NetherlandsWorldwide

Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child abroad

If your child is born outside the Netherlands you must register their birth in the country where they were born. How you do that varies by country. If you live in the Netherlands, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands. It is usually possible to acknowledge parentage of a child in the country where the child is born. You can also do this in the Netherlands.

Registering a birth

You must always register the birth of your child in the country where they were born. How you register a birth varies by country. If you live in the Netherlands and your child was born abroad, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands.

Attention: From 1 January 2024, your child can have both your surname and your partner's surname. Even if your child is born abroad. Would you like to give your child a combined surname and is this not possible in your country of residence? Then go to a municipality in the Netherlands to record the choice of name. You can also authorise someone to do this for you. Read more on the page Which surname can I choose for my child? on Rijksoverheid.nl (information in Dutch).

Acknowledging parentage of a child

When an unmarried couple has a child, the father is not automatically recognised as the child’s legal parent. The father must first acknowledge parentage of the child. By doing so the father declares that he is the child’s parent. A biological father who does not acknowledge parentage of a child is not the child’s legal father.

It is usually possible to acknowledge parentage of a child in the country where the child is born. You can also do this in the Netherlands. The rules for acknowledging parentage of a child vary by country.

Attention: When a married couple has a child, the father does not need to acknowledge parentage of the child.

Attention: If you want to arrange something for your child, you may need their birth certificate or declaration of acknowledgement of parentage.

More information

Find out more about becoming a parent outside the Netherlands

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