Ask the municipality that registered the event, wherever you live now
Births, marriages, registered partnerships, divorces and deaths that took place in the Netherlands are kept by the municipality that registered them, as an akte. You can ask for a full copy (afschrift) or a shorter extract (uittreksel), and an international version helps if another country needs it. You can ask for your own, for someone you act for with their permission, or if you have a legitimate interest, such as a spouse or heir. A valid ID is required.
How it works
Order an official birth, marriage or death certificate from the civil registry.
You may need a birth, marriage or death certificate for a residence application, a wedding, an inheritance or a name change. It is usually issued by the civil registry where the event was recorded, not where you live now. Check whether the recipient needs a full copy, a short extract or a multilingual version, and whether it must be legalised or carry an apostille for use abroad. Many registries accept orders online or by post.
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At a glance
It depends on where the event was registered
A birth certificate comes from the municipality of birth, a marriage certificate from the municipality where the marriage was registered. Some offices take requests online, some by post and some only at the counter. Open a city such as Deventer or Arnhem to see how it works.
Guides
Related services
For Dutch citizens renewing a passport and for residents without a passport from their own country: who can apply and what to prepare.
Get a hand with applying for or activating DigiD, and with the online forms, messages and allowances that depend on it.
See who can apply for income support, what a municipality takes into account and where to get advice if the application is difficult.
For Dutch citizens who need a new or replacement ID card: who can apply, what to bring and how collection works.
For holders of a Dutch licence: how renewal works online or at the counter, how to replace a lost licence and where to collect it.
For newcomers and returning residents: what registering at the town hall means, who it applies to and what to prepare before your appointment.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges
Most offices in Hamburg, Karlsruhe, and Duisburg
Most offices in Warsaw, Kraków, and Szczecin
Most offices in A Coruña, Alicante, and Almería
Where to next
See how municipalities in different cities issue copies and extracts of birth, marriage and death certificates.
Jump straight to another part of the manual.