Your citizen service number appears on your passport, identity card, and driver's license, but in three different places and not under the same name everywhere. If you search for “BSN number passport”, it is good to know that the word BSN does not appear there at all: on your passport and ID card, that field is actually called personal number. If you search for “BSN number driver's license”, it is easier, because the BSN label is actually included on the back of your driver's license. Below, you can read where to find it for each document, and how to distinguish it from your document number.
In short
- Passport: on the back of the plastic holder page, the side you see when you open the booklet, as field 1 under “personal number”.
- ID card: back, top right, also under “personal number”.
- Driving licence: back, section 13, with the label “BSN” literally in front of it.
- So, you will search in vain for the word BSN on your passport and ID card. It is there on your driver's license, however.
- On the driving licence, your BSN is before the forward slash, followed by the driving licence number.
- Your BSN remains the same for your entire life. Your document number changes with every new document.
- An organization may only process your BSN if the law permits it.
In this article
- What is the BSN?
- Where can I find the BSN number on the passport?
- Where is the BSN on your identity card?
- Where is the BSN on your driver's license?
- BSN, document number or driving licence number: what is the difference?
- Is an employer allowed to ask for your BSN?
- What this means during identity verification
What is the BSN?
The Citizen Service Number (BSN) is your personal number with the Dutch government. You receive it at birth or upon registration in the Personal Records Database. Your BSN consists of nine digits and remains the same for your entire life, even if you move, get married, or apply for a new passport.
According to Rijksoverheid.nl, government agencies use the BSN to link data about you. That is why you encounter it at the Tax and Customs Administration, your municipality, your health insurer, and your employer.
What the BSN is not: a number from your card. That distinction is the source of virtually all confusion surrounding this subject, and it will be discussed in detail later.
Where is the BSN on the passport?
A passport is not a card but a booklet containing one sturdy plastic page: the holder page. That page has two sides. On one side are your passport photo and your document number. On the other side is your BSN, and that is exactly the side you see when you open the passport.
It stands there as field 1, under the heading “persoonsnummer / personal no. / identifiant personnel”. The word BSN is not included.
The central government describes precisely this location as the back of the so-called holder page, see Where is my BSN on my passport.
Was your passport issued on or after 30 August 2021? Then the number is also included in a QR code, so that authorities can scan it instead of typing it in.
Where is the BSN on your identity card?
On the back, top right, under the heading “personal number / personal no.”. Here too, the word BSN is therefore not included. The Central Government confirms this in Where is my BSN on my identity card.
An ID card therefore works the same way as the holder page of your passport: photo and document number on one side, personal number on the other. This applies to identity cards issued in 2014 and later. Additionally, cards issued on or after August 2, 2021, have the number in a QR code on the back.
Where is the BSN on your driver's license?
On the back, in section 13, top left. This is the only one of the three documents where the word BSN appears literally. Behind it is a forward slash, followed by your driver's license number.
The central government describes it as follows: you will find your citizen service number (BSN) on the back of your driving licence, in the top left corner before the slash. See Where is my BSN on my driver's license.
That immediately answers the most frequently asked question about the driver's license. People see two numbers stacked on top of each other and do not know which number belongs to which. The top number is yours. The bottom one is for the card.
Since June 1, 2025, the RDW has been issuing a new model driving licence. It has new security features, but the sections remain unchanged.
BSN, document number or driving licence number: what is the difference?
Three numbers, three places
BSN
Belongs to you
Also called: personal identification number, on passport and ID card
Where: back of the holder page or card
Changes: never
document number
Belongs to the card
Also called: passport number
Where: on the photo side, labeled
Changes: with every new document
driver's license number
Part of the driver's license
Where: field 5, MRZ, and after the line in field 13
Form: ten figures
Changes: with every new driver's license
| Document and location | Heading on the document | Which number |
|---|---|---|
| Passport, back of holder page, field 1 | personal number | BSN |
| Passport, photo side holder page | document number / document no. | document number |
| ID card, back top right | personal number | BSN |
| ID card, front top right | document number / document no. | document number |
| Driving license, back of field 13, before the line | BSN | BSN |
| Driving license, back of field 13, after the line | no cup | driver's license number |
| Driving license, front side field 5 | 5 | driver's license number |
In short: your document number and your driver's license number belong to a card, your BSN belongs to you. If you want to know exactly where that document number is located, you can read about it in our blog about the document number on driver's license, passport and ID.
Is an employer allowed to ask for your BSN?
Yes. An employer has a legal basis for this: the BSN is included in the payroll tax return submitted to the Tax and Customs Administration. Additionally, your employer must verify your identity using a valid proof of identity and keep a copy of it in the personnel file.
A driver's license is not sufficient for that determination. A driver's license says nothing about your nationality or your residence status, and therefore the Identification Obligation Act (WID) It cannot be used as proof of identity upon employment. A passport or identity card can.
Other parties usually do not have that basis. Non-government organizations may only use your BSN if this is stipulated in a law, as formulated by the central government in Which organizations are allowed to use my BSN. Therefore, a landlord, a webshop, or a gym may not simply ask for it.
Tip: Are you making a copy or scan of your identity card for a party that does not need your BSN? Then obscure the personal number and your passport photo. You can read more about this on our page about the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG).
What this means during identity verification
Anyone who verifies identities professionally encounters exactly the same confusion as the private individual looking for their own BSN. Three documents, three headings, and multiple numbers that look alike.
This goes wrong when manually retyping. Someone copies the document number where the BSN was requested, reads the driver's license number as a BSN, or records a BSN during a check where it was not necessary. The latter is not only careless, but it is processing without a legal basis.
DataChecker It automatically reads identity documents, verifies the authenticity of the document, and records the fields in a structured manner. This ensures that the correct number ends up in the right place, and fields that you are not allowed to retain remain outside your records.
Discover how DataChecker automatically checks and records identity documents.
Last updated: August 2026. This page follows the state of affairs as published on Rijksoverheid.nl.
Frequently asked questions about the BSN.
Where is my BSN on my passport or ID card?
On the back, but not under the word BSN. On both, it is located under the heading “persoonsnummer / personal no.”. On the passport, that is field 1 on the reverse side of the holder page; on the ID card, it is located in the top right corner of the back. Passports issued on August 30, 2021, and later, and ID cards issued on August 2, 2021, and later also have the number there in a QR code.
Where is my BSN on my driver's license?
On the back, top left before the slash. The number after that slash is your driver's license number, not your BSN. That is exactly where the confusion comes from: two numbers on one line, separated by a hyphen.
Is my document number the same as my BSN?
No. Your document number belongs to the card and changes with every new document. Your BSN belongs to you and remains the same for your entire life. The document number is on the front next to your photo, the BSN on the back.
How many digits does a BSN consist of?
Consists of nine digits. A BSN can start with a zero, so never omit it when copying the number or entering it somewhere.
Does my BSN change if I get a new passport?
No. Only the document number changes. You receive your BSN once, and it remains the same for your entire life, even if you move or change your name.
Is a social security number the same as a BSN?
The SOFI number was replaced by the citizen service number in 2007. For most people, the number was adopted unchanged, so your old SOFI number and your BSN are the same number.
Am I allowed to obscure my BSN on a copy of my ID?
Yes, unless the recipient is legally permitted to process the BSN. Your employer has that legal basis, because the BSN is included in the payroll tax return. A landlord, a webshop, or a gym usually does not.
