Register a short or long stay in Amsterdam with the municipality (gemeente), and receive your citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN).
If you are moving to the Netherlands from abroad, when you register with your local municipality, you will receive a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer, BSN) during your appointment. A BSN is required in order to be permitted to work, open a bank account, make use of a healthcare institution (a doctor or hospital) and to apply for benefits or an allowance. Note that is is very important to register the correct address and to notify the municipality on time if you change address.
If you are a highly skilled migrant (or are a graduate or entrepreneur) and are moving to a partner municipality, in many cases IN Amsterdam can also help with these matters. They offer a streamlined procedure for arranging permits, BSNs and address registration.