NetherlandsWorldwide

Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child in Norway

If your child is born in Norway, you must register the birth in Norway. If you live in the Netherlands, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands. You can acknowledge parentage of the child in either country.

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.

Other important information

In Norway, a child can have either the mother’s or father’s surname. Alternatively, they can have a hyphenated name composed of both surnames (for example, Jansen-Meijer). They can also have the surname of one of their parents as a middle name (mellomnavn), which will then appear on their Dutch passport as part of their given name. In Norway it is also possible to select an entirely different surname for your child.

Find out more about naming your child on the Norwegian Tax Administration website.

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 can acknowledge parentage of your child if you are not automatically the legal parent. By doing so you declare that you are the child’s parent.

More information

Find out more about becoming a parent outside the Netherlands

Contact

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.