Having a baby in the Netherlands: midwife care, kraamzorg, the 3-day birth registration and 9 weeks of paid leave (2026)

Finding out you are pregnant in the Netherlands quickly shows you how differently things work here. Your first point of contact is usually not an obstetrician but a verloskundige (fer-los-KUN-di-guh), a midwife. Even after a hospital birth you may be home within hours, and from the next day a maternity nurse comes to your house. And the deadline for registering the birth is 3 working days.

This guide starts from DutchReview's article "7 ways raising a child in the Netherlands is different" (updated 19 October 2026) and focuses on one stretch of it: pregnancy, birth and your baby's first year. The original article covers parenting broadly, from childcare to schools and independence. Here we concentrate on the steps, deadlines and money around the birth itself, and link to our other guides for childcare costs, school choice and registering with a GP.

We checked the figures on 30 October 2026 against Rijksoverheid (the Dutch government), UWV (the employee insurance agency), SVB (the Social Insurance Bank), Zorginstituut Nederland (which defines what basic health insurance covers), the national screening programme and the IND. This is not medical advice. Decisions about your health and how you give birth belong with your midwife or doctor.

Main sources for this guide

• Rijksoverheid's birth checklist and leave pages: deadlines and leave lengths
• UWV's benefit pages and SVB's July 2026 child benefit increase
• Zorginstituut Nederland on kraamzorg and midwifery care: personal contributions
• Birth guides and reporting from all eight major expat media: booking times and the kraamzorg shortage

1. What is changing: a kraamzorg shortage and "maternity hotels"

Every expat guide to Dutch births mentions kraamzorg (KRAAM-zorkh), postnatal care at home. For roughly the first eight days after the birth, a kraamverzorgende (maternity nurse) visits daily to check on mother and baby, help with feeding and bathing, and lend a hand around the house. IamExpat listed it in March 2025 as one of the three things every expat should know about giving birth here.

The system is under pressure. DutchNews reported in June 2025 that kraamzorg workers took a petition to parliament calling for better pay to tackle staff shortages. In March 2026 NL Times covered a report by the health inspectorate (IGJ): 21% of families in vulnerable situations received less than the recommended minimum of 24 hours, compared with 8% of other families. NL Times also reported in November 2025 that in some areas, including parts of Utrecht, maternity care was hard to get at all.

Insurers open 14 maternity hotels

In July 2026, NL Times reported that Zilveren Kruis, VGZ, CZ and Menzis were opening 14 "maternity hotels", mostly inside hospitals, so nurses can see more families without driving between homes.

For you, this means two things. Book early. And be prepared for the possibility that, depending on your area and timing, you get fewer hours than planned or are offered care at a central location instead of at home.

All of these point the same way: the entitlements exist, but using them well takes early planning. The rest of this guide goes through what to do and when.

2. The big picture: from pregnancy to the first birthday

Having a baby here involves four separate systems: medical care (midwife or hospital), postnatal care (kraamzorg), government (municipality and SVB) and work (employer and UWV). In almost every case, nothing happens until you make the first move. There is no single booklet or office that sets everything in motion for you.

The timeline below puts the steps with a deadline or a recommended window in order.

Only some of these are legal deadlines: birth registration, insurance, and the leave windows. The midwife and kraamzorg timings are recommendations, but leaving them late can mean fewer care hours.

3. Early pregnancy: registering with a midwife and booking kraamzorg

In the Netherlands, a midwife leads the care for a low-risk pregnancy. IamExpat and Expatica both explain that midwives, not obstetricians, normally handle check-ups, the birth and early postnatal care. If you have a medical condition, are expecting twins, or had complications last time, your midwife or GP refers you to a hospital obstetrician (gynaecoloog).

Finding a midwife

ACCESS advises registering with a midwife by around week 8 to 10, or as soon as you arrive in the country. Search for practices near your address, ask your GP, or ask other parents. ACCESS also has a page on finding a midwife whose first language is English. If you have not yet registered with a GP, now is a good moment: you will want one for your own and your baby's health after the birth. Our guide to registering with a huisarts explains how.

Book kraamzorg by around week 12

The Hague International Centre and ACCESS both say you choose a kraamzorg agency yourself and should book before around week 12. Xpat.nl recommends applying in the first trimester because maternity nurses are in short supply. You can find agencies through your insurer's website or your midwife. Before you sign up, check that your health insurer has a contract with the agency.

Most agencies arrange an intake visit at home later in the pregnancy; mention any relatives coming to help.

