Translation and legalisation of documents

Last update: 15 July 2024

You usually need your official foreign documents when you apply to the IND. These documents must be legalised and translated.

Find out what legalisation is and where you can have documents legalised and translated.

Legalisation of documents

Legalisation is making an official document suitable for use in another country. For example a birth certificate, marriage certificate or single status declaration. During legalisation, your document is checked to find out if it was issued by the right organisation. Documents are usually legalised with a stamp or sticker. After this, your document will be ready to use in the Netherlands. Legalisation can take a lot of time, so make sure to start the process early on.

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  • Where can you have a document legalised?

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  • Validity of documents and legalisation

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  • Already legalised documents

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  • Conversion of foreign marriage certificate into Dutch marriage certificate

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Translation of documents

If your document is not written in Dutch, English, French or German, then you must have it translated into one of these languages. You can have the document translated in the Netherlands or abroad.

Translation in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the translator must have been sworn in by a Dutch court. You can search for a sworn translator on the website www.bureauwbtv.nl (only available in Dutch).

Translation abroad

You can also have your document translated abroad. Usually, you need to have the document and the translation legalised. For the process per country, see the Netherlands worldwide website.