NetherlandsWorldwide

Legalisation of documents from the Central African Republic for use in the Netherlands

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To use a document from the Central African Republic (CAR) in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the CAR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Attention: If you want to use a Dutch document in the Central African Republic, see Legalisation of Dutch documents for use abroad.

Good to know

  • Documents in Sango must be translated for use in the Netherlands. Documents in French 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.

Step 1: Having your document translated

If your document is in Sango, 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.

Go to step 2.

  1. Have the original document legalised in the Central African Republic.
  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 by the CAR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

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, marriage certificate or death certificate from the sub-prefecture (sous-préfecture) that registered the birth.

Find out from the authorities in the place where the divorce was granted where you can get an official copy of a divorce certificate.

Divorce in Bangui

You can get an official copy of a divorce certificate from the court in Bangui (greffier en chef du tribunal de Bangui)

Divorce outside Bangui

You can get an official copy of the divorce certificate from the sub-prefecture (sous-préfecture) where the divorce was recorded.

Find out from the CAR 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.