Each of these gets harder the later you leave it, so a partner may want to take over the phone calls.

New to Dutch health insurance?

ACCESS notes that basic insurance covers maternity care even if the pregnancy began before you moved. In a year when you expect a baby, compare supplementary policies (aanvullende verzekering): some refund the kraamzorg contribution or hospital-birth extras.

4. Prenatal check-ups and screening

According to Expatica, midwife appointments start about every four weeks, become fortnightly closer to the due date, and weekly near the end. Xpat.nl puts the total at around 12 visits, with a first visit of roughly 30 minutes and later ones of around 15. Not every visit includes a scan.

Free screening tests

PNS, which runs prenatal and newborn screening on behalf of the national health institute RIVM, states that the NIPT (a blood test for certain chromosomal conditions) and the 20-week scan are free, including the counselling conversation beforehand. The 20-week scan takes place between weeks 18 and 21. The 13-week scan is currently only available if you take part in a research study (IMITAS).

Zorginstituut Nederland explains that an NIPT with a medical indication falls under basic insurance, and without one under the national screening programme. A "pretecho" for finding out the sex or for 3D/4D images is not covered.

Some guides describe older rules: Expatica says genetic screening is mainly for women over 36, whereas PNS now offers the NIPT free to anyone. Screening is always a choice; discuss it with your midwife.

Vaccinations during pregnancy

The national vaccination programme lists a whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women (often called the "22-week jab") and a flu vaccination. Whether you had the whooping cough jab affects the timing of your baby's first vaccinations.

Costs and the eigen risico

Zorginstituut Nederland states that midwifery care and prenatal screening are exempt from the eigen risico (the annual deductible, €385 in 2026). So are birth-related treatments within six weeks of the birth. Unrelated costs, such as other medicines, transport or blood tests, do count towards it.

5. The birth: home or hospital, and pain relief

What surprises many newcomers is that home birth is a normal, mainstream option. With a low-risk pregnancy you can choose between home, a hospital birth under your midwife (a "poliklinische bevalling"), or a birth centre. If there is a medical reason, you give birth in hospital under an obstetrician.

Figures for how common home birth is vary by source. Xpat.nl says about 21%; a 2014 DutchNews guide said one in three. Both look dated: a study citing the perinatal registry Perined gives 13.7% for 2022, continuing a long decline. It is a minority choice, but a real one.

What you pay, by place of birth

Zorginstituut Nederland sets out the costs as follows. We confirmed the 2026 amounts in insurer NN's 2026 overview.

The fourth row is easy to miss. Insurance pays up to €161.50 a day each for mother and baby (€323 in total). After your €45 contribution, that leaves €278; anything the facility charges above it is also yours to pay unless a supplementary policy covers it. Zorginstituut Nederland adds that using laughing gas (lachgas) for pain relief also waives the daily contribution.

Pain relief

Expatica and Xpat.nl both point out that medical pain relief is not available at a home birth, and that if you want an epidural (ruggenprik) in hospital, you should discuss it in advance and ask again when you arrive. Not every hospital has an anaesthetist immediately available at night or at weekends. If pain relief matters to you, raise it with your midwife early and ask which hospitals near you can provide it and under what conditions. Opting for pain relief can move your care from the midwife to the hospital, which affects whether the birth counts as medically indicated; check with your insurer and hospital how this applies to you.

Home within hours

Expatica notes that after an uncomplicated hospital birth, most women go home within a few hours; the support of a maternity ward happens at home instead, through kraamzorg.

6. The first week: kraamzorg, the heel prick and the hearing test

From the day of the birth, the kraamverzorgende starts visiting. Zorginstituut Nederland says you are entitled to a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 80 hours. The number depends on things like breastfeeding, complications and time spent in hospital. Care normally runs until day 8, sometimes day 10.

What the maternity nurse does

She checks the baby's weight and signs of jaundice, supports feeding, teaches bathing, checks the mother's recovery, and helps with light housework and older children. She also assists the midwife at the birth (partusassistentie); those hours are not included in the personal contribution.

What it costs

The statutory personal contribution for kraamzorg at home in 2026 is €5.70 an hour (Zorginstituut Nederland). It is not part of the eigen risico, and there is no contribution for care while you are in hospital.

These are simply hours × €5.70. Some supplementary policies refund part or all of it. If shortages mean you receive fewer hours, you also pay for fewer.

