Do you have documents that are not written in Dutch, German, English or French? Then you should not only legalize it, but also have it translated. Legalization consists of establishing that a document has been issued by a competent person or authority and that the signature on the document actually belongs to the signatory. In practice, a whole series of signatures are sometimes required from the authorities who know who is responsible for what. This is called the “legalization chain.” In almost any case, you can have your foreign documents legalized for use in the Netherlands. Decree establishing the policy of evaluation of foreign documents through legalization and verification, articles 2 and 3 Legalization makes an official document suitable for use in another country. For example, a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a non-marriage certificate. Legalization checks whether your document was issued by the right organization. Legalization is done with a stamp or sticker. After that, your document is ready for use in the Netherlands. Legalization can take a long time. Therefore, start on time.

With an apostille stamp, the procedure for legalizing a document becomes shorter. When you receive an apostille, you no longer need to have the document legalized by the embassy or consulate of the country where you will use it. You can get an apostille stamp from the court. Read more under “Legalization with Apostille” on the national government website. As a general rule, you must have the document and translation certified. For the country procedure, please visit The Netherlands Worldwide`s website. On nederlandwereldwijd.nl you will find information on the legalization of documents by country or territory. There you can check if legalization is necessary in your case and what you need to do for it.

Legalization or document review can take several months. It depends on the local authority that needs to legalize or verify the documents. In some cases, the CDC of the Federal Foreign Office (BZ) can really get a document explained or help you. In which situations legalization by the CDC and mediation by the CDC are possible, you can read on the website Nederlandwereldwijd.nl. It depends on the type of document and the authorities you need. This can range from a few days for an apostille to a few weeks or months if foreign authorities are involved. Check with the agency itself. Isn`t the country in which you want to use the document a party to the Apostille Convention? Then, you must have the document legalized by the Consular Services Centre (CDC).

The certified translation of a document must be attached to the original document or to a copy of the original document by means of a basic book and a stamp of the sworn translator in the upper left corner of the documents. Is the country in which you wish to use the document a party to the Apostille Convention (overheid.nl)? Then you can have the document provided with an apostille to the court. After that, the document is legalized and ready for use abroad. Legalization does not prove that the content of the document is correct. In case of doubt, additional searches can be carried out to verify the content of the document. In many cases, legalisation with apostille within the European Union is no longer mandatory. Check the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (nederlandwereldwijd.nl) to see which documents are affected. For most documents, the IND does not take into account the date of issue and the date of legalization. These are documents for which the data are final. For example, a birth certificate, marriage certificate or death certificate.

The prerequisite is that the document has been legalized for use in the Netherlands. The IND only accepts a single declaration if she is no more than 6 months old. On the Nederlandwereldwijd.nl website, you can select the country or territory from which your document originated. You will then see how to have the document legalized there. For example, a copy of a birth certificate. The apostille is a stamp (or sticker) of the court on an official document indicating that the signature on the document is authentic. With this stamp, the document is valid abroad. Is the document written in languages other than those mentioned above? In this case, the original document must be accompanied by a certified translation. Click here for more information Legalization is a procedure for making documents suitable for use abroad. To do this, you request an apostille from the court or legalize the document through the Consular Services Centre (CDC). To register with the IND, you usually need official foreign documents. These documents must be legalized and translated into Dutch, English, French or German.

Read what legalization is and where you can legalize and translate documents. Foreign documents must be legalized in their country of origin. If you have a legalization from the authorities of the country from which the document comes, you must also have the document legalized by the competent consular representation of Belgium for that country. You can have your foreign document declared authentic in almost any case. This is usually done in the country from which the document originates. After legalization, your document is ready for use in the Netherlands or in a Dutch embassy. A document with an apostille can only be used in a country that is also a party to the Apostille Convention. The validity period of the apostille for which you need the document with the apostille determines the validity period of the apostille. For this information, please contact the competent authority. You cannot have foreign documents legalised by the municipality of Leiden. You can do this at an embassy, consulate or consular service centre in The Hague.

For more information, see the “Legalization of Foreign Documents” section on the national government`s website. One country may be a party to a legalization treaty that contains agreements on how countries accept official documents from the other. Depending on the country of origin of the document and the type of document, legalization or apostille is required. In some cases, neither legalization nor apostille is required. The Netherlands, like more than a hundred other countries, is a party to the Apostille Convention. These countries agreed among themselves that they would accept each other`s documents if an “apostille” was written on them. This is a special stamp. If a document has an apostille, additional legalization is not necessary. This also applies to an e-apostille (electronic apostille). On the Foreign Affairs website you will find all the information you need by country to legalize (nederlandwereldwijd.nl) your foreign document. The price of a legalization or an apostille is always 20 euros per document. Legalisation does not guarantee that your foreign document will be accepted in Belgium.

The authority that requested your document can check at any time whether the content is correct. For example, this authority may ask you to provide other documents or to have your legalized document reviewed in the country of origin of the document. Note: Documents created in a foreign language for use in Belgium must be translated into one of our national languages. The IND does not legalize or translate the documents itself. Information on where to legalise documents can be found on the Nederland Worldwide website. You will receive the apostille for your Dutch document from a Dutch court. With the Apostille, your document is valid in all countries that participate in the Apostille Convention. Legalization does not prove that the content of the document is correct. Sometimes additional research is required to verify the content of the document. This is called “auditing.” Is a document only verified by a QR code? So we cannot control that. We cannot save the document.

The municipality sometimes asks you to provide original documents. For example, if you want to register, recognize a child, or report your marriage or divorce. To ensure the authenticity and reliability of documents from countries outside the EU, legalisation and apostille are used. Do you want to use a Dutch document (e.g. a diploma) outside the Netherlands? For countries participating in the Apostille Convention, you can really have the document declared with an apostille. This is a stamp or sticker on the document. You will receive the apostille from a court in the Netherlands. After legalization, you can use the document outside the Netherlands. If you ask someone to register for you with a document, no power of attorney is required. Anyone can log in with the document.