Legalisation of documents from Ethiopia for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Ethiopia in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Good to know
- Documents in Amharic 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.
Step 1: Having your document translated
If your document is in Amharic, 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 Ethiopia.
- 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 Ethiopian 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 an official copy of a birth certificate or death certificate from the municipal records office (kebele) that registered the birth or death.
You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate from the municipal records office (kebele) that registered the marriage.
Sharia marriage
Sharia marriage certificates are not accepted in the Netherlands. You must first register your certificate with the municipal records office (kebele) in the place where you got married. The kebele can also provide you with an official copy of the certificate.
To get an official copy of a divorce certificate you must first register the written court judgment with the municipal records office (kebele). The kebele can also provide you with an official copy of the certificate.
You can get a certificate of unmarried status (non-marital certificate) from the municipal records office (kebele).
If you need another type of document, ask the local authorities where you can get this document.
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.