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 Midden-Delfland

Here is some information from your municipality.

Registering your stillborn child

When a child is born lifeless, this is a great emotional loss. If you wish, you can register your child in the Personal Records Database (BRP). This is not mandatory. You submit your request for registration with the municipality where you live.

With this registration, your stillborn child is visible to you via MijnOverheid.nl and on an extract from the BRP.

You can make the request if you lived in the Netherlands at the time of birth and were registered in the BRP.
It does not matter when your child was born or how long the pregnancy lasted.
You can only register your child for yourself in the BRP. Because it's a very personal situation, you can't do this on behalf of the other parent.

A certificate of birth (lifeless) or a certificate of stillborn child.
A valid proof of identity.

Your child was born abroad

Documents of the birth, such as a deed drawn up abroad stating that your child was born lifeless. If it is difficult for you to get these documents, please report this to the municipality. Because this is a very personal situation, the rules are handled mildly and understandingly. You can then make a statement about the birth of your child to the municipality.

You make a request to the municipality where you live.
To be able to register your child, a certificate of birth (still lifeless) or a certificate of stillborn child is required. If you do not have such a deed, you can still have it drawn up in the municipality where your child was born.
It is possible that the names of your child are not on the certificate of birth (stillborn) or certificate of stillborn child. Then you provide the names with your request for registration in the BRP. Parents can therefore specify a different name separately from each other. That is no problem at all in this situation.

Within 4 weeks after you have submitted your request, you will receive a response from the municipality.

More information