You may contest the motherhood of a co-mother. This is only possible if the co-mother is not the child’s biological mother. To do this, you must submit a petition to the district court. The mother, the co-mother and the child may do this. The district court may then revoke the co-mother’s motherhood.
Contesting motherhood in court
If you want to contest the co-mother’s motherhood, you must submit a petition to the district court. You will need a lawyer for this.
When to submit a petition to the district court
As the mother or co-mother, you can submit the petition to the district court up to 1 year after the child’s birth.
As the child, you can submit the petition to the district court from your 18th birthday until 3 years after that.
Contesting motherhood at the municipality
As the mother, you may declare that a deceased co-mother is not the mother of your child. You can do this at the municipality under certain conditions. Contact your municipality for more information.
Cases in which motherhood cannot be contested
As the mother or co-mother, you cannot contest motherhood if:
- the co-mother was aware of the pregnancy before the marriage or registered partnership;
- the co-mother agreed to the artificial donor insemination.
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
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Last updated on 25 June 2026