Recognizing a child before birth

What is it?

If you acknowledge your child, you become the legal parent. This means that you are then the legal parent of your child. This does not always have to be the biological parent. As the legal parent, you have rights and obligations. For example, you have the right to see your child and you are obliged to care for the child.

You can register your child at the civil registry office of your municipality or through a notary. You can do this even before your child is born.

Recognition not required

You do not need to acknowledge your child if you are automatically the legal parent. This is the case if:

You are the biological mother.
You are married to the mother.
You have a registered partnership with the mother.

Please note! As a surrogate mother, you must include the statement 'donor unknown' when registering the birth. If you do not do this, you can still recognize your child and become a legal parent.

How does it work?

You can acknowledge your child if you are a man or co-mother aged 16 or older.

Furthermore, the following applies:

Your child does not yet have a legal father.
If your child has two parents, it can never be recognized by anyone else.
If you are under guardianship, you will need permission from the court.
If you are not allowed to marry the mother due to blood relationship, you cannot acknowledge the child.
You cannot acknowledge a deceased child.
If you are the biological father, you cannot revoke the acknowledgment later.

What should I do?

You and the expectant mother go to the municipality to acknowledge your unborn child. This can be done in any municipality in the Netherlands.
If the expectant mother does not accompany you to the municipality, you must have her written consent for recognition.
Once the child is born, the acknowledgment becomes legally valid. You are then the legal parent of the child.

Applying for parental authority

Since January 1, 2023, parental authority is automatically established upon recognition of the child. This also applies if you are unmarried or do not have a registered partnership with the mother.
Please note: there are a few exceptions.

Schedule an appointment

You can call our Customer Contact Center to make an appointment. They can be reached at 14 0487.

What do I need?

If the mother accompanies you to the municipality:

your valid proof of identity
valid proof of identity of the mother

If the mother does not accompany the child to the municipality:

your valid proof of identity
written consent from the mother
mother's signature on the written consent form
valid proof of identity of the mother

Do you or the mother live abroad? If so, please also bring foreign proof that you are not married.

How long will it take?

You will receive a copy of the certificate of recognition immediately.

Additional information

When registering your first child, you can choose which surname he or she will have: the mother's name or yours. If you want your child to have your name, the mother must accompany you to the municipality. Written consent from the mother is not sufficient.

If you do not choose, the child will automatically receive the mother's surname. All subsequent children in the family will automatically receive the same surname as your first child.