Caribbean students to get BSN number more quickly

The government is removing a significant obstacle for students from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. They will get a Citizen Service Number (BSN), with which they can apply for a new Dutch passport with the number, before arrival in the Netherlands.

Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf is going to make things easier for Caribbean students who come to the Dutch mainland to study. On Thursday he announced that they can get a BSN number via the Education Executive Agency before they leave for the Netherlands.

Municipal counter

This enables them to register in the Dutch municipal database in their Caribbean place of residence. Then, they can also get a new Dutch passport already containing the BSN.

Previously they could get their BSN number and passport only at a municipal counter in the Netherlands. This led to a delay in the application for student financing and a student public transport card. They were also unable to open a bank account or take out insurance.

Vulnerable students

With this decision, Dijkgraaf wants to do something for the vulnerable Caribbean students. It emerged from a report by the ombudsman in 2020 that they fall behind in their studies more often and drop out earlier than others. Additionally, many of them start with a language deficiency and sometimes get into financial problems.

Minister Dijkgraaf had previously said that he wants to institute a new grant programme for the Dutch Caribbean area, similar to an Erasmus scholarship. The current status of that plan is not known.