Legalisation of documents from Kosovo for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Kosovo in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Kosovan authorities. This is done with an apostille. This is a simplified form of legalisation which allows you to use your documents in the Netherlands.
Good to know
- Documents in Albanian 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 Albanian is a two-step process.
Step 1: Having your document translated
If your document is in Albanian, 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 with an apostille.
Go to step 2.
- Have the original document legalised with an apostille in Kosovo.
- 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 Kosovan authorities. 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.
If your document was issued in English by the Kosovan embassy in Brussels, have it legalised by the Consular Service Centre in The Hague.
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 the following documents from the civil status records office:
- birth certificates
- marriage certificates
- death certificates
You can get a certificate of unmarried status from the civil status records office.
You can get an official copy of a divorce certificate from the court that granted the divorce.
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.