Applying for a residence card
Browse to www.woonnet-haaglanden.nl , go to 'Uw gegevens' and click on the 'Aanvraag Woonpas' button. Fill in your personal details and activate the direct debit option. An application fee of �10,- will then automatically be charged to your bank account. This is done once a year until you deregister or succeed in finding a house.

Reacting to a housing offer
You can now use your residence card number to react to housing offers. In making your selection, be sure to consider the following issues:

• Respond to accommodation that suits you. Pay attention to the price, number of persons, income and age.
• The person with the longest registration period is allocated the accommodation.
• If two applicants have the same registration period, the one with the most appropriate applications is offered the accommodation. In other words, apply every week, even if there nothing interesting on offer!
• Certain districts within The Hague, such as Moerwijk, Vrederust, Spoorwijk en Mariahoeve, offer a bigger chance of finding accommodation due to their large supply.

Registration period
In applying for a living space, the person with the longest registration period is allocated the accommodation. Your registration period starts from the moment you are given a residence card. Please Note: If you do not respond for 6 months, your registration period is set back to nil.
It takes anything between 2 to 3 years for you to accumulate a registration period that gives you a fair chance of finding a house.

Direct Search
If you need accommodation sooner than that, then submit your response to Direct Search. This is where small houses are on offer for first-time buyers, usually with 1 or 2 rooms. These houses are allocated by means of a raffle rather than according to the period of registration. In other words, everyone has an equal chance.