Heel prick and hearing test

According to PNS, the hielprik (heel prick test) is done in the first week after birth by a youth health care worker who visits your home. It screens for a number of serious, rare congenital conditions and is free. A newborn hearing test is offered around the same time. Both are triggered by the municipality passing on your birth registration, which is one more reason not to miss the 3-day deadline.

7. Registering the birth, BSN, insurance and residence

After the birth, deal with the shortest deadlines first. The most urgent is registering the birth.

Register the birth within 3 working days

Rijksoverheid's checklist says you register the birth (aangifte van geboorte) at the municipality where the baby was born, within 3 working days; the day of birth does not count. Note that this is the place of birth, not where you live: a baby born in a hospital in The Hague to parents living in Rijswijk is registered in The Hague. Some expat guides, Expatica among them, still say "within 72 hours"; the official rule is three working days.

The Hague says registration is by appointment and free of charge. If you cannot get an appointment in time, the city asks you to call 14070. The mother, father or co-mother (duomoeder) can register. What to bring varies by municipality, so check when you book.

Registration puts your child in the population register (BRP) and gives them a BSN (burgerservicenummer, citizen service number). The BSN is the key to insurance, child benefit, vaccinations and childcare allowance.

Unmarried couples: recognise the child

If you are not married or in a registered partnership, Rijksoverheid explains that the partner must recognise the child (erkenning) at the municipality to become its legal parent. This can be done before the birth or at registration, and it also gives the partner joint parental authority with the mother. International couples should check early how recognition interacts with the rules of their own countries.

Add your baby to your health insurance within 4 months

Your baby must be added to a health insurance policy within 4 months; cover then runs from the date of birth (Rijksoverheid). Children under 18 pay no premium, and are usually added to a parent's policy with the same insurer.

Non-EU families: the child's residence permit

Dutch nationality follows the parents, not the place of birth. If neither parent is Dutch, your baby does not become Dutch by being born here. Children of non-EU/EEA/Swiss parents then need their own residence permit. The IND has a specific application for a "child born in the Netherlands"; its page lists a fee of €85 and a decision period of 90 days. If you came as a highly skilled migrant, your employer may file it as your sponsor, so tell HR early. You will usually need the child's passport from your own country's embassy, so start that process promptly.

The first three are fixed in law or official guidance. For the residence permit, read the IND page before the birth and check what your own embassy needs to issue a passport.

8. Leave and pay: maternity leave, partner leave and paid parental leave

DutchReview's article says mothers get up to 16 weeks of paid leave, fathers get one week of paid paternity leave, and parental leave is 26 weeks with 9 paid and the rest unpaid. That is broadly right, but simplified: partners also have up to 5 weeks of additional leave, and the unpaid part of parental leave is 17 weeks. Here are the details from official sources.

Mothers: at least 16 weeks of pregnancy and maternity leave

Rijksoverheid's checklist says employed mothers get at least 16 weeks of leave around the birth (zwangerschaps- en bevallingsverlof), of which at least 10 weeks come after the birth. Pregnancy leave starts between 6 and 4 weeks before the due date. If the baby is late, the total can exceed 16 weeks. You should tell your employer at least 7 weeks before your due date.

UWV pays the benefit at 100% of your daily wage, up to the maximum daily wage. UWV's page lists the maximum as €309.91 gross a day (from 1 January 2026); it is reviewed every January and July. Your employer applies to UWV, using a pregnancy statement (zwangerschapsverklaring) from your midwife or GP showing the due date.

Self-employed people can apply to UWV for the ZEZ benefit, also for at least 16 weeks. If you worked enough hours it equals the minimum wage; otherwise it depends on your profit. The 2028 reform would base it on profit for everyone.

Partners: 1 week of birth leave plus up to 5 weeks of additional leave

According to Rijksoverheid, an employed partner gets one working week of geboorteverlof (your weekly hours once), to be taken within 4 weeks of the birth, on full pay from the employer. After that, up to five working weeks of aanvullend geboorteverlof can be taken within 6 months of the birth. During this additional leave UWV pays 70% of your daily wage, capped at 70% of the maximum daily wage: €216.94 a day at the current maximum.

Both parents: 26 weeks of parental leave, 9 of them at 70%

Ouderschapsverlof (parental leave) lets each parent take 26 times their weekly working hours until the child turns 8. According to Rijksoverheid and UWV, 9 of those weeks are paid at 70% of the daily wage (capped) if taken before the child's first birthday. The other 17 weeks are unpaid by law, although some collective agreements (cao) top up pay. Your employer applies to UWV after the leave has been taken.

