Municipality of Vlissingen: acknowledging parenthood of your child

Are you not married and do you not have a registered partnership? Then, according to the law, your child only has a mother at birth.

If you want to be the legal father or co-mother (this is the non-biological mother in a lesbian relationship), you must recognize the child. You can do this if you are 16 years or older. You can make an appointment for this at the municipality or with a notary.

When can a child be acknowledged?

Before birth. This is called 'acknowledgement of the unborn child';
At the birth registration;
After the birth registration. This is only possible if there are not already 2 parents listed on the child's birth certificate.

Valid identification of the person who wants to acknowledge the child;
Valid identification of the biological mother;
Valid identification of the child (if the child is 12 years or older);
If the child is 16 years or older, he or she must come in person;
If you are not Dutch or were not born in the Netherlands: documents showing your identity, nationality, marital status, and residence status.

When acknowledging a first child, a name choice must be recorded. For the name choice, the mother must always be present in person. This cannot be done through written consent.
For any subsequent children, written consent from the biological mother (and if applicable from the child under 16) is sufficient to acknowledge the child.

To make an appointment, you can contact the Public Affairs department by phone at +31118487000.

Acknowledging parenthood of a child is free. There are costs associated with that at a notary.

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.