Birth certificate and registration

All births in the Netherlands must be registered at the town hall (gemeentehuis) of the town where the baby was born, not where you live. You have only three days to register the birth from the day after the baby was born so make sure you’ve narrowed down the name list in advance!

To register the birth you have to have been present when the baby was born, you will also need your passport, a certified copy of the marriage licence (if applicable), proof of recognition of the baby (if applicable) and the certificate supplied by the doctor, midwife or hospital. It’s usual in the Netherlands for the father of the child to handle the registration. If this isn’t possible then a few extra pieces of documentation will be needed: a copy of the mother’s passport and proof of address and the passport of the person registering the child. It’s a good idea to check in advance what documentation the particular town hall requires as they can vary. It’s worthwhile to request and pay for an international birth certificate at the same time you register for the Dutch birth certificate. This makes it much simpler for you to register the baby with your own embassy and to apply for a passport.

Despite the inordinate number of churches you see in Amsterdam, the Netherlands is a highly secular country with few of the Christian denomination actually practising. Christenings, baptisms and naming ceremonies are arranged privately through your church of choice. An alternative Humanist ceremony is another option. See www.hvo.nl for more information.

Passports

All babies and minors need their own passport to travel. If only one parent is Dutch the child can claim the nationality of both parents. You’ll have to arrange this through the relevant embassies. If neither of you are Dutch, then your child isn’t either. Should you want to travel, you will have to apply for a passport for them from your embassy.

Once you have the passport you can apply for the residence permit from the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service). If you choose not to apply for a passport or residency then you can claim Dutch nationality for your child after three years. If you do wish to travel with your child then you will have to apply for the passport and residency, and after five years your child is eligible for Dutch naturalisation (a Dutch passport). For more details contact the IND (0900 123 4561) or visit: www.ind.nl.

Adoption

Adoption in the Netherlands is a difficult process and can take from three to five years or longer. In recent years the number of children up for adoption has been around 50, with 2000 to 2500 Dutch citizens applying for a child. Many apply to adopt a child from overseas, but the same timeframe applies as it is built into the structure of the process as part of vetting prospective parents. Applicants must be under 41 years of age and be Dutch nationals or have valid residence permits. Only married couples may adopt a child jointly. Although single sex marriages are legal in the Netherlands such couples cannot apply jointly for a foreign child, though they can for a Dutch child. For information in English see http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/country/country_425.html.

You will be able to find support and counselling services in English with expat community support organisation ACCESS at http://access-nl.org  .

For a support group, you can contact Debbie Driessen of the Benelux Adoptive Families Network at debbiedriessen@kpnplanet.nl.  BAFN has become an informal gathering of approximately 35 families whose common interest spans all phases of the adoption process.

Reprinted with permission of Explorer Publishing from the Amsterdam Complete Residents' Guide.

[ Updated and added to by Expatica, April 2009]