Schmidt & Schmidt covers the full spectrum of legalization services for documents issued in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands joined the Hague Convention on the Simplified Authentication of Documents on 9 August 1965; the Convention entered into force on 8 October 1965.
The apostille, or the “Hague apostille” is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document (e.g., a birth, marriage or death certificate, a judgment, an extract of a register or a notarial attestation). It confirms the authenticity of the signature and the authority of an official who signed the public document.
Documents issued in the Netherlands are certified with an apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention of 1961 are recognized in all Member States of the Hague Convention and do not require any other form of certification, such as consular legalization, which considerably reduces the costs and time required for the certification of documents. So far, more than 120 states have joined the Convention.
The apostille is not sufficient for use in the states that are not party to the Hague Convention. In this case, consular legalization applies to a public document.
Designated Competent Apostille Authorities in the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands designates specific Rechtbanken (district courts) as the competent authorities for issuing apostilles. These Rechtbanken play a crucial role in facilitating the process of obtaining an apostille for documents. The contact information for these designated Rechtbanken can be easily accessed by visiting the official website.
If you are in the Netherlands and need to obtain an apostille for your documents, you can do so through the district courts. The Netherlands has a network of district courts spread across different regions. To find the nearest district court that can issue an apostille for your documents, you can refer to the comprehensive list of district courts provided on their official website.
The apostille in the Netherlands is a square stamp in Dutch with the obligatory heading "Apostille" and a reference to the 1961 Hague Convention in French (Convention de La Haye du 5 octobre 1961). The apostille certificate’s sides will be at least 9 centimeters long.
Types of documents
| Can be apostillized | Cannot be apostillized |
|---|---|
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Specific aspects and document requirements for the apostille in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the process of obtaining an apostille involves applying at any district court of your choice. This service is subject to a fee. You have the option to either personally submit the application or delegate the task to a representative without the need for specific authorization. It's important to note that the application procedures may vary between different courts. This provides flexibility, allowing you to select the district court that is most convenient for you to visit.
Document requirements that might apply:
- The document must be an original or a certified copy issued by the competent authority.
- The document should contain all relevant and accurate information.
- The document must be in the official language of the issuing country or translated into the official language of the country where the apostille is sought.
- The apostille must be affixed by the designated competent authority in accordance with regulations.
The apostille is issued in a uniform format. In the Netherlands, it has the form of a printed sticker with a handwritten signature of an official, an official seal, and a hologram.
In cases where apostilles are not recognized, holders of foreign documents will need to legalize them instead. However, If the country of destination of the document recognizes and issues apostilles, then legalization is unnecessary.
Legalization of Dutch educational documents for use abroad
In order for educational documents issued in the Netherlands, such as school reports, university degree certificates, transcripts of records, enrollment certificates, and other certificates from schools or universities, to be valid and recognized abroad, they must undergo a process of certification through legalization or apostille.
The process will generally involve submitting your educational documents to the designated authority along with the required fee. Once the apostille is affixed to your documents, it serves as an internationally recognized endorsement of their authenticity. This is particularly important when presenting your educational credentials to foreign institutions, employers, or authorities.
Recognition of the authenticity of public documents within the EU
Documents from countries with which the Netherlands has bilateral agreements for exemption from legalization are not required to undergo any form of legalization procedures. Some of these include:
- Agreement between SFRY and the Kingdom of Belgium on Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters;
- Convention between SFRY and the Republic of France on issuing documents on personal status and the exemption from legalization;
- Agreement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Croatian Republic on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters from 15 September 1997;
- Agreement between SFRY and the Republic of Cyprus on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal Matters from 19 September 1984;
- Agreement between the Netherlands and the Republic of Macedonia on Legal Assistance in Civil and Criminal matters.
Contracting states of the Vienna CIEC Convention of 08.09.1976 (issuance of multilingual extracts from civil status registers: birth, marriage, and death certificate) are:
- Austria, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Italy, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal , Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey.
Contracting states of the Munich CIEC Convention of 05.09.1980 (issuance of multilingual certificates of marriageability) are:
Regulation on public documents (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016
Furthermore, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016 on public documents simplifies the circulation of certain public documents that must be presented in an EU Member State and have been issued in another EU Member State, thus exempting public documents from the confirmation of authenticity with the Apostille with the aim of reducing administrative burden and costs for citizens.
