Skip to Content
Two boys are playing with a ball, surrounded by green trees
Frontpage/Your situation/Being a legal parent

Be­ing a le­gal pa­rent

A legal parent is a person who is registered as the parent of the child. A child can have two legal parents. Here, you can learn more about what it means to be a legal parent and the steps involved in becoming one.

Adop­tion

You can become the parent of a child that you were not registered as the parent of at birth. This requires that you meet the conditions for adoption. Adoption is subject to both general and specific requirements, depending on the type of adoption.

Pa­ren­tage

You can become the legal parent of your child by being registered before or after the child's birth or by adopting at a later date. It is important to understand that you only have some rights and obligations if you have parental authority.

Na­mes

You or your child can take a new name based on gender identity. There are specific rules regarding what you can name your child, who can assign the child’s middle or surname, and how, as a social parent, you can pass on your middle or surname to the child.