, the date of the residence status change, as well as a request for a new ID card must be submitted through the PROBAS ePortal (NV DPG-MINBuZa.2021.9290-12). The Ministry will then issue an ID card, as appropriate, for the newly obtained status and will deactivate the person’s old ID card. The Ministry underlines that, if appropriate, the Tax and Customs Administration may send a tax assessment in order to reimburse any unrightfully enjoyed privileges, even if the old ID card is not timely returned to the Ministry.


3.3 ePortal and the Personal Records Database (BRP)

ePortal
The ePortal is an online registration system for staff of diplomatic missions and consular posts and members of their household. The ePortal is used to (de)register, to notify the Ministry of any changes and to apply for identity cards for staff members and members of their household.

The ePortal is accessible to registration officers, who are responsible for keeping all the information up to date. A registration officer should already be registered with the Protocol Department of the 15 Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a staff member of the mission in question. Staff members not known to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot be registered as registration officers.

If a staff member has been granted permanent residence (DV status) in the Netherlands or has Dutch nationality, they must be registered in the ePortal. A person’s residence status directly affects the privileges and immunities they are entitled to.

If a staff member’s current status is not correctly recorded, they run the risk of having to pay or claim back costs.

BRP (formerly GBA)
The municipal Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP) contains information on the number and names of residents at each address. The municipality needs this information to implement specific national and local legislation and for other administrative purposes.

Two Notes Verbales providing further information on this subject were sent to embassies, consulates and international organisations in 2013 and 2014: DKP-2013/987 and DKP-2014/324.

The Ministry would like to outline one specific national law regarding the BRP.

Wet op Orgaandonatie (Wod)
Every resident of the Netherlands aged 18 and over whose details are recorded in the municipal Personal Records Database (BRP) will receive a letter and a registration form containing a request to register their wishes in the Donor Register. As from 1 July 2020, newcomers who register in the BRP will also receive a request, after three years, to make their wishes known in the Donor Register. The general principle is that once a person has received two such letters and has not yet indicated whether or not they object to organ donation, that person will automatically be registered as having ‘no objection’. Ultimately, the definitive decision regarding a deceased person’s wishes with respect to donating his or her organs and tissues will always be taken in consultation with family members.

Specifically in relation to the employees of Diplomatic Missions, this means that if an individual’s particulars are registered in the BRP, for instance because they have been issued with a digipass device/DigiD or a parking permit, they too will receive a letter asking them to register their wishes in the Donor Register. The application of the WOD depends on whether or not a person is registered in the BRP.

More information about this new Act of Parliament, can be found in the Note Verbale DPG Min-BuZa.2019.4599-21 with FAQ’s and online at: donorregister.
More information on the donation procedure is provided in English, Deutsch, Polski, 中文, Türkçe and العربیة as well as Nederlands at: transplantatiestichting

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to emphasise once again that the above arrangements apply solely to diplomats and employees of international organisations who are registered in the BRP. For diplomats who are registered only in PROBAS, nothing will change and no action needs to be taken.

Protection of privacy
Strict rules on privacy apply to the use and accessibility of data from the PROBAS and the BRP. Individuals have the right to ask their municipality to treat their personal data in the BRP as strictly confidential. However, certain national authorities (as provided by law) may use this data if needed to carry out their official tasks, so full confidentiality cannot be ensured.


3.4 Government identification codes

Citizen service numbers (BSNs)
A citizen service number (Burger Service Nummer, BSN) is needed to obtain access to various services in the Netherlands, including:

• National tax authorities: A BSN is required to obtain recognition of fiscal privileges.
• Healthcare: Hospitals, dentists, doctors, medical insurance companies, etc. are required to use BSNs in their administrative records. The BSN is also the single identifier used in communications between healthcare organisations.
• Education: Dutch schools and after-school and daycare facilities are required to use BSNs in their administrative records.

Privileged persons obtain a BSN by registering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Once a privileged person has been registered, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations automatically issues a BSN.

For information on registering for a BSN, please consult:

1. How to register in the BRP of The Hague
2. BRP registration for privileged persons
3. Moving to The Hague from abroad registration

DigiD
The DigiD is a digital personal identity code consisting of a digital key which gives individuals secure online access to various government websites. Unfortunately, registration through the ePortal alone does not make it possible to obtain a DigiD but a privileged person can apply for one after registering with the BRP. Information about the DigiD and all the organisations that use it can be found on the website DigiD (EN). To be able to apply for DigiD a privileged person must either have Dutch nationality or the nationality of another EEA country.


3.5 Issuance of official declarations by the Protocol Department

Staff members who for any reason need an official declaration regarding their registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can apply for this through the human resources department of their diplomatic mission or consular post.

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