Dutch privacy laws restrict access to recent records. As a rule of thumb, access to records that may contain information about living people is restricted. For example, you can only access birth records of people born more than 100 years ago, and you can only access notarial records after 75 years. In many cases, access restrictions are set for the entire series, even when your ancestor is no longer living. Take the Central Archives of Special Jurisdiction for example, the court that … [Read more...]
Quick tip: Finding 20th century people
9 July 2014 by Leave a Comment
Finding people who lived in the 20th century can be difficult because of Dutch privacy laws. One of the best sources for 20th century information are the personal record cards, which are available for all Dutch residents who died in the Netherlands after 1938. They provide information about that person's dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Often they also provide information about the names and birth dates of the person's parents and children. … [Read more...]
Sources for Dutch genealogy – post 1811 cheat sheet
17 January 2014 by 6 Comments
Looking for information about Dutch ancestors in the 19th or 20th century (after the introduction of the civil registration)? This cheat sheet will tell you which sources to consult. … [Read more...]
Quick tip: privacy laws
21 August 2013 by Leave a Comment
Privacy laws in the Netherlands are very strict. The law does not permit publication of information about people who may still be alive without their consent. As a rule of thumb, information for people born less than 100 years ago is not public and should not be available online. The same applies to official records. Birth records are public until 1912, marriage records until 1932 and death records until 1962. After these dates, only the persons themselves can access the records (or … [Read more...]
How to order my own birth certificate from the Netherlands?
9 August 2013 by 97 Comments
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 … [Read more...]
Question: Finding a WWII soldier’s child?
12 July 2013 by 13 Comments
In response to an article about Post World War II emigration, Jane Carter asked: I am looking for a lady in Holland that was my father’s girlfriend. My father has passed now but I have been told that this lady had my father's child. I know little more then her first name and an old picture she sent my father many years ago. With such little information is it possible to get any information? Apparently, Jane's father was an allied soldier during World War II who had a relationship with a Dutch … [Read more...]
