Apostille in the Netherlands

A document which is legal in one country is not necessarily legal in another. That is why you must have official Dutch documents legalized for use abroad. In other words, a competent authority that issued a document should declare that it is official and genuine, which confirms the authenticity of the signature on the document.

If you wish to use documents from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in other countries, you have to first check if the target country is party to so-called the Hague Convention in order to establish whether an Apostille or diplomatic legalization is required: based on the receiving country, an Apostille regarding the countries participating in the Convention and legalization with respect to the countries which have not joined the Convention.

For example, Dutch documents with an Apostille(a stamp or sticker) is officially recognized in South Korea since both are affiliated via the Convention. This means that in ‘Apostille countries’, the documents do not need to be legalized by the Embassy or consulate. An affixed Apostille will suffice.

In the Netherlands, you can apply for an Apostille from any district courts: district court Noord-Holland, Amsterdam, Noord-Nederland, Overijssel, Gelderland, Midden-Nederland, Limburg, Zeeland-West-Brabant, Oost-Brabant, Rotterdam, Den Haag. And  an Apostille applies to administrative documents (such as diplomas, birth, death, marriage certificate), documents from judicial authorities, notarial deeds, et cetera.

How to get more information

If you have any troubles about apostilling your Dutch documents, we, KICPC are here to help. Our experts specialize in navigating Apostille process on behalf of our clients. We also invite you to just search ‘Netherlands’ on our website or to reach out our staff for accurate advice. We’ll explain our Apostille service for you and answer any questions you have. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us +82 2 747 2185 or apo2@allminwon.com We would welcome the chance to discuss your needs.