Acknowledge the baby before the birth (erkenning)
If you are not married and not in a registered partnership, the mother's partner is not automatically the baby's legal parent. Acknowledgement fixes that, and you can do it before the birth at any Dutch municipality, not only your own. Checked against rijksoverheid.nl on 20 September 2026.
- Who it applies to
- Neither, and Yes
- On your timeline
- Paperbump schedules this usually between week 20 and week 34 of the pregnancy
- Official source
- rijksoverheid.nl
- Last checked
- 20 September 2026
What else to know
Make an appointment and bring valid ID. Doing it before the birth means the baby has two legal parents from the moment they are born. Since 1 January 2023 acknowledgement also settles parental custody (gezag), which you confirm at the same appointment.
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