Registering a birth or marriage that took place abroad

Make sure your Dutch registration matches your foreign documents

If you live in the Netherlands, a birth, marriage, divorce or death abroad is added to your entry in the population register (BRP) by your municipality. You usually bring the original foreign document, sometimes with an apostille, the stamp that confirms it is genuine, and a translation, and you often need an appointment. People who live abroad can sometimes have a foreign certificate converted into a Dutch one instead, which the municipality of The Hague handles.

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How it works

Register a birth or marriage that took place abroad

Get a foreign birth, marriage or divorce recorded by the local authorities.

If you were born, married or divorced abroad, the authorities may need to record the event before your details are up to date, for example when you register your address or apply for a local document. You usually submit the original foreign certificate, often with a legalisation or apostille and a sworn translation. Requirements depend on the country that issued the document, so check them before paying for translations. Recording the event can take several weeks.

Also searched as

register a foreign marriageforeign birth certificaterecognise a foreign marriageregister a foreign divorcetranscription of a foreign certificateapostille and translation

At a glance

Offices
68 offices in 63 cities
Book online
At 39 of 68 offices
Apply online
At 3 of 68 offices
Offices for specific groups
  • For non-residents: 1 office

Many counters work by appointment only

Handing in documents from abroad

Some counters need a booking made online, others by phone, and a few keep your original document for checking before returning it. Open an office in Rotterdam or Nijmegen to see how it handles a foreign birth, marriage or divorce.

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Other countries

The same task in other countries

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Where to next

Offices that register foreign documents

Appointment rules and required papers vary by city. Check what your municipality asks for a birth, marriage or divorce from abroad.

Foreign document offices in the Netherlands

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