Adopting a child

When you adopt a child, you take over the care and upbringing of the biological parents. You and the child then become legally related to each other. 

To request an adoption, you file a petition with the court. You are required to hire an attorney.

What you need to know

If you want to adopt a child, there is a lot involved. Check out the websites Rijksoverheid | Adoption and Rechtspraak for more information about the procedure, costs and approximately how long it may take.

Application for residence permit

Is the adoption approved in the Netherlands? Then that sometimes means that the child also receives Dutch nationality.

Does your child not have immediate Dutch nationality? Then you must apply for a residence permit. To do this, contact the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Making an appointment

Child adopted, but not yet registered in the Netherlands?

If so, you must register your child in the municipality's Basic Registration of Persons (BRP). For the first registration, the child must come with you. The child must be registered with the municipality within 5 days of settling in.

To make an appointment, call 14 079.

Child adopted, but registered in the Netherlands?

Is your child already registered in the Netherlands, but you need to hand in the adoption papers? If so, you must make an appointment to do so.

To make an appointment, call 14 079.

Change or delete appointment?

Once you have made an appointment you will receive a confirmation e-mail. This e-mail also contains a link that allows you to change or delete your appointment.

Do you no longer have the e-mail? Call 14 079. A staff member can change or delete the appointment for you.

Bring
  • valid ID of the adoptive parents and the child
  • foreign birth certificate of the child (if any)
  • foreign adoption order and other adoption documents

+ In some situations:

  • proof that the adoption took place in accordance with the convention (certificate of conformity, Article 23 of the Hague Adoption Convention)
  • initial authorization Ministry of Justice with the B.K.A. number

Legalization of foreign documents

Adoption papers and birth certificates sometimes need to be legalized. Whether this is necessary for you depends on the country where the documents were prepared. For more information, visit the central government website | Legalizing Foreign Documents.

Are the documents not in Dutch, English, French or German? Then an official interpreter/translator in the Netherlands must translate the documents.