Registration of a birth
General
When a child is born, his or her birth must be registered within 3 days. Register the birth with the council where the child was born. Arrange an appointment beforehand. The birth must be registered by the mother or father or female partner of the biological mother or another person who was present at the child's birth.
When to register
| Date of birth | Registration no later than on |
|---|---|
| Monday | Thursday |
| Tuesday | Friday |
| Wednesday | Monday |
| Thursday | Monday |
| Friday | Tuesday |
| Saturday | Tuesday |
| Sunday | Wednesday |
If the final day of registration falls on a public holiday, the birth can be registered on the next working day.
What to bring along to register the birth
- a valid identity document for the person registering the birth
- a valid identity document for the partner
- a declaration (statement of birth) from the hospital or midwife
- if you are married or in a registered partnership: the marriage or partnership booklet (not compulsory)
- if you acknowledged your child (Dutch) before the birth: the acknowledgement certificate (not required if the child was acknowledged in Breda)
- if, before the birth, you chose the child's surname (Dutch): the declaration of surname choice (not required if the name was chosen in Breda)
- if your child is born within a marriage or registered partnership between 2 women and the donor is unknown: the unknown donor declaration from Stichting Donorgegevens (Dutch) (Donor Information Foundation)
What you need to know
- A child can have no more than 2 legal parents.
- Are you married or in a registered partnership? If so, the husband or partner is automatically the legal father. He does not have to acknowledge the child (Dutch).
- If there is a marriage or registered partnership between 2 women and the donor is unknown, the child does not have to be acknowledged. If the donor is known, the female partner of the biological mother must acknowledge the child (Dutch).
- If you are not married and you are not in a registered partnership, from a legal point of view your child only has a mother. If you wish to become the legal father or the legal female partner of the biological mother, you must acknowledge the child. You can do this before or after the child is born.
- Acknowledging the child does not mean you automatically have parental authority for your child. For more information about applying for parental authority visit the section on family law on the website of the Dutch Government - Rechtspraak (Dutch)
-
You do not need to apply for the citizen service number (BSN) separately. You will receive this automatically from the council where you live.
Child's surname
As parents, you may choose your first child's surname. Your surname, or your partner's surname. It may be useful to arrange this before your child is born. You can read more about this at Choosing your child's surname (Dutch).
Registering the birth at Amphia hospital
If you gave birth at Amphia hospital, you can register the birth there. Read more about this at Registering the birth at Amphia hospital (Dutch).