Using Timeline Navigation

Archived — not maintained

This guide is kept for reference and is no longer updated. It describes the application around v2.9.1. For current documentation see Getting Started.

Timeline Navigation lets you view your personal data from the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen) at any point in time - past, present, or future. This helps you:

Understand your history — See how your household looked at any date
Plan for changes — Explore how future life events affect your benefits
Check eligibility — Understand which services you qualified for in the past
Verify data — Confirm your BRP data is correct

Getting Started¶

Go to MijnOmgeving for your municipality:
Utrecht: https://mijn.open-regels.nl (or ACC: https://acc.mijn.open-regels.nl)
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag: Same URL, different theme
Click "Inloggen met DigiD"
Login with your DigiD credentials
You'll see the Dashboard

Step 2: Open Timeline¶

On the Dashboard, click the "📅 Toon Tijdlijn" button
The timeline loads your life events from BRP
You'll see:
Timeline bar at the top with your life events
Your personal data on the left
Products/services on the right (coming soon)

Using the Timeline¶

Example dashboard MijnOmgeving Timeline showing Wessel Kooyman on marriage date

You have three ways to move through time:

1. Drag the Slider¶

Click and hold the blue circle on the timeline
Drag left to go back in time
Drag right to go forward in time
The date updates as you drag

2. Click Year Markers¶

Year markers appear every 5 years (1980, 1985, 1990...)
Click a year to jump to January 1^st of that year

3. Click Event Buttons¶

Below the timeline, you'll see buttons for major life events:

Vandaag — Jump to today's date
Geboren — Jump to your birth date
Getrouwd — Jump to your marriage date (if married)
Kinderen geboren — Jump to when your children were born

Tip: The selected button is highlighted in your municipality's color.

Understanding What You See¶

Personal Data Panel (Left Side)¶

This panel shows your data at the selected date:

👤 Persoonsgegevens (Your Information)¶

Always visible, shows:

Naam — Your full name
BSN — Your citizen service number
Leeftijd — Your age at the selected date
Geboren — Your birth date and place
Geboorteplaats — Where you were born

💑 Partner (Partner Information)¶

Only appears after your marriage date, shows:

Naam — Partner's full name
BSN — Partner's citizen service number
Verbintenis — Type of relationship (marriage/partnership)
Getrouwd op — Marriage date and place

👶 Kinderen (Children Information)¶

Only appears after children are born, shows for each child:

Naam — Child's full name
BSN — Child's citizen service number
Leeftijd — Child's age at the selected date
Geboren — Child's birth date

Note: Ages automatically update based on the date you select!

Example Scenarios¶

Scenario 1: "How old were my children in 2010?"¶

Click "Kinderen geboren" button
Drag slider to 2010
Look at the Kinderen section
See each child's age calculated for 2010

Scenario 2: "Was I married in 2000?"¶

Drag slider to 2000
Look for the Partner section
If it's not there, you weren't married yet
Click "Getrouwd" to jump to your marriage date

Scenario 3: "What did my household look like when I was 25?"¶

Calculate: Birth year + 25 = target year
Drag slider to that year
See your complete household at age 25
Check if you had partner/children at that time

Scenario 4: "Planning for the future"¶

Drag slider beyond today
See how your children's ages will change
(Future feature) See how benefits eligibility changes
Plan for when children turn 18, etc.

Tips & Tricks¶

Quick Date Selection¶

Double-click a year marker to jump there instantly
Use "Vandaag" button to return to present
Event buttons show tooltips on hover with full descriptions

Understanding the Colors¶

Blue circle = Current selected date
Blue/Red events = Life events on timeline
Municipality color = Selected buttons and highlights

Reading Dates¶

All dates are shown in Dutch format:

Short: 12-12-1980
Long: 12 december 1980

Ages are always calculated based on the selected date, not today.

What If No Data Appears?¶

If sections are missing:

No Partner section = Not married/partnered at that date
No Children section = No children born yet at that date
This is normal! Sections only appear when relevant.

Privacy & Your Data¶

What Data Do We Use?¶

The timeline uses data from:

BRP (Basisregistratie Personen) — Your municipal records
Your DigiD login — To verify your identity

Is My Data Stored?¶

No. The timeline:

✅ Fetches your current BRP data when you open it
✅ Calculates historical views in your browser
❌ Does NOT store your personal data
❌ Does NOT track what dates you view

Who Can See My Timeline?¶

Only you — No one else can access your timeline
Audit logs — System logs that you accessed the timeline (for security)
No sharing — Your timeline data is never shared with third parties

Your Rights¶

Under AVG/GDPR, you have the right to:

Access — Request your audit log data
Correction — Report incorrect BRP data to your municipality
Erasure — Request anonymization of audit logs

Common Questions¶

Q: Why can't I see my address history?¶

A: Address history (verblijfplaatshistorie) is coming in a future update. Currently, only person/partner/children data is shown.

Q: Can I change my past data?¶

A: No, the timeline shows BRP data which is the official government record. To correct errors, contact your municipality's BRPloket.

Q: Why does it say I'm 0 years old?¶

A: You selected your birth date. At birth, age is 0. Move forward in time to see your age increase.

Q: Can I print or export my timeline?¶

A: Not yet. Export to PDF is planned for a future release.

Q: What are "what if" scenarios?¶

A: This is a future feature where you can simulate life changes (having a child, getting divorced) to see how they affect your benefits eligibility.

Q: Why do I only see one test person?¶

A: The test environment currently has one demo persona (Wessel Kooyman). More diverse test data will be added.

Q: How far into the future can I go?¶

A: You can select dates up to 10 years in the future for planning purposes.

Troubleshooting¶

Timeline Won't Load¶

Symptoms: Blank screen, endless loading

Try: 1. Refresh the page (F5) 2. Logout and login again 3. Clear your browser cache 4. Try a different browser

If still not working, contact your municipality's helpdesk.

Events Not Showing¶

Symptoms: Timeline shows but no event buttons

Possible cause: Your BRP record might not have marriage/children data

Note: If you're single with no children, only "Geboren" and "Vandaag" buttons appear. This is normal.

Wrong Data Displayed¶

Symptoms: Names, dates, or ages look incorrect

Action:

Verify the selected date is correct
Check your BRP data is accurate (contact municipality BRPloket)
Report the issue to your municipality's helpdesk with:
Date selected
What data looks wrong
Screenshot if possible

Page is Slow¶

Symptoms: Timeline loads but dragging is laggy

Try:

Close other browser tabs
Disable browser extensions
Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari)

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Coming in future release: - Arrow keys to move timeline - Spacebar to toggle timeline view - Number keys to jump to specific years

Giving Feedback¶

We'd love to hear your thoughts:

Like the feature? Let us know what works well
Found a bug? Report it with as much detail as possible
Have ideas? Suggest improvements for future releases

Contact: Your municipality's MijnOmgeving helpdesk or support@open-regels.nl

What's Coming Next?¶

Planned features:

📍 Address history — See where you lived at any date
🔮 "What if" scenarios — Simulate life changes and see benefit impacts
📊 Historical applications — View past zorgtoeslag calculations
📄 Export to PDF — Download your timeline
🎯 Service matching — See which services you're eligible for at any date

Need more help? Contact your municipality's helpdesk or visit your municipality's website.