NetherlandsWorldwide

Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child in Iraq

If your child is born in Iraq, you must register the birth in Iraq. If you live in the Netherlands, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands. You cannot acknowledge parentage of a child in Iraq, but you can in the Netherlands.

Registering a birth

You must always register the birth of your child in the country where they were born. How you register a birth varies by country. If you live in the Netherlands and your child was born abroad, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands.

Attention: From 1 January 2024, your child can have both your surname and your partner's surname. Even if your child is born abroad. Would you like to give your child a combined surname and is this not possible in your country of residence? Then go to a municipality in the Netherlands to record the choice of name. You can also authorise someone to do this for you. Read more on the page Which surname can I choose for my child? on Rijksoverheid.nl (information in Dutch).

Acknowledging parentage of a child

You cannot acknowledge parentage of a child in Iraq.

More information

Find out more about becoming a parent outside the Netherlands

Contact

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