You can register a foreign marriage certificate with the National Task Department of the City of The Hague (only available in Dutch: afdeling Landelijke Taken van de gemeente Den Haag). You can do this even if you don`t live in the Netherlands yet. The foreign marriage certificate is then converted into a Dutch marriage certificate. The original marriage certificate will be archived. You can request a copy from the Municipality of The Hague at any time. You can use this copy for your application to the IND. You do not need to resubmit a legally legalized marriage certificate abroad. If you are registered with a municipality in the Netherlands, you can request a copy of the certificate from the municipality. To obtain your visa, permit or registration with the municipality, you may need one or more legalized documents, such as your birth certificate.
You need to arrange this before you leave for the Netherlands. In most cases, it is possible to have your foreign document legalized. This is usually done in the country where the document was created. After legalization, your document will be ready for use in the Netherlands or at a Dutch embassy. If you want to use a document from the United States in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalized by the US authorities. This is done with an apostille. This is a simplified form of legalisation that allows you to use your documents in the Netherlands. Decree establishing a common guideline for the evaluation of foreign documents by legalization and verification, Articles 2 and 3 legalization makes an official document suitable for use in another country. For example, a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or declaration of individual status. Upon legalization, your document will be checked to see if it was issued by the correct organization. Documents are legalized with a stamp or sticker.
Your document will then be ready for use in the Netherlands. Legalization can take a long time, so be sure to start the process early. If the country that issued your document has signed the Apostille Convention, your document does not need to be certified by the Dutch embassy or consulate. In these cases, an «apostille» is sufficient. Contact the designated authority of the country concerned for more information on obtaining an apostille. As a general rule, you will need your documents from abroad to be official when applying for IND. These documents must be certified and translated into Dutch, English, French or German. Find out what legalization is and where you can legalize and translate documents. Anyone applying for a Dutch visa must submit a list of documents to the competent Dutch authorities. These documents may include vital statistics documents (such as marriage and birth certificates), court orders, or university degrees.
You can search for the country or territory where your document was created on the netherlandsworldwide.nl website. You will then see a list of authorities authorized to legalize a document. For example, a birth certificate. For most documents, the IND does not verify the date it was issued and legalized. The details of these documents are clear. For example, a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate. The prerequisite is that the document has been legalised for use in the Netherlands. The IND only accepts an individual status statement if it is no more than 6 months old. The Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken – BZ (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) in The Hague has a legalisation office where you can submit documents for legalisation.
This counter is called Consulair Service Centre – CDC (Consular Service Centre). In some cases, the CDC may legalize a document for you or help you do so. Visit the netherlandsworldwide.nl website for information on situations where legalization or mediation through the CDC is possible. If the foreign country in which you are presenting the document is part of the Apostille Convention, you must obtain an apostille stamp. A list of Apostille Convention member countries is available on the website of the HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law). The apostille is a validation stamp that ensures the recognition of a particular document in certain countries (countries that have exempted the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 on exemption from legalization of foreign public documents). Neither the U.S. Consulate General nor the U.S.
Embassy is authorized to issue apostilles or assist with their supply. A document is only valid in the country where it was issued, unless it bears the correct apostille. If your document was issued by the U.S. Consulate in Willemstad (Curaçao), have it legalized by the Department of External Relations (DBB) (information in Dutch) in Willemstad. Where you can get civil status records depends on your state or territory. See the website of the National Centre for Health Statistics. You can obtain an apostille from the US authorities. Contact details are available on the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Since these types of documents are issued in the applicant`s country of residence, they must be legalized to be eligible in the Netherlands. Before the authorities in your country can legalize your document with an apostille stamp, the documents must also meet the standard. If you want to use a Dutch document in the United States, see Legalizing Dutch documents for use abroad.
The Dutch central authorities responsible for issuing apostilles are the 19 district courts of the Netherlands (Arrondissementsrechtbanken). The signature of the Dutch notary (notary) must be deposited with a district court in order for that court to issue an apostille. It is therefore advisable to inquire with the notary about the district court that has deposited its signature. If the foreign country is not part of the Apostille Convention or the EU, you must have your documents legalized at the embassy or consulate of the foreign country. The Dutch authorities must first confirm their authenticity. The only documents that do not require translation are multilingual extracts from civil status certificates, as they are issued in nine languages. First, the document must be original and complete and contain any other documents or annexes to which it refers. If this is not the case, you will have to have them translated by a sworn translator. Your translator must be certified by a Dutch court. If a document bears an apostille stamp, the Dutch authorities accept it as valid for use in the Netherlands.