# Applying for DigiD and using it safely > What do you need, how do you apply for DigiD (also from abroad), how do you activate the app with a residence permit and how do you let someone help you safely? Published on 2026-09-24, last checked against official sources on 2026-09-24. URL: https://taalpro.nl/en/guides/apply-for-digid/ ## In short - You apply for DigiD on digid.nl with your citizen service number (BSN) and the address where you are registered with the municipality, then activate it within 21 days with a code sent by letter. - For Mijn Inburgering at DUO you need a DigiD with SMS verification or the DigiD app; with only a residence permit you activate the app with an SMS code or a letter, not with the ID check. - From abroad you can only apply for DigiD if you already have a BSN; there is no DigiD desk in Afghanistan or Iran. - Never give your DigiD login details to anyone else: with DigiD Machtigen you authorise someone for one task and a fixed period, and that helper logs in with their own DigiD. With **DigiD** you log in to government services, for example DUO (Mijn Inburgering and Mijn DUO), the Tax Administration and your municipality. For **Mijn Inburgering** you need a DigiD with **SMS verification** or the **DigiD app**. DigiD is personal: you may not apply for one for someone else. ## What do you need? - A **citizen service number (BSN)**. You get it when you are registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) of your municipality. It is on a Dutch passport, driving licence or identity card. If you do not have one, ask your municipality for your BSN. - An **address at which you are registered with the municipality**. No fixed address? Sometimes a correspondence address is possible (not a PO box). Ask your municipality. - A **mobile phone**. ## How to apply for DigiD 1. Go to [digid.nl/aanvragen](https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/digid-aanvragen). Enter your BSN, date of birth, postcode and house number. Choose a username and password, and enter your phone number and email address. 2. Within **5 working days** you receive a **letter with an activation code** at your address. The code starts with an A. 3. **Activate your DigiD within 21 days**, with the DigiD app or on digid.nl. Too late? Then you have to apply again. ## The DigiD app - With the app you log in with a PIN you choose, or with your fingerprint or face. You can use the app on up to 5 devices. - You activate the app with an **ID check**, an **SMS code** or a **letter**. - **Note:** the ID check only works with a **Dutch** passport, identity card or driving licence. It does not work with a foreign passport or a residence document. Do you only have a residence permit? Then activate the app with an SMS code or a letter. - Turn on **2-step login** in Mijn DigiD. More and more organisations ask for it. - If you do not log in for **3 years**, your DigiD expires. ## Do you live abroad? DigiD from abroad is **only possible if you already have a BSN**, for example because you lived in the Netherlands before. You also need a valid passport or identity card, a phone and an email address. - You apply via [digid.nl](https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/ik-woon-caribisch-nederland-het-buitenland) and receive a **desk code**, valid for **30 days**. - With that code you collect your activation code: at a DigiD desk at a Dutch embassy or consulate, at a desk in the Netherlands (for example at Schiphol) or via a **video call** with NederlandWereldwijd. Ask the desk or NederlandWereldwijd beforehand whether they can help you. - Not every country has a DigiD desk; there is none in Afghanistan or Iran. **Make an appointment first** and only then apply for DigiD, because the desk code expires after 30 days. No BSN yet? Then you cannot apply for DigiD yet. You get a BSN when you are in the Personal Records Database, for example as soon as you register with a municipality in the Netherlands. ## Let someone help, without sharing your DigiD The government is clear: **never give your DigiD login details to anyone else**. Want a family member or social worker to arrange something for you? Use **DigiD Machtigen** (authorisation) at [machtigen.digid.nl](https://machtigen.digid.nl). - You authorise someone for **one task** and a **fixed period**. You give the helper an authorisation code and your BSN; the helper logs in with **their own DigiD**. - You can view or withdraw authorisations under "Mijn machtigingen". - For civic integration matters at DUO (Mijn Inburgering), use the **Machtiging** (authorisation) form from inburgeren.nl. On it you choose what the other person may do: only financial matters, exams and financial matters, or submitting an objection. TaalPro **never** asks for your DigiD and never logs in on your behalf. You register for exams at DUO yourself. Read more on [Is TaalPro trustworthy?](https://taalpro.nl/en/trust/) ## Using it safely - DigiD **never** sends you a message with a link or QR code, and staff **never** ask for your login details. - Before logging in, check that the address is **https://digid.nl/inloggen**. - Do not log in on open Wi-Fi. ## Do you think someone is misusing your DigiD? 1. Change your password in Mijn DigiD straight away. If that does not work, call the helpdesk. 2. Check your usage history in Mijn DigiD. See anything strange? Contact the helpdesk and the organisation where someone logged in. 3. Phone lost or stolen? Deactivate the app via Mijn DigiD. 4. Did you enter bank details? Call your bank immediately. 5. In case of real fraud, report it to the police. **DigiD helpdesk:** 088 123 65 55 (from abroad +31 88 123 65 55), on working days from 8:00 to 22:00 and on Saturdays from 9:00 to 17:00. Is your DigiD ready? Then read how to register for the [State Exam NT2](https://taalpro.nl/en/guides/state-exam-nt2/) or the [KNM exam](https://taalpro.nl/en/guides/knm-exam/). ## Sources - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/digid-aanvragen - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/digid-activeren - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/inlogmethodes/digid-app - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/ik-woon-caribisch-nederland-het-buitenland - Nederland Wereldwijd: https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/digid-buiten-nederland/hoe-aanvragen - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/aanvragen-en-activeren/machtigen - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/veiligheid/fraude-misbruik - DigiD (Logius): https://www.digid.nl/contact - DUO: https://www.inburgeren.nl/inloggen-mijn-inburgering/index.jsp --- Source: TaalPro, online institute for Dutch as a second language (https://taalpro.nl/en/guides/apply-for-digid/). Rules can change: the official websites (DUO, IND, CvTE) always take precedence.