Double surname for your child: choice of name and foreign nationality

23 September 2026

Arslan Advocaten

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Double surname for your child: choice of name and foreign nationality

Since 2024, parents may, subject to conditions, choose a combined surname for their child. The moment of the choice, any earlier children of the same parents and the child’s nationality all matter. For children with foreign certificates or another nationality, international naming rules may apply. In 2026, an old transitional arrangement no longer automatically gives a right to a change. Start therefore with four pieces of information: date of birth, legal parents, nationalities and the current official name. These make it possible to determine whether this is a current choice of name, the recognition of a foreign name or a separate change procedure.

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Written by Öznur Batur, attorney at Arslan Advocaten, practising personal and family law. Registered in the Netherlands Bar’s register of practice areas for personal and family law and criminal law. Last updated: 19 September 2026. General information is not legal advice about your own situation.

What is a combined surname?

Under the Dutch rules, a combined surname consists of the surnames of both parents in a chosen order. The option is intended as an additional choice of name. Parents are not obliged to choose a combined name. A single surname remains possible under the applicable rules.

The new option does not mean that any name may be built up from an unlimited number of separate names. The rules limit the combination and take account of existing name forms. Some names that already consist of several words legally form a single surname. That is not always the same as a combination put together under the new rules. Have the official names of both parents checked, therefore, before you assume that certain parts can freely be left out or recombined.

When can you choose the name?

A choice of name is tied to the statutory moments and conditions. Depending on the situation, the choice may arise, for example, during pregnancy, when the birth is registered or upon recognition of the child. How legal parenthood comes about and the form of the parents’ relationship may be relevant here.

Ask the municipality in good time which joint declaration is required and who must attend. An agreement simply written down at home is not automatically a legally valid choice of name. Also check whether a choice has already been made. Where parents marry or enter into a registered partnership after recognition, specific rules may come into play. Do not assume that you have an unlimited option to choose again at any later moment. The registrar must be able to establish which statutory act of choice is available in your situation.

Does the choice also apply to subsequent children?

For children of the same legal parents, uniformity of the chosen name is an important principle. An earlier choice may therefore be decisive for subsequent children. The option of a combined surname is not general permission to choose a different name at random for each new child.

So check whether there is already a child of the same parents and which choice of name was recorded for that child. In blended families the position may differ, because the legal parents are not the same for all the children. A family that forms a single unit in daily life is not automatically one group with the same options under the law of names. International events may complicate the assessment further. Bring the birth certificates of all relevant children, therefore, so that the municipality or your lawyer can assess how they relate to one another.

The transitional arrangement for older children has ended

When the combined surname was introduced, there was a temporary option for certain families with a first-born child from the period 2016 up to and including 2023. That arrangement offered an extra choice for one year from 1 January 2024. It was not a permanent right to change an existing name as a matter of course years later.

In 2026 it must therefore be examined which current statutory route is available. A web page that mentions the transitional arrangement without making clear that the application period has expired may be misleading. Failing to make a timely choice does not automatically rule out every other route, but any application to Justis (the Dutch Ministry of Justice’s screening and naming authority) or any new option to choose a name has its own conditions. Ask for the current legal basis to be identified. Merely referring to the introduction of the law in 2024 is not enough.

What if the parents disagree?

A joint choice of name requires agreement under the applicable rules. If there is no agreement, the combination wanted by one parent does not automatically apply. The statutory default rules and the specific parentage situation must be examined. A dispute about recognition or parental authority must not be confused with the choice of name itself.

Put the options to the municipality in good time and discuss what happens if no joint declaration is made before the birth or recognition. A later request for a change is not always a simple substitute for a missed choice. Where there is an existing conflict, legal advice can help to establish which options remain open. Make clear arrangements, but do not carelessly attach financial or other conditions to consent to parenthood or contact.

Dual nationality: which law of names applies?

Book 10 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) contains rules on the law applicable to a person’s name. For a person with Dutch nationality, Dutch principles apply, even where that person also has another nationality. For persons without Dutch nationality, the national law of the other country may play a role. Where someone has several foreign nationalities, the choice of connecting factor requires closer assessment.

