Almost every week, I get a question by someone who needs help obtaining his birth certificate from the Netherlands. Often, these are people who were born in the Netherlands but moved away and now need a birth certificate to get married or apply for citizenship. Since this is not a service I provide, I thought I’d explain how you can order your birth certificate yourself.
Birth records for people born less than 100 years ago are not public. Birth records younger than 100 years are kept by the municipality where the person was born. To protect the privacy of living people, only the person himself can retrieve a copy.
Municipalities in the Netherlands in 2013. Map by Janwillemvanaalst (source: Wikipedia)
Finding the municipality
A lot of municipalities have merged over the last couple of decades, so the municipality you were born in may not exist anymore. You can find out the name of the current municipality by looking up the name of the old municipality in the website Gemeentegeschiedenis and then see what new municipality it became part of (“opgegaan in”). Sometimes you have to click through several times to find the current municipality.
Contacting the municipality
All municipalities have a website, that can usually be found at the .nl address, for example www.amsterdam.nl or www.rotterdam.nl. Alternatively, you could search for the name of the municipality in Wikipedia and see if it has a link to the website.
You need to find the address of the municipality. Most municipalities will have two addresses: one for visitors and a PO Box (Postbus). You need this second address.
There should also be a contact form on the site where you can ask for specific directions.
Ordering a birth certificate
Once you find the address, you can order your birth certificate by writing a letter addressed to:
[Name of municipality]
Afdeling Burgerlijke Stand
Postbus [number of PO box]
[Zip code consisting of 4 digits and 2 letters] [Municipality]
The Netherlands
In your letter please include:
- Your full name
- Your date and place of birth
- Your postal address
- The reason why you need the birth certificate
- Your signature
- A photocopy of a valid ID
Some municipalities have order forms, but most require a Dutch government login (DigiD) so that will not work if you are not a Dutch citizen. Contact the municipality for other order options.
Paying for the birth certificate
Costs vary but are typically between 10 and 20 euros (12-28 USD). Most municipalities will send you an invoice with the birth certificates, others require full payment upfront.
Some municipalities accept credit cards while others only accept bank transfers. Checks are not used in the Netherlands anymore.
To transfer money by bank, you will need to find out the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and Bank Identifier Code (BIC) for the municipality. Contact your bank to find out how to do a transfer. If you live outside the European Union, additional charges may apply.
Someone else’s birth certificate?
Do you need the birth certificate of someone else, who was born less than 100 years ago? There are two ways you can do this:
- If the person is deceased, provide a photocopy of their death certificate and send this with the order form. You still need to include a photocopy of your own ID. Not all municipalities will supply birth certificates of deceased people that are less than 100 years old unless you have a good reason (i.e. heir research).
- If the person is still alive, the only way you can get a copy of their birth certificate is with their permission. Have them fill out and sign the form, or include a signed letter. Also include a photocopy of their ID.
If you don’t know if the person is alive, or you can’t get permission, you will not be able to obtain a birth certificate.
Note: Please do not post information about living people
Several people are commenting on this article posting information about living people. These comments will be removed, to respect living people’s privacy. Please do not provide information about living people, including yourself. There is no way for me to check if you are sharing your own information or somebody else’s.
Retrieving birth records or other records of living people is not a service I provide. The information in this article is all the help I can give you.
About Yvette Hoitink
How do I order my birth certificate from the Netherlands. I.am born in den Haag [date redacted for privacy reasons].
The instructions are in the article you commented on.
How to find my birth certificate I was born in Bangladesh my dad duch citizenship can u help me pls
As I said in the article, helping obtain birth certificates is not a service I provide. I am a genealogist, specialized in tracing ancestry.
Hello if you are genealogist help me I was born In Nederland even I have my birth certificate.
This is not a service I provide. The instructions are in the article.
Is there an English language option on the website of my municipality because unfortunately I don’t know Dutch since I have been living in the UK all my life. The name of my municipality is Tilburg and I need to get a new birth certificate because I lost mines recently.
