The one thing you cannot forget to do in the hectic postpartum period is to register the birth of your baby. The city official draws up the birth certificate, which is then included in the register of births of the Civil Registry. This is legal proof of your child’s birth. Registering a birth in the Netherlands is free. There is a fee for a copy of the registration certificate.
Register the birth within three days
You are required to register the birth in the municipality where the child was born within three days. This is not necessarily where you live.
The day the child was born does not count towards the three days. If the third day falls on a weekend day or holiday, you may register on the following working day.
In Amstelveen you can register the birth during opening hours at city hall’s Civil Registry (Burgerlijke Stand) desk.
In Amsterdam you have to make an appointment to register at a city office (stadsloket).
Who can register
The child’s mother can always register the birth. The father is required to register the birth of his child. If the father is absent, then someone who was present at the birth is required to register.
What to take with you
- The names of the child
- The date and time of the birth. No documentation is required for this and you provide these details
- A valid form of identification of the person doing the registration
- A valid form of identification of the mother
- A copy of the acknowledgement if this was done before the birth
- If the father is registering a subsequent child from the same relationship and also wants to acknowledge the child when registering, he needs written authorisation from the mother and her form of identification
- The marriage certificate (trouwboekje) if you are married to have the child added
More information
For more information about registering the birth, please see the municipal websites of Amstelveen and Amsterdam
