Legalising your documents

Legalisation

Legalisation is the verification that a document has been issued by the relevant authority and that the signature on the document is that of the signatory. Once a foreign document has been legalised, the Dutch authorities consider it to be legally valid in the Netherlands.

Legalisation has to take place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the document was issued as well as at the Dutch embassy or consulate in that same country.

Apostille

If the country that issued your document has signed the Apostille Convention, your document does not require legalisation by the Dutch embassy or consulate. In these cases an ‘apostille’ will be sufficient. Contact the designated authority in the relevant country for further information on how to obtain an apostille.

You can find more information on legalising your documents on the website of the Dutch government.