First 7 Days in NL Checklist

Get the first 7 days in NL checklist, the exact admin moves to make in your first week so you are not blocked later.

Who this is for

Filipino devs who just landed in the Netherlands on a job, or who have a start date and a flight booked. You have your visa or residence sticker and you are walking into a brand new country with a long to-do list and jet lag.

What this helps you decide or do

This tells you what actually needs to happen in week one versus what can wait. A lot of things in NL are chained: you cannot open a proper bank account or get paid cleanly without a BSN, and you cannot get a BSN without registering your address. So the order matters. This list keeps you in the right order.

Quick checklist

1. Register at your municipality (gemeente) to get your BSN. Book this appointment before you fly if your gemeente lets you, slots fill up. Bring your passport, your rental contract or proof of address, and your PSA birth certificate (commonly asked for, often needs an apostille, so sort the apostille in PH before you leave).
2. Confirm whether your employer or relocation agency already booked your gemeente appointment. Many recognised sponsors do this for you, so ask before you double book.
3. Get a Dutch bank account. Some banks let you open one with just your passport and start the BSN step in parallel, others want the BSN first, so check your specific bank. Revolut or bunq can be a fast stopgap in the first days.
4. Buy a Dutch SIM. A local number unlocks DigiD, bank verification, and most appointment systems. Prepaid from Lebara, Lyca, or Simyo works on day one.
5. Apply for DigiD once your BSN is active. This is your login for almost every government and health service in NL. The activation code arrives by post, so do this early in the week.
6. Sort health insurance (zorgverzekering). It is mandatory and you generally have a limited window after registering to arrange it, so do not sit on this. Verify your exact deadline, penalties apply if you are late.
7. Register with a local GP (huisarts) near your address. Good ones fill up fast in cities, so start calling in week one even if you are not sick.
8. Get an OV-chipkaart or set up contactless travel (OVpay) so you can use trains, trams, and buses without buying single tickets every time.
9. Give your employer your BSN and Dutch bank details for payroll, and confirm with HR whether your 30% ruling application is being filed. The 30% ruling still exists, it is changing from 30% to 27% in 2027, so ask HR how that affects you.
10. Take a photo of your residence permit or visa sticker and store it with your passport, contract, and PSA documents in cloud storage. You will be asked for these repeatedly.

Common mistakes

• Trying to open a bank account or start a job before getting the BSN, then getting stuck. Address registration first, then BSN, then the rest.
• Booking the gemeente appointment after arrival and waiting two or three weeks for a slot. Book ahead.
• Arriving without an apostilled PSA birth certificate and finding out the gemeente wants it. Handle the apostille while you are still in PH.
• Ignoring health insurance in week one and missing the registration window.
• Assuming the peso conversion in your head with an old rate. As of June 2026, one euro is roughly 69 to 70 pesos, so budget your first month with that in mind.

What to verify

• Your exact gemeente registration requirements and whether an appointment is needed, on your municipality’s website.
• Your health insurance registration deadline and any penalty, with the insurer or your employer.
• Whether your employer is handling the gemeente booking and the 30% ruling filing, with HR.
• Whether your bank needs the BSN first, with the specific bank.

Jake note

When I landed I underestimated how everything depends on the BSN. I wish someone had told me to book the gemeente appointment before my flight. Do that one thing early and the rest of the week gets a lot calmer.