Registering a birth and acknowledging parentage of a child in Sweden

If your child is born in Sweden, the birth must be registered with the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). This is done by the obstetrician (barnmorska) directly after the birth. The Swedish Tax Agency will then send you an extract from the population register by post, and a form to report your child’s given name(s). You must provide and/or correct the child’s name(s) within 3 months of the birth. It is not possible to register the birth of your child at the Dutch embassy Stockholm.

If you live outside the Netherlands, you can have the Swedish 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).

If you are not married, you can acknowledge parentage of the child with the social welfare office (socialnämnden) in the municipality where the child is registered. The board will then register the acknowledgement of parentage with the Swedish Tax Agency. As of 1 January 2022, it’s also possible to acknowledge parentage online through the Swedish Tax Agency website. The declaration of acknowledgement of parentage is an extract from the population register in the child’s name. It is issued in English, and signed and stamped by the Swedish Tax Agency. Acknowledgement of parentage in Sweden is legally valid in the Netherlands.

Parental responsibility in Sweden

If you are not married, or if you are married to someone of the same (legal) sex, you can register to have joint parental responsibility (gemensam vårdnad) with the social welfare office in your municipality. You can do this when you acknowledge parentage of your child. As of 1 January 2022, it’s also possible to request parental responsibility online through the Swedish Tax Agency website. The declaration of joint parental responsibility is an extract from the population register in the child’s name. It is issued in English, and signed and stamped by the Swedish Tax Agency.

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 Sweden. 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.

Acknowledgement of parentage in the Netherlands is legally valid in Sweden.

Find out more about acknowledging parentage in the Netherlands on Government.nl.