Legalisation of documents from Ukraine for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Ukraine in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Ukrainian 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 Ukrainian 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.
Legalisation of documents in Ukrainian is a two-step process.
Step 1: Having your document translated
If your document is in Ukrainian, you must have the document 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 Ukraine.
- 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 Ukrainian 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 by the Ukrainian embassy in The Hague, have it legalised by the Consular Service Centre.
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 civil status records from the Civil Registry Office (DRATsS). You can request official copies of:
- birth certificates
- marriage certificates
- divorce certificates
- death certificates
In Ukraine
You can get a certificate of unmarried status from a notary.
In the Netherlands
If you are a Ukrainian national, you can get a certificate of unmarried status from the Ukrainian embassy in The Hague.
You are responsible for the content of this certificate. The notary and embassy can only confirm that your signature is genuine.
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.