Any child born in the Netherlands must be registered within three days of the birth at the local municipality office, within the department of municipal population affairs. If one of these three days is a weekend or a public holiday in the Netherlands, you are allowed a total of two working days to register the birth.
Registering a child born in the Netherlands
Usually, the father of the child is obliged to register the birth, but if he is unable to do so then there are exceptions given to:
- Anyone present at the birth of the child.
- The owner of the house where the child was born.
- An authorised person of the establishment where the birth occurred.
When these options have been exhausted, a representative of the mayor's office may also register the birth of a child.
Documents when registering a birth in the Netherlands
In order to register the birth, you need to bring the following to your local municipality:
- Proof of identity for both the father and the mother.
- The date and time of the birth.
- A marriage certificate if the mother is married.
- In some cases, proof of the birth from a doctor, hospital or midwife.
Getting a birth certificate
Once the birth is registered, a birth certificate will be drawn up for your child, ensuring that it has been legally recognised. This is an important document that you should keep hold of. You may need it, for instance, to apply for child benefits or in other situations in future. You can find information on replacing a lost birth certificate at the bottom of this page.
Registering a child born abroad
If your child was born outside of the Netherlands and you would like to have it registered, you must present a legalised birth certificate at your local municipality office, along with the other documents outlined above.
Automatic parental authority
(Heterosexual) married parents or parents with a registered partnership automatically have joint custody of their child. If the child's parents are not married or do not have a registered partnership, they will still usually automatically receive joint custody, so long as the child was acknowledged (see below) on or after January 1, 2023. You no longer need to apply for parental authority at the court.
In the case of same-sex parents, the rules are slightly different. If a female same-sex couple has a baby, the co-mother (duomoeder) - the mother that did not carry the child - automatically receives joint custody, so long as she is married to or in a registered partnership with the mother, and there is no legal father (for instance if an anonymous sperm donor was used). When the birth is registered, a declaration by the Artificial Fertilisation Donor Information Office should be submitted to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships, indicating that the donor’s identity is unknown and the pregnancy was the result of insemination by a sperm donor under the terms of the Human Fertilisation (Donor Information) Act.
If the birth mother becomes pregnant by a known donor, the co-mother has the option to become the child’s legal parent through acknowledgement. This can be done via a notary or at the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships. It’s possible to acknowledge a child before it is born. However, if the sperm donor is the first person to acknowledge the child before birth, the co-mother will not have parental responsibility. If the donor acknowledges the child after birth, the co-mother has priority.
If two men in a relationship are caring for a child and one of them is the child's father, he alone is recognised as the lawful father. However, it is possible for the father’s partner to acquire paternity through either adoption or affidavit.
Acknowledging the child (kind erkennen)
If you are not the child's legal parent (you are not married to or have a registered partnership with the mother), you can acknowledge the child to become their lawful parent. A step-parent can acknowledge the child if only the partner has parental authority over the child.
You can acknowledge the child during the pregnancy (erkenning van de ongeboren vrucht), during the registration of the birth at the municipality or at a later time. If the mother is not present at the time, she will need to give written consent. If the child is older than 12, you will need the consent of both mother and child. If the child is older than 16, you will only need the consent of the child.
Getting a copy of your child's birth certificate (lost birth certificate)
If you want to have a copy of your child's Dutch birth certificate, there are a few options. You can:
- Fill out a request form online on your local municipality's website.
- Fill out a written request and send it to your municipality's civil registry office. Note that this process can take between two and three weeks to process.
- Visit your local municipality office, or your civil registry office if it is in a separate office, in person.
In all of the above cases, you will need to provide some form of identification and also have a legitimate interest for requesting a copy.
There is a cost associated with providing a copy of the certificate and this varies depending on the municipality.
Older birth certificates
If the certificate you are requesting is older than 100 years old, then you should check the website of your local municipality as to whether it is still available or not. Birth certificates older than 100 years are often moved to the municipal archives for storage.
Foreign-language birth certificates
The birth certificate itself (and any certified copies of it) is only available in Dutch, but it is possible to request an extract in a number of languages. For less common languages, you may need to hire a sworn translator to officially translate the document for you.