Legalisation of documents
JuridConsult takes care of legalisation of the Dutch documents in the Netherlands for their use in another country.
Documents issued in a foreign country must be legalised in order to confirm their validity in another country. Legalisation confirms the authenticity of the stamps and signatures of authorized officials who issued a document. Documents can only be legalised in the country they were issued in, that is, documents issued in The Netherlands can be legalised only in The Netherlands.
Different types of legalisation of documents
Depending on the document type and the country where this document will be used, there are 3 types of legalisation of documents:
- Apostille,
- Ministerial legalisation (legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands) and
- Embassy / consulate legalisation.
Apostille : The Netherlands are subject to The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961, by which the documents valid in one country can be recognized by public authorities and other organizations of another country under the jurisdiction of the Hague convention. In other words, documents with Apostille stamp will automatically be recognized as valid in all countries of The Hague Convention.
In The Netherlands an apostille stamp can be issued in Dutch, English, French and German, Spanish and Italian. JuridConsult offers Apostille translation service as well. It should be noted that not all countries are parties to the Hague Convention. You can find the list of countries that recognize an apostille stamp here.
We also arrange Apostille stamps in Russia, Ukraine and Latvia.
Legalisation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands: Dutch documents that are intended for use abroad can be legalised in one of the Ministries of The Netherlands (that will also depend on the type of document). In many cases, after ministerial legalisation documents should be legalised with an Apostille stamp to certify to the authenticity of the signature of the official who signed the document, the capacity in which that official acted, and when appropriate, the identity of the seal or stamp which the document bears. The Apostille does not validate the contents of the document.
Embassy / consulate legalisation : Unlike Apostille, legalisation at the embassy / consular legalisation is used for documents intended for circulation in states that are not parties to the Hague Convention. Embassy / consular legalisation is carried out in Embassies or consulates of countries where legalised documents will be used.
JuridConsult provides consular legalisation services at the embassies required for authentication of the following Dutch documents (including but not limited to):
Documents issued by the Municipality (Gemeente):
- Birth certificate;
- The certificate of marriage / divorce;
- Extract from the municipality (Uittreksel Gemeente);
Documents issued by Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel):
- Extracts from the Trade Register (KvK);
- The financial statements of the company;
- History of the company;
Documents issued by tax authorities (Belastingdienst):
- Certificate of residence (woonplaatsverklaring);
- Free Sales Certificate (certificaat van vrije verkoop);
Documents issued by the European Medicines Agency:
Documents issued by educational institutions:
- Diploma’s;
- Grade lists or Transcript of Grades;
- Applications;
- Enrolment statements.
If a document which needs to be legalised is not listed above, please contact us for further information and legalisation opportunities. You can leave a message here we will contact you as soon as possible!
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