Many municipalities do not have an English website. I recommend you contact the municipality via email and ask them. info@ followed by the domain name usually works.
I’d just like to thank you for this information. I lived in Den Haag and my daughter was born there. The original birth certificate was lost and she needs one. Thats really helpful.
We are looking for my husbands Dutch birth certificate. But the closest I’ve come , is not in English. I’m not very good on computers, so a beginners step-by step would be very helpful.
As I explained in this article, records of people born less than 100 years are not public and won’t be available online. The steps to order the record from the municipality are explained in this article.
I am researching my genealogy, my father was Dutch, my mother Scottish. I have a copy of my fathers death certificate, he died in England, but I don’t know in what part of Holland he was born. Can you suggest how I can find this information, please?
Hi,
My Fiancee is Dutch and his mother still lives there. Can she pick up his birth certificate or he would need to follow the procedures above?
Thanks, Tirma
AFAIK, she needs his authorization so I would call the municipality and ask.
Please help. My grandmother was born in aruba but has gotten her citizenship here in America. Due to a housing incidenct, she lost all her important personal documents, such as her birth certificate, citizenship papers, etc. All she has left is an expired passport. I have been looking all over for ways to obtain her birth certificate. I have her authorization but will an expired passport be enough for a valid ID? Also , what would the cost be? Is there an specific email or number or address that I can mail to, to put in a request?
my sister lost her birth certificate, and needs it for her american pension and medicare, could you
tell me how i find my municipality, she was born in amsterdam, and lives in the states.need to know how to go about it.
sincerly,
hedy potharst
The instructions are in the article that you commented on. As a genealogist without a private investigator license, I cannot help with individual cases.
Hi Yvette, Could you guide me towards a site that can produce details of a, female relative who was born in Amsterdam in about 1787. The woman’s father was a Freeman of the City of Amstdrdam and I have the original document (Porter Ed) dated 14.11.1777. His name was Hendrik Broerse van Venr Schipper. Any information on where I could obtain details of this document also would be most useful.
Kind Regards
Dale Thornton
Hi Dale,
Indexes of Amsterdam records, including baptismal records, are available at the Amsterdam City Archives website. Poorterboeken (freemen books) for this period have a paper index that is available in the reading room in Amsterdam. Scans of the originals are available at the Amsterdam City Archives website (pay-per-view). BTW, the last name doesn’t seem right, “van Venr” is not a Dutch name. It may have been “van Veen” but you would have to check your source to be sure. “Schipper” [skipper] may have been his occupation rather than a second part of the last name.
Need copy of my fathers birth certificate. His name is Mario Lenarduzzi born Soest 11/21/1939
Father Benedetto Lenarduzzi Mother Amelia Centazzo Need this in order to get his ashes back to home town in Campagna di Maniago Italia {PN} Please help.
Thank you!
Dario Lenarduzzi
The instructions on how to order birth certificates are in the article. You can find the contact information for Soest at the website of the municipality of Soest.
My father was born in Holland but now lives in the USA he needs his birth certificate he had given me permission to help him he has id but it is not in date does this matter help please ?
What do you mean when you say “it is not on date”? If you send a letter to the municipality where he was burn, with a copy of your id, your father’s id and a signed letter with his authorization to you, that should be enough.
Good day!
I am trying to find a copy of my grandfather and grandmother’s birth certificates. Both have passed away and unfortunately we do not have their death certificates. I do however know when and where both where born. Is there any way to apply for the certificates?
Hi Leandi,
If they died in the Netherlands you can order their personal record cards to find out when and where they died. Most municipalities will accept the personal record cards as proof of death. If you don’t have proof of death, I don’t think they would allow you to obtain their birth certificate. I recommend you contact the municipality where they were born to discuss your particular situation with them.
