Go to content
Logo Dutch GovernmentTo the homepage of netherlandsworldwide.nl
NetherlandsWorldwide

Legalisation of documents from Brunei Darussalam for use in the Netherlands

To use a document from Brunei in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Brunei High Court. This is done with an apostille. This is a simplified form of legalisation which allows you to use your documents in the Netherlands.

Attention: If you want to use a Dutch document in Brunei, see Legalisation of Dutch documents for use abroad.

Good to know

  • Documents in Malay must be translated for use in the Netherlands. Documents in English do not have to be translated.
  • Your document must be original and complete. If it refers to other documents or annexes, these must be included.

Legalisation of documents in Malay is a two-step process.

Step 1: Having your document translated

If your document is in Malay, you must have it translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator.

  1. Have the document translated by a sworn translator.
  2. Have the original and the translation legalised with an apostille.

Go to step 2.

  1. Have the original document legalised with an apostille in Brunei.
  2. 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 of your document

Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised with an apostille.

You can get an apostille from the High Court of Brunei Darussalam. See the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) website for contact details.

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 official copies of these documents in one of the following ways:

  • From the State Medical Officer in Bandar Seri Begawan or Kuala Belait
  • From the Superintendent of Births and Deaths in the region where the birth or death took place.

You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate in one of the following ways:

  • From the office of the Registrar of Marriages in Bandar Seri Begawan
  • From the regional registrar who registered or conducted the marriage ceremony.

You can get a certificate of unmarried status in one of the following ways:

  • Non-Muslims can get this document from the Registry of Civil Marriages in Bandar Seri Begawan. 
  • Muslims can get this document from the Sharia court.

You can an official copy of a divorce certificate from the Sharia court that registered or granted the divorce.

If you need another type of document, ask the local authorities where you can get this document.

Help with obtaining documents and having them legalised

The Consular Service Centre can assist Dutch nationals with obtaining documents and having them legalised in Brunei.

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.

More about legalisation