Legalizing and verifying foreign documents

The municipality sometimes asks you to show original documents. For example:

  • if you want to register
  • acknowledge a child or
  • report your marriage or divorce

If it concerns foreign documents, the municipality wants to be certain that your foreign documents are genuine and reliable. Therefore, ensure legalisation or verification of your document.

  • Legalisation means having official confirmation that your document is genuine. You do this in the country where your document was drawn up.
  • Verification means that you have the content of your document checked to ensure it is reliable. You can arrange this at the municipality.

What do I need to do?

How you legalize your document depends on the country where your document was drawn up. If the Netherlands has concluded a treaty on legalization with that country, legalization will be easier.

The Netherlands DOES have a treaty with the country of your document:

  • Go to the Dutch embassy or Dutch consulate in the country where your document was created. They will legalise your document.
  • Is the country a signatory to the Apostille Convention? Then you only need to have an apostille stamp on your document. You can request the apostille stamp from an official body in the country where your document was drawn up. This is usually the Minister of Security and Justice or the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Netherlands does NOT have a treaty with the country of your document:

  • First have your document legalized in the country where it was drawn up. Usually, this can be done at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in that country. Then go to the Dutch embassy or Dutch consulate in that country. They will legalize your document again.

Verify document

Request verification of your document from the municipality. The municipality will then send your document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry will then check whether the content of your document is reliable.

Which documents can I have legalized?

You can only have original documents legalized or verified. This often concerns the following documents:

  • will;
  • birth certificate;
  • marriage certificate;
  • divorce certificate;
  • death certificate;
  • court decision.