Registering a stillborn baby in the Netherlands

A stillbirth is registered with the municipality in which the child was born. The municipality then issues a birth certificate (geboorteakte) for a stillbirth. It does not matter how long the pregnancy lasted.

A birth certificate for a stillbirth is an official document, proving that your baby was born.

The birth certificate for a stillbirth is recorded in the Registers van de burgerlijke stand (Register of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships)

Choosing a surname for a stillborn baby

You may choose your child’s surname, which can be either the father’s or the mother’s surname. This choice does not affect the names of any subsequent children, meaning that you can choose a different surname in the future.

You can also register your stillborn baby in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen – BRP) if you wish. This is a different procedure from registering the birth of your baby as stillborn.

The birth of a stillborn baby is registered with the municipality where your baby was born. For any questions, please contact the municipality.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of Dijk en Waard

Here is some information from your municipality.

Register stillborn baby

Registration in the BRP

You can register your stillborn child in the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database) if you live or will be living in the Netherlands.

Documents showing that your child was born lifeless, such as:

a statement from a doctor, hospital or midwife
an obituary or information about the funeral or cremation

Don't have this information? The municipality can probably help you anyway. Please contact us to discuss the possibilities.

You must also bring:

a valid proof of identity for yourself (passport, ID card or driver's license)
possibly your marriage certificate so that your child can be added to it

If your child was stillborn, make an appointment with the municipality where your child was born to register the birth. It is possible to erkennen (acknowledge parenthood) of your stillborn child upon registration. You can also have your child recorded in your trouwboekje (Livret de Famille or Family Book).