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 Houten

Here is some information from your municipality.

Municipality of Houten: Registering a stillborn baby

A stillbirth can be registered by:

the father or female partner of the mother;
the mother;
an employee of the hospital;
the funeral home;
others who know about the death.

Registering in BRP

You can register your stillborn child in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP) if you live or will live in the Netherlands.

The request can be made retroactively; children born lifeless earlier can also be included in the basic registration. The only condition is that you were registered in the Netherlands at the time of birth.
No minimum duration of pregnancy is required for registration in the BRP.

If your child was stillborn, make an appointment with the municipality where your child was born for the declaration. It is possible to acknowledge a stillborn child upon registration. You can also register your child in your marriage booklet.

Making an appointment

Contact the municipality by phone at (030) 63 92 611 to discuss your request. If you would rather not have personal contact, you can also send us an email backofficepbz@houten.nl

There is no charge.