Registering your birth certificate

If you were born in the Netherlands, your birth certificate is registered automatically in the official Dutch birth register. If this is the case, you may start the procedure to change your name(s) straight away.

Is your birth certificate registered in The Netherlands?

If you were born outside of the Netherlands, your birth certificate is not automatically registered in The Netherlands. The Dutch authorities have no authority to change a foreign birth certificate. You can only change your name after registering your foreign birth certificate in the Netherlands.

If you were born abroad, although you have (gotten) Dutch nationality, your birth certificate will not automatically be registered here. Unless you have registered your birth certificate according to the specific procedure described below, your birth certificate is not officially registered in The Netherlands. Submitting your birth certificate to the municipality where you live when you moved to The Netherlands does not officially register your birth certificate either.

The first step prior to starting a name change procedure is to convert your foreign birth certificate to a Dutch birth certificate.

How do you register your birth certificate?

You can register your birth certificate yourself via the website of the municipality of The Hague. The municipality of The Hague maintains the official registry for foreign birth certificates.

The first step is to upload the required documents to the register’s portal:

If your documents are complete, you will be asked to submit the original documents. The registrar will then issue a Dutch birth certificate.

If documents are missing or incorrect, you will have to start the procedure all over again. The registrar will inform you what is missing, but you will have to resubmit the full request again.

How long does the process take?

The process is not fast. After uploading your documents to the portal, you typically get a response about 3 to 4 months later.

If your application is complete, you will be requested to submit the original documents by post. You will receive your new Dutch birth certificate about 4 weeks after you have submitted the original documents.

If your application is incomplete, then you will to start the process again. You will be requested to re-upload the correct documents to the register’s portal.

Check your situation carefully

We strongly recommend you carefully study the criteria before starting the procedure to register your birth certificate.

There is no point in starting the registration process if:

your passport does not match your foreign birth certificate and/ or
you do not have all the (original) documents required

You will need a lawyer to ‘fix’ this situation. Please consult our page on creating a birth certificate for more information.

What are the costs?

The procedure for registering your birth certificate is free of charge. Even so, the process can be confusing. We regularly help clients with the registration process before initiating a name change. We can also complete the registration process for you.

If you wish to receive any advice or additional information, please contact us.