I am trying to trace records on my great grandmother and the only information I have is that she was Dutch, and an approximate date of birth. Her full names were Judith (Judick) Mariana Adriana Botha, born about 1878. Between then and 1900 she and her parents must have immigrated to South Africa. Any help would be greatly appreciated. As I have hit a dead end.
Many thanks
James
Hi James,
Where did you find the information that she was Dutch? I quickly checked some databases and it seems like Botha was not a name in use by people in the Netherlands in the second half of the 19th century. Could the family have been in South Africa before that? I recommend you first exhaust the records in South Africa, such as her marriage and death record, baptismal records, church membership records et cetera, to find out as much as you can about her.
Botha is a very common name is South Africa – See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botha for more details.
Dear Yvette,
I am trying to find any relatives of my husband that was adopted from an orphanage in Holland around 1953/1955.I know that he had brothers and sisters but they were separated I the orphanage.Unfortunately I do not know their names or dates of birth. The only thing I have is the parents name….. Any idea where to start?
Thank you
Hi Yvette
I was born in the Netherlands but my family immigrated when I was a baby. The only document I have is my baptismal record from the Berlicum Catholic Church.. Berlicum is now part of Sint Michielsgestel
in North Brabant. During my September visit would I be able to go to the town hall in Sint Michielsgestel and request a certified copy of my birth certificate or do I have to go to The Hague?
Sincerely, Dini Wijgergangs-Burton
Most town halls will not do this on the day, since looking up the record can take a while. I recommend emailing in advance to ask for the options.
Hello. I am trying to apply for a birth certificate for a friend of mine who was born in Aruba but lives in Trinidad. She wants to apply for a Trinidadian passport but needs her birth certificate from Aruba. Can you help?
Hi Geeta,
Pulling records is not a service I provide, which is why I wrote an article with instructions on how to do this yourself. Your friend will have to order the birth certificate from Aruba.
I very glad I ran across you website. I am trying to help my daughter and her boyfriend obtain his birth certificate from Amsterdam. I wanted to know if you have another website that would provide the PO Box and zip code for the Amsterdam contact you provided. The IamAmsterdam website is too difficult to navigate and find the info needed.
We are just trying to find a phone number to call to ensure what they have submitted has been received and is being process. They have submitted all the applications and needed information 4 times and have received nothing in return. The birth certificate is needed for his driver’s license because he works with hazardous waste…
If you could provide the website of the specific information (PO Box and zip code), it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help and guidance.
P.S. None of us speak Dutch.
Hi Gretchen,
The address is:
Gemeente Amsterdam
Afdeling Basisinformatie
Postbus 2752
1000 CT Amsterdam
Phone: +31 14 020
You can also find their email address at this page: https://www.amsterdam.nl/adressengids/overig/basisinformatie/
I’ve requested several records from Amsterdam and they are the strictest municipality I’ve ever seen. Make sure that the person himself sends the letter, signs it and includes a copy of a valid ID that includes the signature for comparison. Or email first and ask what’s going on.
Yvette, I can’t thank you enough for this information. I will pass it on to my daughter and her partner. I know they that they sent in the information. I don’t know that they sent a copy of his photo ID.
I just so appreciate you taking the time to respond so quickly. Again, thanks.
Gretchen
Clarification: The phone you listed, is that the zip code or really the phone number?
That’s really the phone number. Municipalities have a special phone number that just has 5 or 6 digits. The access code for the Netherlands is +31.
The zip code is “1000 CT” [four digits, two letters].
Yvette, thanks very much. Hopefully, the birth certificate will show up soon – unfortunately, he can’t work until he get the certificate – it’s making it tough.
But anyway, thanks so much.
gretchen
That is not a dutch phone number. Sorry. Don’t misinform people, please. Governments don’t have ‘shorter numbers’ unless it are 0800 or 0900 numbers, I don’t know where you got that idea. In this case the correct number is +31206241111
I was surprised too, but this is the number we have to call from within the Netherlands if we want to call our municipality. I didn’t realize it did not work from outside the Netherlands, my apologies.
