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Municipality of Heerenveen: 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. You must make an appointment to do this.

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.

  • Official acknowledgement and choice of surname are free of charge.
  • You can apply for an akte van erkenning (acknowledgement of parenthood certificate) in the municipality where the acknowledgment took place. There are costs involved for a copy or extract from the civil status records.

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 Heerenveen

Visiting address

Crackstraat 2

8441ES Heerenveen

Opening hours
Monday
08:30-16:00
Tuesday
08:30-16:00
Wednesday
08:30-16:00
Thursday
08:30-16:00
Friday
08:30-16:00
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed
Last updated on 4 December 2023