Declaring the birth of your child
Parents have 15 days, including weekends and holidays, to declare a child's birth at the civil registry where the child was born. Necessary documents include the birth record, identity card, and possibly a marriage book. Birth certificates are issued for various administrative needs. More information is available online.
- Audience: Residents
- Duration: 15 days following birth
- Documents: Birth record from hospital/midwife, identity card, possibly marriage book or deed of accreditation
- Mode: Digital
- Validity: FR/NL
Parents have 15 days following the day of the birth – including Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays – to declare the birth of a child. This must be done at the civil registry in the municipality where the child was born. In some municipalities, you can also register your child at the maternity clinic.
To declare your child, you need the following documents:
- the record of the birth (which you obtain from the hospital or the midwife)
- your identity card
- possibly your marriage book or Opens in new windowdeed of accreditation
You will receive a number of birth certificates during the declaration. You need them, for example, to apply for child allowance and to provide them to the health insurance fund.
All the information about what you need to arrange following the birth of a child can be found at Opens in new windowthe portal website of the Federal Government.
Additional information
- For more information, you can also contact the civil registry of your municipality.
- In the booklet Opens in new window'Wegwijs in werk en ouderschap' (Tips for work and parenthood) from the Federal Government, you can read about your rights and obligations as a new parent at work.
- Opens in new windowKind en Gezin offers various publications to guide you in your role as a parent.
- For French speakers, the Opens in new windowOffice de la Naissance et de l’Enfance (ONE) provides a whole range of information booklets (website only available in French).