That does not settle every question. A name validly recorded abroad may have effect in the Netherlands under the international recognition rules. The assessment of an existing foreign name is therefore something different from a new choice of name under Dutch law. Have the nationalities, certificates and the moments at which names were acquired examined together. A single passport or the child’s place of birth is not always enough to determine the correct rule.

Adopting a foreign double name in the Netherlands

Some countries have traditionally used naming systems with several components. Such an official name is not automatically the same kind of combination as the Dutch arrangement in place since 2024. Book 10 of the Dutch Civil Code contains rules on the recognition of a foreign determination or change of name. For this, the foreign act and the competent authority must be identifiable.

Gather the birth certificate, the name declaration and any decision that determined the name. Check whether the certificate is complete and whether later annotations exist. A spelling you have chosen yourself on a school form is not an official foreign determination of name. If the Dutch and foreign registrations differ, ask what legal reason is given for this. Sometimes correction or recognition is the appropriate route; sometimes an application for a change must be considered. Inventing a new name to conceal the differences usually does not make the file any clearer.

Choice of name after a foreign recognition

A foreign recognition may give rise to a special assessment under Dutch law of names. Article 10:25 of the Dutch Civil Code provides, subject to conditions, for options connected with foreign acts establishing parentage. In a particular situation following foreign recognition, a period of two years may be relevant for a joint choice of name, where the child acquires or retains Dutch nationality and no Dutch choice of name has already been made.

That period must not be presented as a general rule for every foreign name or every child with two nationalities. The statutory conditions and the child’s age must be checked precisely. For older children, the child’s own choice may play a different role. Immediately after a foreign recognition, therefore, ask which act concerning the name is still possible. See also recognition of a child with foreign documents, where parenthood, parental authority and nationality are dealt with separately.

Children with ties to Turkey or Morocco

With Turkish or Moroccan documents, differences in naming system, transliteration and registration may occur. It is important to establish whether a difference concerns only spelling or a legally different name. The Dutch choice of a combined name is not automatically processed in the same way in a foreign register or passport.

Ask the competent foreign authority which name will be registered and which documents are required for this. If necessary, have an expert in that country confirm the consequences. The Dutch municipality assesses the Dutch registration; it cannot guarantee for every other country that the same spelling will be adopted. As a result, a family may end up with different documents. Keep the underlying certificates and declarations, so that the connection between those registrations can still be demonstrated.

Is an application to Justis possible?

Where no current choice of name is available, an application for a change of surname may be relevant, subject to conditions. Justis has various categories, including routes for minors, certain young adults and international differences in names. Within specific routes, a combined name may be possible. The existence of that option does not mean that all other conditions fall away.

For a minor child, parental authority, the length of care, consent and the position of the other parent may be important. For young adults, an age-related route may apply. Have it determined in concrete terms, therefore, which category fits. More explanation can be found under changing a child’s surname and changing your surname as an adult. The municipality and Justis have different tasks; a refusal by one authority does not in itself prove what the other must decide.

What if brothers and sisters have different names?

This may arise, for example, from international rules or from differences in legal family ties. Justis describes a specific route for minors in certain cases where children of the same parents have different surnames as a result of private international law. The situation must, however, fall within the conditions.

Gather the birth certificates of all the children concerned and explain how each name came about. Record the nationalities at the relevant moments and any earlier choices of name. The mere fact that children are brought up together is not enough to assume that they legally have the same parents or can use the same route. A clear timeline can show whether the difference stems from birth, recognition, foreign registration or an earlier change. The correct application can then be prepared.

Which documents should you check?

Start with the child’s full birth certificate, the parents’ official names and proof of the legal parent-child relationships. Add nationality documents, earlier declarations of choice of name and relevant foreign certificates. Where a divorce, recognition or judicial establishment of parentage has changed the situation, those documents are also important.

Check spelling, prefixes, order and punctuation. Make sure translations match the official certificates. Legalisation or an apostille may be required, but does not automatically confirm all the substantive consequences for the name. The receiving authority may still examine which law applies. Before requesting expensive documents, ask which documents are needed and how recent they must be. A recent full certificate may provide more useful information than several old abridged extracts.