Hi There,
My Dad is trying to obtain his Birth certificate in order to replace his id that has been miss placed. The issue being is that you need id to get id and you need id to get a birth certificate. Just wondering if you know of any way to get around this. Its seems that everywhere he turns is just a dead end. And as of know its like he doesn’t exist. Thanks and I hope you could help
Hi. I am trying to get a Birth Certificate, I was born in Sneek. I went to sneek.nl but it is all in Dutch, I do not speak or read it at all. Like all the sites I tried you need to be able to speak dutch. I tried to e-mail with the info@sneek.nl that did not work. I am trying to get the address so I can send in the information. Is there any way you could find the address for me.
thank you
Lambert Mulder
Hi,
If you check the guide that I linked to in the article, you will see that Sneek is now part of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. You can reach them at +31 515 489 000, e-mail: info@sudwestfryslan.nl. The postal address is:
Municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân
Afd. Burgerzaken
Postbus 10.000
8600 HA Sneek
The Netherlands
I thank you for the web address that will get me started. Is hard to navigate the sites not knowing the language.
My cousin just sent me the family tree he has been working on , 15 generations so far and going back to 1515.
Thank again
Lambert
Hi, I wrote to you some time ago about getting a birth certificate for a friend of mine who was born in Aruba. I am trying to help her but I do not know how to look for the municipality. She was born in Lago Hospital in 1952. Can you help me find out which municipality that is?
Thank you,
Geeta
Sorry, I missed your request. I’m not an expert on 20th century research in the Antilles. I recommend you contact the National Archives of the Antilles.
With regard to citizens of the Netherlands, is there an archive of Births, Marriages and Deaths which took place abroad in the 19th century and were registered at the local Dutch Consulate. Is it possible to access them online?
No, unfortunately these records are not available online. You will have to check the archives of the consulate in question. Births, marriages and deaths that took place outside the Netherlands can also be recorded in The Hague. Not everybody did that but it can be an easier way to find records.
Hi Yvette,
I am a British citizan born in the Netherlands and have lost my dutch birth certificate. I am in the process of applying for a first passport for my baby girl and the British Passport office has asked for my birth certificate. I am eager to get a new copy as soon as possible. Do you know the quickest method for getting a passport re-issued. Would it be to call and then arrange to visit the Municipality where I was born? Do you happen to know if I would need to take that to the Hague to get it legalised?
Any advise would be very much appreciated!
Regards,
Tom
I recommend you call the municipality to ask about this. Different municipalities have different processes.
Dear Tom,
Indeed, each Dutch municipality has its own requirements and generally the birth certificate is issued faster in person than by post. To answer your second question, the birth certificate only needs an Apostille, not a legalisation. For The Netherlands, the Apostille is applied by the authorities listed here: https://www.rechtspraak.nl/Organisatie-en-contact/Organisatie/Rechtbanken . Find the one responsible for the city of birth.
Also, you can contact a commercial provider like us (www.VitalRecords.biz), to take care of it all.
Best wishes!
Yvette,
I read through all of the comments above and haven’t found one that would be similar to my situation. My son was born to a military father stationed at Soesterberg Air Base, but he was born in the town of Soest. We have since moved back to the United States and have lost his birth certificate. His original birth certificate was given to us from the embassy. How can he get a copy of his birth certificate? We have been unable to find anyone to contact and I don’t know if the information you provided about the municipality would apply.
I am not familiar with that situation. If the original certificate was issued by the embassy, I would contact them for a copy. Or you could just contact the Soest municipality, I am sure that you are not the first in that situation.
Hi TK,
If your certificate was issued by the US Embassy, then it is in fact not a Dutch Birth Certificate, but a US Consular Report Abroad. You can contact the Department of State directly for a copy (https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/events-and-records/birth/replace-or-amend-consular-report-of-birth-abroad.html) or go through a commercial provider like vitalchek.com
Best wishes!
