Legalisation of documents from Senegal for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Senegal in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Good to know
- Documents in French do not have to 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.
Where can you have your document legalised?
Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Senegalese 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 (copie littérale de l’acte de naissance) from the civil status records office of the municipality that registered the birth.
A ‘bulletin de naissance’ or an ‘extrait de naissance’ is not accepted in the Netherlands.
Late registration of birth
If the birth was registered more than a year after it took place, permission for registration will have been given by the court. You will need a court judgment (jugement supplétif) as well as an official copy of the birth certificate.
You can get an official copy of a marriage certificate (copie littérale de l’acte de mariage) from the civil status records office of the municipality where you got married.
You can also request an 'extrait du registre des actes d’état civil’.
You can get an official copy of a divorce certificate (jugement de divorce) from the court that granted the divorce.
You can get an official copy of a death certificate from the civil status records office in the municipality where the death was registered.
Late registration of death
If the death was registered more than a year after it took place, permission for registration will have been given by the court. You will need a declaration of consent (jugement supplétif) from the court as well as an official copy of the death certificate.
You can get a certificate of unmarried status (certificat de célibat) from the municipality that registered your birth. You will need two adult witnesses to swear that you are not married.
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.