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. You do this in the municipality where you live.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:

Municipality of West Betuwe

Here is some information from your municipality.

Municipality of West Betuwe: 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.

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.
The death must be registered before the funeral or cremation takes place.

Conditions for registration in the BRP
The request to include information about a stillborn child is a personal request. One parent can request this, while the other parent does not. The request must be made by the parent himself. It is not possible to make the request on behalf of the other parent.

Other conditions:

The request must be made in writing.
• At the time of the birth of the child, the parent(s) lived(s) in the Netherlands and were registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP).
• The parent must have lived in the Netherlands at some point since October 1, 1994.
• You make the request in the municipality where you are registered in the Municipal Personal Records Database (BRP).
• You will need a birth certificate of your deceased child for this. Do you not have a birth certificate? In that case, you still have to make a declaration in the place of birth of your child.

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).