How do I apply for a correspondence address without a home address?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
If you have no residential address and qualify for registration in the Dutch BRP, you can request a briefadres. If you cannot find an address provider, ask the municipality about registration at a municipal correspondence address.
On this page
1. Check where you actually live
A briefadres is an official BRP contact address, not a PO box or accommodation. If you stay in several places, the place where you expect to sleep most often over six months may be your residential address. A landlord prohibiting registration does not automatically make you eligible; ask the municipality to assess the facts.
2. Choose the municipality
Apply to civil affairs in the municipality of the address provider, not necessarily your former municipality. A registered individual or designated institution can provide an address. Institutions and safety concerns have special routes; discuss these securely with the municipality.
3. Prepare your application
State the reason, requested start date and expected duration. Provide identification and, for a private provider, written consent and their ID or copy as the municipality requires. Answer necessary residence questions and supply missing documents within the stated deadline. BRP registration is free.
4. Ask for a municipal address
Where both a residential address and an available provider are missing, municipalities have had a statutory duty since 1 January 2022 to register a correspondence address under the legal conditions. Explain that you cannot find anyone and request this route. Your residence and eligibility still need assessment; ask for a written response.
5. Keep the decision and deadlines
Keep the application, receipt and requests for information. Ask which decision period applies; a local period is not a nationwide rule. If refused, follow the decision's appeal instructions: an objection is generally due within six weeks after notification. Explain the disputed facts or conditions and keep proof of submission.
6. Stay reachable and report changes
Arrange forwarding or collection of government mail. There is no general statutory maximum duration, but eligibility can be checked again. Report a new residential address. Staying abroad for more than eight months within one year means you cannot remain registered as a resident through a briefadres.
How can I prepare my application?
List where you stay, since when, why there is no home address and how you can be reached. Record whom you asked for an address and their replies. Send only necessary evidence through the secure municipal route. The preparation tool does not store information on the server or submit an application.
Documents to prepare
Prepare your next stepFill in and save · Word
Tick what you have checked or collected. Note what is missing and take your overview to a meeting.
Unless saved in My overview: Your entries stay only on this screen. Download before leaving; closing or reloading clears them. Do not enter identity numbers, passwords or unnecessary personal details.
What do you still need for your next step?
Item 1 / 8 · Where do you stand with this item?
Places where you stay and sleep
This overview follows your own answers. It does not assess your rights or guarantee that your file is complete.
Your choices stay here. Use the buttons below if you want to save or download.
View all details, notes and timeline
Your timeline and evidence
List events and contacts. Note where you keep the evidence; no upload is needed.
What goes in my timeline?
Record what happened, when, the response and where to find the letter, message or photo. Mark uncertain dates.
Is my evidence sent?
No. You only note where it is kept. No files are uploaded or sent automatically.
How do I save my timeline?
Your entries are not saved automatically. Choose Save and continue later to store this preparation, including your timeline, in My overview. Wait for confirmation and save new changes again. You can also download a Word file without an account.
Up to 20 events. Choose a different position for an event to change the order.
0 / 8 · Checked or collected
For each event, note the date, what happened and where the evidence is kept. Example: 3 October — letter received — correspondence folder.
Describe the solution you would like, such as an explanation of a deduction and repayment of the outstanding amount.
For example: which document is missing, who can provide it and what should I do first?
Record the date and its source. If unknown, note this and check promptly. This tool does not calculate or monitor deadlines.
After your conversation
These are your own notes. Confirm agreements with the other person; these notes do not prove their agreement.
This is your preparation, not a submitted request, objection or legally reviewed document. A tick records only your own progress. Check the procedure and deadline in the original letter.
Save and continue later
Clear entries
Download anything you want to keep first. Clearing cannot be undone.
- Places where you stay and sleep
- Why a residential address is missing
- Requested start and expected duration
- Your valid identification
- Provider consent and identification if available
- Why no provider is available
- Application, receipt and completion deadline
- Decision, objection deadline and mail arrangements
Contact with a lawyer
You can use the chat and information without a phone number. A contact request requires a phone number, a verified email address and your wish for telephone contact. Our team assesses which partner fits your question. Data is shared only under the stated consent procedure. A partner or engagement is not guaranteed.
View the current application processSources
Need personal assistance? Request a lawyer through our chat. We explain the next step; submitting a request does not engage a lawyer. The links below support the legal information.
Rijksoverheid · Briefadres aanvragen ↗RvIG · Briefadres en voorwaarden ↗Rijksoverheid · Bezwaar ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.