The Netherlands Has the Best ID-Sharing Advice in the World. Nobody Follows It.

Of all the governments in the world, the Netherlands is the one that actually bothered to tell its citizens: “Hey, stop sending naked passport copies to strangers.”

Okay, they said it more diplomatically than that. But the message is clear, it’s published on government.nl, and it’s some of the most practical privacy advice any government has ever given.

Too bad almost nobody follows it.

What the Dutch government actually says

When you need to give someone a copy of your ID, the Dutch government recommends:

1. Make your BSN (Burgerservicenummer) unreadable — including in the MRZ at the bottom
2. Write on the copy that it IS a copy
3. Write the purpose — “For [organisation/company name]”
4. Write the date

That’s it. Four simple steps. Takes about 30 seconds. Prevents identity fraud.

The reasoning? With a copy of your ID showing your name, date of birth, and BSN, fraudsters can apply for loans, set up phone contracts, or commit other fraud in your name. (Source: government.nl)

Why this is brilliant

Most governments tell you to “be careful with your personal data.” Thanks, very helpful. The Dutch actually tell you how.

Their approach works because it follows three principles:

Data minimization. You share only what’s needed. The BSN (the Dutch equivalent of a Social Security Number) is almost never required by private companies, but it’s printed right there on every Dutch ID card. Blacking it out removes the highest-value target for fraudsters.

Purpose limitation. By writing “for apartment rental application” on the copy, you’ve made it useless for any other purpose. No one can use a copy stamped “for Vodafone contract” to open a bank account.

Accountability. The date and purpose create an audit trail. If your data leaks, you know exactly who had it and when.

These aren’t just nice ideas — they’re the core principles of GDPR, the EU’s privacy regulation. The Dutch just made them actionable for regular people.

The KopieID app

The Dutch government even built an app for this: KopieID. It lets you photograph your ID and automatically covers the BSN, adds a watermark, and adds the date and purpose.

There’s just one problem: it’s Android only, it looks like it was designed in 2015, and it was last updated… let’s just say it’s been a while.

The concept is perfect. The execution aged poorly. But the idea — a dedicated app for creating safer ID copies — is exactly right.

Why other countries should copy this

Most countries have no official guidance on sharing ID copies safely. The UK’s Right to Rent process tells landlords to check documents but doesn’t tell tenants how to protect themselves. Germany’s Anmeldung requires sharing ID with landlords but offers no guidance on redaction. Spain’s AEPD has fined hotels for photocopying passports but doesn’t tell citizens how to share them safely.

The Dutch playbook is simple, practical, and effective. Every country should publish the same guidance.

How to apply this yourself (regardless of country)

You don’t need to be Dutch to follow Dutch privacy practices. Here’s the universal version:

1. Black out any national ID number (BSN, SSN, NIE, etc.) — including in the MRZ
2. Black out the passport/document number if the recipient doesn’t need it
3. Write “COPY” across the document
4. Write the purpose: “For [recipient] — [reason]”
5. Write the date
6. Reduce the image quality — legible but not high-resolution enough to be reused as an original

The Dutch government figured this out years ago. The rest of us are still sending raw, unredacted, high-resolution passport photos to strangers on WhatsApp.

Time to catch up.