In the Netherlands, a man who is married or in a registered partnership with the mother of the child is automatically designated as the child's lawful father. Another option for the man is to acknowledge (recognise) the child. In that case, a legal bond is established between father and child with the family relationship taking effect based on the available information. Acknowledgment of paternity does not make a father the legal representative of the child. For this, a request for parental authority must be submitted. CBS has no data available on this.
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