Figure 3 shows paid leave in the brand colour and the unpaid part of parental leave in grey. Length and pay rate are separate questions, so Figure 4 and the table below show what each type pays.

The table shows that a partner can be at home for up to six weeks in the first six months by combining birth leave and additional birth leave. Adding paid parental leave stretches that further in the first year. How you sequence it depends on when the mother returns to work and when childcare starts; see our guide to childcare costs in the Netherlands for prices and waiting lists.

Why many parents take leave a day a week

Because the right lasts until age 8 but pay covers only 9 weeks in the first year, many Dutch parents use parental leave to work fewer hours, the weekly "mama-dag" or "papa-dag" DutchReview mentions.

9. Child benefit and other allowances

SVB explains that when you register the birth, the municipality informs SVB, which sends you a letter; you then apply online via Mijn SVB. If you already receive child benefit for another child, you usually need to do nothing.

Amounts and the first payment

On 19 June 2026, SVB announced an increase from 1 July 2026. Amounts are per child per quarter.

For a baby, that is about €1,190 a year (€298.40 × 4). Some guides show older amounts; IamExpat's December 2025 article listed €291.49. Use SVB's figures for planning.

Payment is made after each quarter ends. SVB explains that if your child is born on the first day of a quarter (1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October), entitlement starts that quarter; otherwise it starts the following quarter. A baby born in November is covered from January, with the first payment in early April.

Kindgebonden budget

Lower-income households may also get the kindgebonden budget, a supplement paid automatically if you already receive healthcare or rent allowance and qualify (Rijksoverheid).

10. The consultatiebureau and vaccinations

After registration, your local youth health care service (jeugdgezondheidszorg, JGZ) contacts you. Its clinic, the consultatiebureau (con-sul-ta-TEE-bureau), tracks your baby's growth and development, answers questions about feeding and sleep, and gives vaccinations. A reader comment on the DutchReview article describes it as the place that checks young children's ears, eyes and bone growth. In The Hague it runs under the name CJG (Centrum voor Jeugd en Gezin).

Vaccination schedule to 14 months

The national vaccination programme (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma) schedule for the first 14 months is:

The 6–9 week combined jab is given only if the mother did not have the whooping cough vaccination in pregnancy, or in special situations. If you are moving between countries with different schedules, ask the consultatiebureau doctor how to align them, and keep your own record: there is no national paper health booklet, and records sit in the JGZ's electronic file.

11. What new arrivals often find different

Wherever you come from, a few features of the Dutch approach tend to stand out. None of them is better or worse in itself; they reflect different choices about where care happens.

The most useful mental shift is that the support you would get on a maternity ward is delivered at home instead. A short stay does not mean less care; the care has moved.

Family coming to help

If parents or in-laws are flying in, explain beforehand that the maternity nurse leads the first week, that going home within hours of a hospital birth is normal, and that Dutch visitors usually arrive by appointment for a short kraambezoek (maternity visit), often served beschuit met muisjes (rusks with sugared aniseed). Visitors from outside the EU should check Schengen stay limits and bring travel insurance, since they are not covered by Dutch insurance.

12. Three example families (fictional)

These fictional families show how the answers change with your situation. They are not based on real people.

Family A: non-EU couple, one partner a highly skilled migrant, the other not working

The non-working mother has no maternity benefit. The employed partner can take 1 week of birth leave at full pay, up to 5 weeks of additional leave at 70%, and 9 weeks of paid parental leave at 70%. The baby does not become Dutch, so after registering the birth they get the child's passport from their own embassy and apply to the IND, with the employer as sponsor.

Family B: EU citizen and Dutch partner, both employed

The mother gets at least 16 weeks of leave paid by UWV at 100% (capped); the partner gets birth leave and additional leave. No residence permit is needed. If they are not married, the partner recognises the child at the municipality before the birth.

Family C: self-employed mother, employed partner

The mother checks whether she qualifies for UWV's ZEZ benefit (minimum wage for at least 16 weeks if she worked enough hours); the partner uses the employee schemes.

The same birth leads to quite different paperwork depending on who works and which passports you hold. Find the row closest to your family and plan from there.

13. Common pitfalls and what not to do

Most problems come not from the rules themselves but from missing a window. The table collects the most common ones from expat guides and official pages.

Every item here is avoidable once you know about it. The ones with the hardest consequences are the 4-month insurance window and the age-1 limit on paid parental leave.

