SSN mandatory or not? (BSN / Social Security Number)

Until January 2017, employers were not allowed to provide the BSN of their employees to third parties, unless the employees had given explicit permission for this. Subsequently, the implementation regulation was amended, whereby the lender or subcontractor is obliged to provide the BSN of the employed employees to the hirer / contractor.

Before starting the work, the workers must identify themselves on the construction site. The BSN is checked against the BSN registered in De Bouwpas on the basis of the passport or the ID card of the worker. There is a legal basis for this, and the employee can not refuse this.

This BSN provision is necessary for the main contractor to be able to invoke the indemnity or mitigation of the hirer's and supply chain liability. This change ensures that the main contractor does not have to request the BSN from the employee himself, but can do this more efficiently from the lender / subcontractor, whereby the risk of errors is lower.

Self-employed persons

The above legislation applies to salaried staff. Are you a self-employed person? Then this legislation does not apply to you. If you are correctly registered in De Bouwpas, you will not be asked for your BSN during the online registration procedure.

AVG/GDPR

But what about the GDPR? Organizations outside the government are only allowed to use the social security number if this is determined by law. In this case, there is a legal basis and obligation for the registration of the BSN.

It is of course important that the collected data is kept securely under lock and key. At De Bouwpas we work hard to keep your data safe every day. 

• Explanation of the Dutch Data Protection Authority
• Implementation regulation compulsory use of BSN
• Information security at De Bouwpas

Foreign workers with a BSN

Everyone who is employed by a Dutch company has a BSN, which is why it is a mandatory field in De Bouwpas if you work for a Dutch company. The BSN is stated on the Dutch passport or ID card. Foreign workers do not have that, but the main contractor would like to see proof that the BSN you enter is actually of the worker being registered.

Does the worker come to the Netherlands for less than 4 months? Then he / she can register as a non-resident in the Personal Records Database (BRP). He / she does this at a municipality with a counter for non-residents. After registering, the laborer receives a Dutch Social Security Number (BSN).

How do I get a BSN? (Central government)

Locations where you can register

Everyone who receives a Dutch BSN from abroad will receive a written confirmation. You can upload this confirmation in the 'BSN certificate' field if requested.