Marriage in the Netherlands: what you need to know
Like in most countries worldwide, to get married in the Netherlands if you live abroad there are a couple of requirements that have to be met. For example, either you or your partner must be Dutch or residing there. Apart from the requirements, there are also a number of necessary documents you need. The exact documents you need depend on the municipality where you intend to get married. These documents are not always valid and recognized by themselves and might need to be legalized or translated.
Documents you may need
- Declaration of unmarried status
- Personal declaration – no sham marriage
- Personal declaration – residence rights
- Residence permit
- Certificate of legal capacity to marry
Certificate of legal capacity to marry
Have you lived in the Netherlands, or are you a Dutch citizen currently residing abroad? If so, you'll need to request a certificate of legal capacity to marry (verklaring van huwelijksbevoegdheid) from the municipality where you live or last lived. If you left the Netherlands as a minor, the application must also be made at the last municipality you resided in. This certificate remains valid for six months from the date it is issued.
Important: Be sure to check the specific requirements on your municipality’s website, as the necessary documents may vary.
Required Documents
To obtain a certificate of legal capacity to marry, you will need to provide copies of the following:
- a valid Dutch identity document
- an extract from the register of birth
- a civil status extract confirming you are unmarried (must be no older than 12 months)
- a divorce certificate if you were previously married
Required Documents for your Non-Dutch Partner
When applying for a certificate of legal capacity to marry, your non-Dutch partner must provide the following documents:
- A passport or valid identity document
- An official document confirming their current address (this varies by country)
- A declaration confirming they are unmarried
Consular legalization of Dutch documents for use abroad
Consular legalization is the process of authenticating or certifying a legal document so a foreign country's legal system will recognize it as with full legal effect that is carried out by the diplomatic or consular mission of the country in which the document is to be used.
Should a document be used in a country that does not recognize the Hague Convention, such as Thailand, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates or other countries not listed as a contracting party, the procedure of consular legalization, also called “embassy attestation”, applies. For a complete list of countries that accept and use apostilles, click here.
Consular legalization is more complex, time-consuming and costly than the simpler apostille procedure. Whereas apostille is usually issued within one step, consular legalization requires several pre-certifications before a public document can be certified at the embassy or consulate of the destination country.
It is a common requirement that the document has to be translated into the official language of the destination country before submission to the embassy. It is up to the diplomatic mission to decide about the authentication procedure.
The main differences between an apostille and consular legalization of documents
The common feature between apostille and consular legalization is that they authenticate an official document for presentation to institutions in another country. However, they have many differences.
| Apostille | Consular legalization | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal effect | Can be used in all countries that are party to the Hague Convention on the Simplified Legalization of Documents. | Use between States one or both of which is not a member of the Hague Convention, or where one of the contracting States has protested the accession of the other. |
| Difficulty | Moderate. To obtain an apostille, contact the competent apostille authority of the state of origin of the document. | High. For consular legalization, various inland authorities and a diplomatic mission of the state of destination must be involved. |
| Pre-certification | Usually not required. | Is obligatory. |
| Attestation at the state of destination embassy in the state of origin of the document | No need to contact the Consulate of the country of destination. | Is the final step of legalization. |
Apostille and consular legalization in all cities of the Netherlands
Schmidt & Schmidt provides apostille and consular legalization services for public documents originating from all regions across the Netherlands. We handle the entire process, from document review to obtaining the necessary certifications, ensuring that your documents are valid and recognized internationally. With our reliable services, you can confidently use your Dutch public documents abroad.
Procurement of documents from the Netherlands
If the important documents are lost or damaged, or current copies of the documents are needed, the re-issue of the documents is required. It is not unusual for people outside the Netherlands to encounter difficulties with obtaining new documents when abroad. Our consultants will help you procure new documents from the Netherlands remotely, and we can arrange for your documents to be sent by courier anywhere in the world.
Certified translation of documents from the Netherlands
Copies and transcripts of civil status documents can be translated into any language by a sworn translator in the Netherlands or the translation can be done in the country of destination. We offer certified translations of civil status documents with further certification. The cost of the work is calculated according to the volume of the document in question.
Does the translation have to be apostillized?
Any foreign document issued in one country and used in another country must be legalized for use abroad. Therefore, the authenticity of a certified translation from the Netherlands needs to be certified by an apostille. Consequently, many authorities may not accept certified translations from the Netherlands if the translation has not been properly authenticated in the Netherlands for use abroad. To avoid this confusion, translations should better be made in the state of the destination of the document.