VitalRecords.biz – worldwide vital records
i have my birth certificate from holland.. i now live in guanajuato, mexico… i want to get married, but they are saying the stamp needs to be updated for the state of guanajuato… can i do this in a dutch consolate in mexico city? or do i order a new one? please help me out and the quickest way possible as i only have till early january to fix this. thank you.
Hi John,
I am not familiar with requirements for birth certificates in Mexico, so I cannot help you. Asking the authorities that need the record for their specifications would be the first step I would recommend.
Hi John,
The answer to your question depends on what stamp does your certificate have?
Do you have an Apostille attached to it? To check, it should have a big square stamp or an attached paper with the title “APOSTILLE” on it. If yes, Mexico must accept it as such, with a translation done locally.
If you do not have an Apostille, then does it have the stamp of the Mexican Embassy in The Netherlands? If yes, then again Mexico must accept it.
However, if the certificate has neither the Apostille, nor the stamp of the Mexican Embassy in The Netherlands, then you must obtain the Apostille, from The Netherlands.
There are two options to do so (and you don’t need a new certificate):
1. Check this list (https://www.rechtspraak.nl/Organisatie-en-contact/Organisatie/Rechtbanken), find the competent authority, and submit the Original of the certificate to be Apostilled, and then sent back to you; or
2. Go to VitalRecords.biz, fill in the form, and I can take care of it (either getting the Apostille on your certificate, or getting a new one with an Apostille).
Best wishes!
Hello Yvette,
my husband is looking for birth certificate of his grandfather.
He was Jewish born in Amsterdam 1912. Do you think he will be able to find it?
Were records of Jews not destroyed?
Thank You.
The civil registration records everybody, regardless of race or religion. All birth records survive, so the birth record should still exist.
The 1912 birth records of Amsterdam are available online at the Amsterdam City Archives website. Check call no. 7457 for the index that refers to a register and record number, for 1912 and call nos. 7668-7691 for the registers with the records.
What if you don’t know any information where you were born only birth date
Then you will have to use other sources to find the place of birth (ask a relative, check a marriage record, passport). Maybe the Dutch consulate could help too, or a public notary in the Netherlands. But there won’t be anything online, since these records aren’t public.
I was born in den Haag
I am trying to get my birth certificate
Who would I contact please
General instructions are in the arrival, you should contact the Den Haag municipality. We cannot provide individual help.
My mom had me while my dad and her where stationed in the Netherlands. I am duel citizenship to 2 American parents. I am getting married and have misplaced my birth certificate. Is there a number I can call or what is the address to where I can send my info to receive my birth certificate.
No, there is no number. The instructions are in the article.
Is there a postal address I can send it too?
That depends on the municipality. You have to contact the municipality about options to order records.
I just need need my birth certifica mine and my brother how can we get it thank you
The instructions are in the article.
Hi There, I was born i heerlen and have currently been living in the UK for the past 17 years (I am 18 years old). My birth certificate has been lost, and i am wondering how could I obtain a copy of it? Not sure what the pocess is.
The process is explained in the article.
Thank you very much for most informative column , I did exactly what you advise, i just hope the address for Langedijk is Postbus 15, 1723 ZG Noord Scharwoude
I tried http://www.langedijk.nl but the closest i get is www,gemeentelangedijk.nl do you think this is correct
“Gemeente” is the Dutch word for municipality so it looks correct.
I’m going to Holland I will try and get a new copy of my birth certificate
Mine is almost illegible.
What will I need to take with me
Thank you
Celeste
Make sure you bring your passport. I recommend you contact the municipality beforehand since many only provide this service online or in writing and take a few days to weeks to process. Not all accept walk-ins.
Thank you
I will do as you suggest
Celeste
Hi there my husband’s grandfather was Dutch his last name was Homma were trying to find out about his parents names and birth certificates of them because it’s a Japanese name were trying to find out if we have decendants from japan by tracing the birth and marriage certificates where do we start getting this information please
Why do you think it’s a Japanese name? It’s also a Frisian name, and not a very uncommon one either as you can see in the Family Names Database. I recommend you use Alle Friezen to search for your immigrant ancestor.
