Official Document Translation & Legalisation Map
Interactive index of country-specific requirements for certified translations, sworn translations, apostilles, and consular legalization for official submissions worldwide.
Translation Standard
Sworn Translator
Certified Translation
Notarised Translation
Not mapped yet
Netherlands
Sworn translation standard
Requirements Summary
Apostille required
Required for foreign documents, depending on country of origin
Who can translate
Translator sworn before a Dutch court and registered with Bureau Wbtv
Accepted languages
Dutch, English, French, or German (depending on authority)
Legalization agency
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Official registry
Register of Sworn Interpreters and Translators (Bureau Wbtv)Official guidelines
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) – Translation and LegalisationImportant: If an apostille or legalisation is required for a foreign document,
it must generally be obtained before the sworn translation is submitted to Dutch authorities.
Detailed Guidelines
Who can translate
Only translators who have been sworn in before a Dutch court and are registered
in the official Register beëdigde tolken en vertalers (Rbtv),
maintained by Bureau Wbtv, may issue sworn translations in the Netherlands.
Registered translators use an official stamp and signature to certify their work.
What makes a translation official
A sworn translation must include the translator’s stamp and signature
and a declaration confirming that the translation is a true and complete representation
of the original document.
The translation is typically attached to the original document (or certified copy)
so that both can be verified together.
Documents from abroad
Foreign official documents usually need to be legalised or apostilled
in the issuing country before use in the Netherlands.
If the translation is carried out outside the Netherlands by a non-Dutch sworn translator,
additional legalisation of the translation may be required.
Legal basis
Sworn translators in the Netherlands are regulated under the
Wet beëdigde tolken en vertalers (Wbtv).
Translators must meet qualification and integrity requirements and are supervised by Bureau Wbtv.
Dutch authorities, including the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND),
may refuse documents that do not meet these formal requirements.