Municipality of Dronten: acknowledging parenthood of your child
You must go to the municipality in person to officially acknowledge parenthood of your child and to choose a surname. This is possible in every municipality in the Netherlands.
If you do not hold Dutch citizenship or you live outside the Netherlands, other rules may apply. You will receive more information and advice about your personal situation during your appointment.
Acknowledgment means that you are obligated to support your child. You also have the right to contact with your child after a divorce. Your child is entitled to a legal inheritance.
You can acknowledge your child if you are a man sixteen years or older. You can also acknowledge your child if you are a co-mother. The following conditions also apply:
The child does not yet have a legal father;
If a child already has two parents, it can never be acknowledged by another person;
If you are under guardianship, you need permission from the court;
If you are not allowed to marry the mother due to consanguinity, you cannot acknowledge the child;
If you are the biological father, you cannot revoke the acknowledgement later.
To acknowledge a child (or unborn child), you need an appointment. Make an appointment here (parents Dutch) or here (parents not Dutch).
The Civil Affairs officer will check whether the mother and the person acknowledging parenthood are not too closely related and whether the child (or unborn child) already has two parents.
Sometimes this requires more time, or you need to provide additional documents.
In any case, please contact the Civil Affairs department at 140321 or burgerzaken@dronten.nl if (one of) the following situations applies to you:
– Your child lives abroad and/or was born there;
– You (mother or person acknowledging parenthood) were born abroad and/or lived there for a long time;
– If you (neither) have Dutch nationality.
If (one of) the above situations does not apply, then the information below applies to you.
Were the mother and the person acknowledging parenthood born in the Netherlands? And will the mother be attending the appointment?
Please bring the following:
– your valid ID;
– the mother's valid ID.
Is the mother not accompanying you to the municipality (only possible if this is not your first child)? And was the child born in the Netherlands?
Please bring the following:
– your valid ID;
– the mother's written consent;
– the mother's signature on the written consent;
– the mother's valid ID.
Official acknowledgement and choice of surname are free of charge. You pay a fee for an akte van erkenning (acknowledgement of parenthood certificate). For more information, contact the municipality.
The acknowledgement cannot always be processed immediately. This depends on the personal situation of the child and the person acknowledging the child. For example, acknowledgement takes longer if the child was born before 1985 or if the person having the child officially recognised does not hold Dutch citizenship.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Dronten