Legalisation of documents from Indonesia for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Indonesia in the Netherlands, you must have it legalised with an apostille by the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights. This is a simplified form of legalisation which allows you to use your documents in the Netherlands.
Good to know
- Original Indonesian civil status records from before 27 December 1949 do not need to be legalised. You can have your record from the former Dutch East Indies entered into the Register of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships at the municipality of The Hague’s Foreign Documents Department (Afdeling Landelijke Taken).
- Original civil status records from the former Dutch New Guinea from before 1 October 1962 do not need to be legalised. You can have your record entered into the Register of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Registered Partnerships at the municipality of The Hague’s Foreign Documents Department (Afdeling Landelijke Taken).
- Many records from the former Dutch New Guinea from the period 1946 to 1962 are kept at the National Archives in The Hague. You can get an official copy by sending an email to info@nationaalarchief.nl. Include your full name, and date and place of birth.
- 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 Indonesian, 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 Indonesia.
- 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 Indonesian authorities
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised with an apostille by the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights. 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.
Civil status records offices have different names in different provinces and cities. The following authorities issue original and valid documents:
- Kantor Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil
- Kantor Pendaftaran Penduduk Dan Catatan Sipil
- Dinas Kependudukan
- Tenaga Kerja Dan Social
- Dinas Tenaga Kerja
- Mobilitas Dan Pendaftaran Penduduk
Don’t have the document you need?
Find out below where to obtain a document that you need but do not yet have.
Find out from the Indonesian authorities where you can get a birth certificate, divorce certificate or death certificate.
Muslim marriage
When you got married, you received a marriage book from the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama, KUA). This marriage book is your marriage certificate.
Have the marriage book legalised by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs and then get an apostille from the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
Non-Muslim marriage
You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate from the civil status records office.
General
Get a declaration from the head of your community or neighbourhood (lurah, ketua rukun tetangga or ketua rukun warga) stating that you are unmarried. You can only do this if you are an Indonesian national. You must then have this declaration signed by the district head (camat).
You are Muslim
Hand in the signed declaration at the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama, KUA). You will receive a valid certificate of unmarried status.
You are not Muslim
Hand in the signed declaration at the civil status records office. You will receive a valid certificate of unmarried status.
If you need to obtain another type of document, find out from the local authorities where you can do that.
Help with applying for documents and having them legalised
The Consular Service Centre can assist Dutch nationals with applying for documents and having them legalised in Indonesia.
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.