Legalisation of documents from Japan for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Japan in the Netherlands, you must have it legalised by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is done with an apostille. This is a simplified form of legalisation which allows you to use your documents in the Netherlands.
Good to know
- Documents in Japanese must be translated for use in the Netherlands.
- The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs doesn't legalise translations. Therefore always have your document legalised first and only then have it translated.
- Japan has no sworn translators.
- Your document must be original and complete. If it refers to other documents or annexes, these must be included.
Legalisation of documents in Japanese is a three-step process.
Step 1: Having your document legalised
Have your Japanese document legalised with an apostille.
You can get an apostille from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. See the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) website for contact details.
Step 2: Having your document translated
If your document is in Japanese, you must have it translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator.
Have the legalised document translated by a sworn translator.
You can find a sworn translator on the Legal Aid Council website.
A number of translators on that site live in Japan (choose Japanese – Dutch for the languages). Will you have the translation made by one of them and do you need the document for an application at the Dutch embassy in Tokyo? Then you do not need to have the translation legalised.
- Have the original document legalised with an apostille in Japan. Read in step 1 where you do that.
- Have the legalised document translated by a sworn translator in the Netherlands. You do not need to have the translation legalised.
You can find a sworn translator on the Legal Aid Council website.
Once your document and translation have been legalised they are fit for use in the Netherlands.
They are then also fit for use in Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius.
Don’t have the document you need?
Find out below where to obtain a document that you need but do not yet have.
You can get civil status records from the Family Register or from the municipal authorities in the municipality where the event took place.
You can request official copies of:
- birth certificates
- marriage certificates
- divorce certificates
- death certificates
You are currently in Japan
Find out from the Japanese authorities where you can obtain a certificate of unmarried status.
You are currently in the Netherlands
The Japanese embassy in The Hague can draw up a certificate of unmarried status based on an extract from the Family Register.
You must then have this certificate legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Service Centre.
If you have an official copy of an entry in the Family Register (with or without an apostille), the Japanese embassy in The Hague can issue a consular declaration in English.
You must then have this consular declaration legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Service Centre. Take the original Japanese official copy with you.
If you need another type of document, ask the local authorities where you can get this document.
After legalisation
Verification of your document in the Netherlands
Legalisation does not prove the authenticity of a document or the truthfulness of its content. A municipality in the Netherlands, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) or another authority may decide to verify these things. Legalisation of your document simply means that your document bears the correct signature.
How recently must your document have been issued or legalised
Organisations have different requirements for how recently your document must have been issued and legalised. For more information, contact the organisation in the Netherlands requesting the document.
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.