Why the timing of the application matters

Choices of name may be linked to an event, an age or a time limit. A pregnancy, recognition, the parents’ marriage or a foreign act establishing parentage may therefore be a reason to deal with the name question straight away. Anyone who only discovers years later that a choice could have been made may face stricter conditions for a change.

Make a list of the next relevant event and ask which declaration must be arranged for it. If in doubt, do not wait until all other family matters have been settled. At the same time, you should not sign a hasty declaration without understanding the consequences for subsequent children and foreign documents. Good preparation combines timeliness with a clear explanation of the lasting consequences of the choice.

The double name does not change parental authority

A child who bears the names of both parents does not, as a result, automatically fall under joint parental authority. Nor does a single surname mean that only one parent may take decisions. Name, legal parenthood and parental authority are separate legal questions. The same distinction applies to maintenance and contact.

This matters in practice when travelling. A different surname between parent and child does not prove that the parent lacks authority, but it may be a reason to support the relationship and consent with documents. Conversely, a shared surname does not replace any required consent. So check the actual documents on parental authority and travel. A change of name must not be seen as a way of resolving a dispute over parental authority administratively.

Practical example: a name in two countries, one child

This example is fictitious. A child with Dutch and a foreign nationality was born outside the Netherlands. The foreign certificate contains a name with two components. On registration in the Netherlands, a discussion arises about the name that should be adopted. The parents think they can only apply for a new Dutch combined name.

The assessment, however, starts with the foreign determination of the name and the international recognition rules. It is then examined whether a Dutch choice of name already exists and whether a special choice following the act establishing parentage is possible. Only if that does not prove to be the appropriate route is an application for a change considered. This sequence prevents an existing official name from being needlessly treated as a free new wish. It is also asked in advance how both countries will issue future documents.

Costs and implementation after a choice or change

A choice of name, an application to Justis and proceedings concerning a foreign certificate do not automatically involve the same costs. Ask the competent authority which act will be performed and which fees apply. In a Justis route, application fees, translations and any legal assistance may come together. A simple declaration around the time of birth is structured differently.

After final processing, the birth details and identity documents must be correct. Also check future travel bookings, insurance policies and school records. Keep proof of the old and new name if a change has actually taken place. With two nationalities, a separate foreign application may still be necessary. Make a closing checklist per country, therefore, so that not only the Dutch registration but also the practical usability of the documents is checked.

What should you do if registration of a name is refused?

Ask which legal act the authority is refusing and why. Is a document missing, is the foreign certificate insufficient, or is there a difference of opinion about the applicable law? A request for correction, proceedings concerning the civil registry and an objection to an administrative decision are not necessarily the same route.

Keep the decision and the information on legal remedies. Have it assessed quickly which time limit applies and which authority you need to approach. A general letter asserting that double names have been permitted since 2024 does not answer every international naming dispute. The response must address the specific statutory basis and the facts. Through family law at Arslan you can discuss which documents and procedure suit your child’s name question.

Frequently asked questions

Can every child still be given a double surname since 2024?

No. The options depend on the moment of the choice of name and the statutory conditions. The temporary transitional arrangement for certain older children has ended. Any current route for a change must be examined separately.

May I choose a different combination for my second child?

For children of the same legal parents, the name chosen earlier is in principle decisive. Where there are different parental ties or international circumstances, further examination may be needed. Bring the details of all relevant children, therefore.

Does foreign law of names apply if my child has two nationalities?

That does not follow automatically from dual nationality. Dutch nationality, foreign determination of the name and international recognition rules must be assessed together. A passport alone does not always give the full legal answer.

Does the two-year period after foreign recognition always apply?

No. Article 10:25 of the Dutch Civil Code sets specific conditions. The period is not a general rule for all foreign names. Have it checked whether the relevant act establishing parentage, nationality and any earlier choice of name fall within that provision.

Does a double surname give both parents parental authority?

No. The name does not determine parental authority. Legal parenthood, parental authority and name each have their own rules. For travel or important decisions, the actual position on parental authority must be checked.

Will the Dutch double name also be entered in a foreign passport?

That is not guaranteed. The foreign authority applies its own rules and recognition procedure. Check in advance which documents and any additional registration are needed to understand and substantiate differences between countries.