Attesting Dutch Documents (FAQs)

Yes - the Netherlands is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Dutch documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Dutch documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in the Netherlands, see:
Netherlands Apostille Services

Submission within the European Union
Certain Dutch documents do not require Apostilles when they are presented to authorities of other European Union countries (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).

When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Dutch authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms

Dutch documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a Dutch citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191

Other Dutch documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in other EU countries.

Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
Dutch birth, marriage and death certificates) issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to one of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Dutch certificates of no impediment to marriage are exempt from any formality for submission to the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey

Apostille stamps in the Netherlands are issued for official documents including:

• Civil status certificates (birth, death, marriage and civil partnerships)
• Certificates of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag)
• Dutch university diplomas and course transcripts
• KvK Business Register Extracts
• Deeds of Incorporation and Articles of Association
• Divorce certificates
• Certificates of Origin, Health Certificates, Certificates of Free Sale and GMP Compliance
• Documents issued by the European Medicines Agency
• Other documents certified by a Dutch notary

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in the Netherlands, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Dutch apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Dutch documents, see:
Netherlands Apostille Services

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Dutch document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a Dutch birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in the Netherlands certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in the Netherlands and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because the Netherlands is a member of the Apostille Convention, Dutch documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a Dutch document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Dutch authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in the Netherlands or non-resident embassy accredited to the Netherlands).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in the Netherlands including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

Netherlands Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Dutch documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Netherlands university diploma with Apostille (PDF)
• Netherlands Certificate of Conduct attested by Embassy of Qatar (PDF)
• Netherlands KVK Business Register Extract with Apostille Stamp (PDF)
• Netherlands birth certificate legalized by United Arab Emirates (PDF)
• Netherlands Certificate of Conduct with Apostille Stamp (PDF)
• Netherlands KVK Extract attested by the United Arab Emirates (PDF)
• Netherlands Marriage Certificate with Apostille Stamp (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Extracts and official copies of Dutch birth, death and marriage certificates can be obtained from the Municipality where the birth, death or marriage was registered. A civil status record extract contains only the essential details of the record and can be requested by the person named in the certificate or a direct relative (e.g. spouse, parent, child). An official copy of a civil status record is a copy of the original record stamped and signed by the Registrar of Births, Deaths.

• Amsterdam - Birth, death and marriage certificates
• The Hague - Birth, death and marriage certificates

Apostilles are not required when submitting Dutch certificates of marital status to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union.

A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Dutch authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Apostilles are not required when submitting Dutch Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage issued to the authorities of a country that has acceded to the Munich CIEC Convention. Members of the Munich CIEC Convention are as follows:
Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Dutch birth, death and marriage certificates to the authorities of another Member State of the European Union. A multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a Dutch authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority understand the certificate when in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Dutch birth, marriage and death certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status) should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to countries that have acceded to the Vienna CIEC Convention. The following countries are contracting states of the Vienna Convention:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Certificates of Conduct from the Netherlands (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag) certifying a clean criminal record for emigration purposes can be obtained by making a written request via the municipality or by applying to Justis.

• FAQs - Good Conduct Certificates (in English)
• FAQs - Good Conduct Certificates (in Dutch) (in Dutch)

Applicants who are registered in the Municipal Personal Record Database (BRP) should apply for a Certificate of Conduct from the municipality when the applicant is registered. The application must include evidence from the organisation that is requesting the certificate stating that the certificate is required.

• Apply by written request via the municipality (in Dutch)

Applicants not registered in the Municipal Personal Record Database should apply directly to Justis. Applications can be submitted by email. Certificates will be delivered by post.

• Justis - Certificate of Conduct

Dutch Certificates of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag) have no specific expiry.

Apostilles are not required when submitting Dutch Criminal Record Certificates to another Member State of the European Union when the certificate is issued to a Dutch national and when the criminal record is clean (no convictions). In other cases, the recipient Member State may require an Apostille.

EU Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (EU GDPR)

Dutch university diplomas required for submission to the Authorities of the United Arab Emirates must be legalized by the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) (in Dutch) and then by the Consular Service Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomas can then be attested by the UAE embassy in The Hague.

Dutch university diplomas required for submission to the Authorities of Vietnam must be legalized by the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) (in Dutch) and then by the Consular Service Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomas can then be attested by the Vietnamese embassy in The Hague.

Dutch university diplomas required for submission to the authorities of Taiwan must be legalized by the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) (in Dutch) and then by the Consular Service Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomas can then be attested by the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands.