NetherlandsWorldwide

Legalisation of documents from Syria for use in the Netherlands

To use a document from Syria in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Dutch embassy in Damascus is closed.

Attention: If you want to use a Dutch document in Syria, see Legalisation of Dutch documents for use abroad.

Good to know

  • Documents in Arabic 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.

Step 1: Having your document translated

If your document is in Arabic, 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.

Go to step 2.

  1. Have the original document legalised in Syria.
  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.

Go to step 2.

Step 2: Legalisation of your document

Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Syrian 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. A Syrian family book is not accepted as sufficient proof in the Netherlands that a certain fact has taken place. But you can use it as supporting evidence together with any of the following documents:

You can get a birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate or death certificate from the Civil Affairs Department of the Ministry of Interior.

You can get a certificate of unmarried status from the Civil Affairs Department of the Syrian Ministry of Interior.

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.