Legalisation of documents from Angola for use in the Netherlands
You want to use a document from Angola in the Netherlands. You must first have it legalised by the Angolan Ministry of Exterior Relations. Then you must have it legalised by the Dutch embassy in Luanda.
Good to know
- Documents in Portuguese 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.
Legalisation of documents in Portuguese is a three-step process.
Step 1: Having your document translated
If your document is in Portuguese, 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 Angola.
- 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 Angolan authorities
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Angolan Ministry of Exterior Relations (information in Portuguese).
Step 3: Legalisation by the Dutch embassy in Luanda
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Dutch embassy in Luanda.
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 can take up to 1 week.
- The embassy will contact you when your document is ready.
The embassy does not send documents by post.
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 where to obtain a document that you need but do not yet have.
You can get an official copy of a birth certificate from the municipality where the birth was registered. You will need your personal identity document called ‘cédula pessoal’ for this. You can get the document in person, or have someone else do so on your behalf.
You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate or divorce certificate from the civil status records office (Conservatória do Registo Civil) in the municipality where you are registered.
You can get an official copy of a death certificate from the civil status records office in the municipality where the person died.
You can use your residence certificate (atestado de residencia), with an affidavit attached, as a certificate of unmarried status. An affidavit is a written statement made under oath in the presence of a notary.
If you need to obtain another type of document, find out from the local authorities where you can do that.
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.