Legalisation of documents from Bhutan for use in the Netherlands

Anyone who has one or more documents from Bhutan can have them legalised for use in any part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands:

• the European part of the Netherlands
• Aruba
• Bonaire
• Curaçao
• Saba
• St Eustatius
• St Maarten

Your document must be original and complete. If the document refers to other documents or annexes, these must be included.

Translation of your document

If your document is not in English, French, German or Dutch you might need to have it translated. The following rules apply:

• Your document must be translated by a sworn translator.
• It must be translated into English, French, German or Dutch.
• If the sworn translator is registered outside the Netherlands, you must also have the translation legalised.

You can have various documents legalised, such as diplomas and certificates. The most common documents are extracts from civil status records:

• an official copy of a birth certificate
• an official copy of a death certificate

You can get these documents from the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. First you need to get a letter from the population register, which is maintained by the Bhutanese Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs.

Certificate of unmarried status

You can get a certificate of unmarried status (single status certificate) from the court in your district.

Official copy of a marriage certificate

You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate from the court in the district where you got married.

Official copy of a divorce certificate

You can get an official copy of a divorce certificate from the court where the divorce was granted. If the divorce was not granted through the courts, ask the Bhutanese authorities where you can get this document.

Have your document legalised by the Bhutanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After these legalisation procedures, you can use your document in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Consular Service Centre (CDC) cannot help you apply for documents from Bhutan or have documents legalised for you.

The stamp or sticker on your document means only that the correct signature is on your document. Legalisation does not prove that the content is correct or that the document is authentic. A municipality in the Netherlands, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) or another authority may decide to check this.