Which documents?
Settling in the Netherlands also mean preparing your official Japanese documents. When I speak of “official” documents, I am referring to government documents. The most important and frequently asked foreign documents here in the Netherlands are:
- Birth certificate: all persons residing in the Netherlands need to register themselves at the municipal registry (also called BRP). To this end they will need to submit a birth certificate. A birth certificate is also needed if a residence application for residence is submitted on family grounds for a child.
- Marriage certificate: If a residence application is filed on family grounds for a spouse, then this document is required to prove the marriage.
- Unmarried certificate: It is also possible to file a residence application on family ground for unmarried partners. In these applications both partners have to prove they are not married to someone else (polygamy is illegal) by means of an unmarried certificate.
Other documents such as a death certificate might or notary statements be required for certain cases, but this depends on the merits of the individual application.
Although most documents need to be prepared in Japan, it is possible for persons living in the Netherlands to have an unmarried certificate issued by the Japanese embassy in The Hague.
And then?
It goes without saying that Japanese documents will need to be translated. However, translations into English will accepted by the Dutch authorities.
Because the Dutch authorities have no intricate knowledge of foreign, and thus Japanese, documents, it needs to be assured that the document being presented to them authentic and therefore trustworthy. To achieve this the documents needs to be legalized.
Japanese documents needs to be legalized by a so-called Apostille stampfor use abroad. In short this is an internationally recognized authentication which is issued by the Japanese authorities with which they declare the specific document is an authentic Japanese document. Bear in mind that this Apostille stamp cannot be issued by an embassy or consulate but only by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Important to know that if you had the document translated in Japan, the translation also needs an Apostille stamp.
Your document is now ready for use in the Netherlands!
For questions, reach out to our team at our contactpage or info@arslanlitadvocaten.nl
