Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child in Hungary

If your child is born in Hungary, the birth must be registered there. It is usually the hospital that does this. The birth must be registered in the municipality where your child was born. The mother usually receives the birth certificate before she leaves the hospital. It is not possible to register the birth of your child at the Dutch embassy.

If you live outside the Netherlands, you can have the Hungarian birth certificate converted into a Dutch birth certificate at the municipality of The Hague’s Foreign Documents Department. This is not mandatory, but it can be useful if you ever need an extract from the birth certificate in the future. Having the document converted does not take care of your child’s registration in the Non residents Records Database (RNI).

If you live in the Netherlands, you must also register the birth with the municipality where you live, using the foreign birth certificate. Do this as soon as possible once you return to the Netherlands. The municipality will then process your and your child’s details in the Personal Records Database (BRP).

You can acknowledge parentage of your child in Hungary. To do this, make an appointment with the civil status records office of any Hungarian municipality. Both parents must be present.
If you do not understand Hungarian, you must bring someone to interpret for you. This does not have to be an official interpreter.

To acknowledge parentage of a child, you will need the following documents:

• Valid identity document (passport or ID card) of both parents
• Proof of legal residence (Hungarian address card, called lakcímkártya, and registration card)
• A medical document from the gynaecologist.
• If the mother is divorced, a marriage certificate on which the divorce is noted, or the original divorce certificate
• If the mother is a widow, her spouse’s death certificate
• If parentage is acknowledged after the child is born, the child’s birth certificate and Hungarian address card.

The Hungarian municipality may require additional documents. Any documents that are not in Hungarian must be translated into Hungarian by the Hungarian Office for Translation and Attestation (OFFI).

In Hungary, acknowledging parentage of your child automatically grants you parental responsibility for your child.

If you live in the Netherlands or if you are Dutch and live abroad, you can always acknowledge parentage in the Netherlands of your child born in Hungary. You can do this at the municipality or a notary. You can also authorise someone to do this in the Netherlands on your behalf. To do this, you must get a notary to draw up a power of attorney. You cannot acknowledge parentage of your child at a Dutch embassy or consulate-general.

Acknowledging parentage does not automatically grant you parental responsibility for your child. Find out more about acknowledging parentage in the Netherlands on Government.nl.