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Legalisation of documents from Colombia for use in the Netherlands

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To use a document from Colombia in the Netherlands, you must have it legalised by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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 Colombia, see Legalisation of Dutch documents for use abroad.

Good to know

  • Documents in Spanish 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 Spanish is a two-step process.

Step 1: Having your document translated

If your document is in Spanish, 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 Colombia. You can read how to do that in step 2.
  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.

Your document was issued in Spanish by the Colombian consulate in Oranjestad (Aruba) or Willemstad (Curaçao):

  • You must have the document translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator. 
  • If you have the document translated by a sworn translator in Aruba or Curaçao, have the translation legalised.
  • If you have the 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.

Documents in Spanish issued by the Colombian consulate in Amsterdam must be translated for use in the Netherlands.

  • Have the document translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator. 
  • If you have the 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 Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 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.

Attention: Documents issued by a Colombian consulate do not get an apostille but are legalised in a different way. Find out below how to arrange that.

Your document was issued by the Colombian consulate in Oranjestad (Aruba):

Your document was issued by the Colombian consulate in Willemstad (Curaçao):

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.

Your document was issued by the Colombian consulate in Amsterdam:

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 an official copy of a marriage certificate (copia del folio del registro civil de matrimonio) or death certificate (copia del folio del registro civil de defunción) from the notary who recorded the marriage or death.

You can get an official copy of a birth certificate (copia del folio del registro civil de nacimiento) in 2 ways:

  • From the civil status records office (information in Spanish) in the place of birth (registraduría nacional de la nación / nacional del estado civil). 
  • From the notary who registered the birth.

You can get a certificate of unmarried status (declaración de solteria) from a notary or from the civil status records office (ask for a recent extract that also gives your civil status).

If you are a Colombian national in the Netherlands, you can get the certificate from the Colombian consulate-general in Amsterdam. The consul will confirm your signature. You will then need to have the certificate legalised by the Consular Service Centre in The Hague.

You can get an official copy of a divorce certificate (copia del folio del registro civil de divorcio) from the notary who registered the divorce.

You can get an official copy of the annulment of a Catholic marriage (copia del folio) from the ecclesiastical court (Tribunal Eclesiástico).

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 Colombia.

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.

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