I need to get a certificate of naturalization for me and my 2 children, we are at the moment staying in the philippines. Can you tell me the procedures on how en where to get them? and how much it will kost me? Also my youngest child is born in the Netherlands and i need her birth certificate to be send here, can my sister whos in the Netherlands acquire it for me?
The general process is described in the article. I recommend you contact the municipality to ask about specifics, they all have slightly different procedures.
Hi Yvette,
I have a great grandfather who was born in Rotterdam, Holland on July 16, either 1885 or 1882. How do you obtain birth certificates for 100+ years old. I live in the United States and trying to acquire these docs for genealogy purposes.
His name: Julius Christian Altona
Thank you,
Hampton Black
Many Dutch records are online and indexed. The index of Rotterdam birth records is available at https://www.archieven.nl/en/search?mizig=310. There’s a Judocus Christian Altona born 1882 indexed there. Using the birth year and record number, you can look up the scan in FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/153344
Hi Yvette
Would the instructions listed in the article apply generally for Belgium as well?
Do you know of a similar reference, like the old and current municipalities in the Netherlands, for Belgium?
I am not familiar with the process in Belgium.
My wife is an American citizen born to a soldier who was on leave in Amsterdam (Oct.1978). She lost her I.D., Social Security card, and birth certificate in a house fire. Here in America, no one can get any replacement i.d. without a copy of a birth certificate. The only other copy is with her father’s Army Service Record which is sealed (classified as top secret). How do i request a copy of her birth record on her behalf without an i.d. for her?
I don’t know what would be the procedure if she can’t prove her identity. Perhaps the embassy or consulate can help her.
Dear Yvette,
I am looking for the birth certificate of a family member born in Java in 1940. I have checked at the office in Java who have confirmed that their records were destroyed in a flood in 2004. I have also contacted The Hague whom have responded to inform that they cannot act as an intermediary and therefore cannot provide assistance. Do you have any other suggestions? Aside from the municipality, I hold a copy of the death certificate so the letter is ready to go bar this one piece of information.
My friend who is a U.S. citizen and was with her Dutch fiancé gave birth to Their daughter in Netherlands In 2017. They have since separated and she’s now back in the U.S. The ex-fiancé will not give my friend any documentation of her daughter, i.e. birth certificate, medical records (he also refused for the child to have dual citizenship) he is even hiding my friends medical records from her, proving she is the birth mother. Is there anyway that she can get a copy of her daughter’s birth certificate? And what would she need to do in order to get a copy? She just wants to be able to see her daughter, and no intentions of taking her away. The father just won’t cooperate.
Thank you.
I’m not an expert in recent records, but I think a parent is entitled to a copy of the birth record of their own child. She’d have to write to the civil registration in the municipality where she gave birth and include proof of her identity.
Also, Dutch law doesn’t normally allow dual citizenship so I don’t know that’s a choice in the father’s part. She should speak to a lawyer about that.
The Netherlands does allow dual citizenship. The factsheet linked at the bottom of this page explains the exceptions, which cover most situations in which one would seek dual citizenship: https://www.government.nl/topics/dutch-nationality/loss-of-dutch-nationality
how to do amendments in dutch birth certificate?? if there is spelling mistakes in parents names and place of birth ?? my daughter born in netherlands in 2019 in Hardenberg. we(parents) are not netherlands citizens and residents. If you can guide me how to apply for corrections of spellings in birth certificate??
That is outside my area of expertise. I recommend you contact the municipality.
Thank you for your reply and suggestion.
Botha is a very common name is South Africa – See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botha for more details.
Hi Yvette, I have been reading your replies to people’s questions. I would like to ask you which municipality I would apply to for my(deceased) fathers birth certificate, he was born in the former Dutch East Indies. Thank you Kim