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.