14. Checklist

1. Contact a local midwife as soon as you know you are pregnant (register by week 8–10)
2. Book a kraamzorg agency by around week 12 and check your insurer contracts it
3. Compare supplementary insurance for kraamzorg and hospital-birth costs
4. Raise where you want to give birth and any wish for pain relief by mid-pregnancy
5. Tell your employer about maternity leave at least 7 weeks before the due date
6. If unmarried, recognise the child at the municipality before the birth
7. Register the birth within 3 working days at the municipality of birth
8. Add your baby to your health insurance within 4 months
9. Apply for child benefit via Mijn SVB when the letter arrives
10. Non-EU families: get the child's passport and apply to the IND
11. Partner: take birth leave within 4 weeks and additional leave within 6 months
12. Plan the 9 weeks of paid parental leave before the first birthday

15. Summary

• Low-risk pregnancies are led by a midwife, and home birth is a real option
• Book kraamzorg by around week 12; the 2026 contribution is €5.70 an hour, and shortages persist
• A hospital birth without a medical reason costs €22.50 a day each for mother and baby
• Register the birth within 3 working days where the baby was born; add the baby to insurance within 4 months
• Employed mothers get at least 16 weeks of leave; partners 1 + up to 5 weeks; 9 weeks of parental leave are paid at 70% before age 1
• Child benefit for ages 0–5 is €298.40 a quarter from July 2026, starting the quarter after the birth
• Non-EU families need a residence permit for the baby, which depends on a passport from their own country

Sources

Government and official bodies

• Checklist: Ik krijg een kind — Rijksoverheid: 3 working days, 4 months, 16 weeks, recognition
• Geboorteverlof — Rijksoverheid: birth leave and additional birth leave
• Recht op ouderschapsverlof — Rijksoverheid: 26 weeks until age 8
• Betaald ouderschapsverlof — Rijksoverheid: 9 weeks at 70% before age 1
• Simpler rules in the Verlofwet — Rijksoverheid: planned 2028 reform
• Applying for pregnancy leave and benefit — Rijksoverheid: application and ZEZ
• Maximum daily wage — UWV: €309.91
• Benefit for additional birth leave and paid parental leave — UWV: 70% and cap
• Pregnant and employed — UWV: at least 16 weeks, employer applies
• Self-employed and pregnant (ZEZ) — UWV: self-employed benefit
• Child benefit up from 1 July 2026 — SVB: 2026 amounts
• First child benefit payment — SVB: quarter rules
• Having a child — SVB: how to apply
• Kraamzorg (Zvw) — Zorginstituut Nederland: 24–80 hours, €5.70 an hour, no eigen risico
• Verloskundige zorg (Zvw) — Zorginstituut Nederland: contributions by place of birth, screening
• Personal contributions 2026 — NN: 2026 hospital-birth contribution
• 20-week scan costs — PNS: free
• The NIPT — PNS: free
• Heel prick — PNS: first week, at home, free
• Vaccination schedule — Rijksvaccinatieprogramma: infant schedule
• Report a birth — The Hague: appointments, free, 14070
• Residence permit for child born in the Netherlands — IND: fee and decision period

Expat media

• 7 ways raising a child in the Netherlands is different — DutchReview: the starting point (updated 19 October 2026)
• 8 things you need to know about giving birth in the Netherlands — DutchReview: experience-based overview
• 3 things every expat should know about giving birth in the Netherlands — IamExpat: midwives and kraamzorg (14 March 2025)
• Child benefits in the Netherlands — IamExpat: overview (check amounts with SVB)
• Pregnancy and giving birth in the Netherlands — Expatica: visits, pain relief, discharge (updated 15 December 2025)
• Kraamzorg carers call for better pay to combat shortages — DutchNews: staff shortage
• More complicated births in deprived areas — DutchNews: regional differences
• The expert's guide to having a baby in the Netherlands — DutchNews: older home-birth figure
• Women in vulnerable situations receiving less maternity care — NL Times: IGJ findings
• Health insurers opening "maternity hotels" — NL Times: 14 maternity hotels
• Maternity care not available everywhere — NL Times: regional gaps
• Practical preparations for giving birth — ACCESS: week 8–10 and week 12
• Options for delivering a baby — ACCESS: places of birth
• Finding a native English-speaking midwife — ACCESS: English-language care
• Having a Baby in the Netherlands — Xpat.nl: visit numbers, home-birth share (some figures dated)
• Postnatal care — The Hague International Centre: booking kraamzorg, birth customs

All checked on 30 October 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm the latest figures on the official sites before you act, and talk to your midwife or doctor about health decisions.

Original article

7 ways raising a child in the Netherlands is different — DutchReview