Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child in Egypt

If your child is born in Egypt, you must register the birth there. After the birth of your child, you will receive a document from the hospital where the delivery took place. With this document you must register the birth of your child within 14 days to the Egyptian authorities in the city or village where your child was born. It is not possible to declare birth at the Dutch embassy.

When registering the child, you will be asked for a marriage certificate. In a so-called 'Orfi' marriage or if the parents are not married, it is possible that the woman cannot (or may not) register the child.

If you live outside the Netherlands, you can have the Egyptian birth certificate converted into a Dutch birth certificate at the municipality of The Hague’s Foreign Documents Department. This is not mandatory, but it can be useful if you ever need an extract from the birth certificate in the future. Having the document converted does not take care of your child’s registration in the Non residents Records Database (RNI).

If you live in the Netherlands, you must also register the birth with the municipality where you live, using the foreign birth certificate. Do this as soon as possible once you return to the Netherlands. The municipality will then process your and your child’s details in the Personal Records Database (BRP).

There are 2 types of birth certificates:

• A handwritten birth certificate (green birth certificate with the vaccinations). You receive this certificate once at birth. The child's name is listed as a series of names. Both the first name and surname are listed in the surname field. The first name field remains blank.
• A digitally issued birth certificate issued by the Egyptian civil registry. It is possible to request this certificate if necessary. The certificate does not distinguish between first name and surname. Both first name and surname are given in the surname field. The first name field remains blank.

With a legalised Egyptian birth certificate, you can immediately apply for a Dutch passport.

The names as listed on the Egyptian birth certificate are copied into the Dutch passport.

• Do you submit an Egyptian electronic birth certificate with the first passport application in which only the child's first name is listed in the certificate? Then this first name will be listed in the Dutch passport under the surname.
• Are you submitting the Egyptian handwritten birth certificate with the first passport application in which the child's name is listed as the series of names? Then your child's name will be listed in the Dutch passport as the name series under the surname.
• You can also change the name first and then apply for a passport. Then the name will be listed correctly right away.

Do you want to apply for a passport that does mention first and last names? Then the last name needs to be determined by Dienst Justis. After that you can apply for a passport. A first-time name registration is free of charge.

What do you need for this?

• The completed application form: aanvraagformulier naamswijziging en naamsvaststelling. Note at the top of the form that it concerns an NV. NV is an abbreviation of naamsvaststelling, the Dutch term for a first-time name registration.
• An original, fully certified copy of the foreign birth certificate.
• Is the birth certificate not in Dutch, English, French or German? Then you need to have the certificate translated and legalised.