Legalisation of documents from Kuwait for use in the Netherlands
You want to use a document from Kuwait in the Netherlands. You must first have it legalised by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then you must have it legalised by the Dutch embassy in Kuwait City.
Good to know
- Documents in Arabic must be translated for use in the Netherlands.
- Your document must be original and complete. If it refers to other documents or annexes, these must be included.
Step 1: Having your document translated
If your document is in Arabic, you must have it translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator.
- Have the document translated by a sworn translator.
- Have the original and the translation legalised.
Go to step 2.
- Have the original document legalised in Kuwait.
- 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.
Go to step 2.
Step 2: Legalisation by the Kuwaiti authorities
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Step 3: Legalisation by the Dutch embassy in Kuwait City
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Dutch embassy in Kuwait City.
To have a document legalised you need to make an appointment online.
The overview of consular fees tells you how much you will have to pay and which payment methods are accepted.
- Legalisation usually takes 1 working day.
- The embassy will contact you when your document is ready.
- The embassy does not send documents by post.
Documents can be collected on the following days:
- If you brought your document for legalisation on a Monday, you can collect it the following Wednesday between 14.00 and 15.00.
- If you brought your document for legalisation on a Wednesday, you can collect it the following Monday between 14.00 and 15.00.
Someone else may collect the document for you if they can present the receipt. Check which days the embassy is closed.
Once your document has been legalised it is fit for use in the Netherlands.
It is 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 a birth certificate or death certificate from the central register of births and deaths, which is part of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.
Find out from the Kuwaiti authorities where you can get an official copy of a marriage or divorce certificate.
Find out from the Kuwaiti authorities where you can get a certificate of unmarried status.
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.