legalisation of nigerian documents
Legalisation of documents from Nigeria for use in the Netherlands
To use a document from Nigeria in the Netherlands, you must first have it legalised by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Documents in English 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 legalised by the Nigerian 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.
Find out below where to obtain a document that you need but do not yet have.
Birth certificates
Only the original birth certificate issued by the National Population Commission (NPC) or a legalised photocopy of the original birth certificate can be used in the Netherlands.
The NPC is the only authority that can issue birth certificates. Have the certificate or photocopy legalised by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Unregistered births before 14 December 1992: age declaration
If you were born before 14 December 1992 and your birth was never legally registered with the local government authorities (LGA), you will need the following 2 documents in the Netherlands:
- On age declaration (statutory declaration / affidavit of age) issued by the High Court in the state where you were born, live or most recently lived
Make sure the declaration includes your parents’ names. Do not remove the photographs from the declaration. Without photos the declaration will not be accepted as proof by a Dutch municipality or the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). - A cover letter from the NPC, stating your parents’ names.
Born between 14 December 1992 and 1 January 1995
If you were born between 14 December 1992 and 1 January 1995 and your birth was legally registered with the local government authorities (LGA), you will need to provide a certified true copy of the LGA registration document.
Certificates of unmarried status
To prove you are unmarried, you will need the following 2 documents:
- A single status certificate (affidavit of bachelorhood/spinsterhood)
You can get this certificate from the High Court in the state where you live or most recently lived. - An attestation of marital status
You can get this certificate from the local authority in the state where you live or most recently lived.
Marriage certificates
You can get a marriage certificate from the Federal Marriage Registry.
Register the marriage with the Federal Ministry of Interior through the re-issue procedure. Marriage certificates for statutory marriages are drawn up and issued according to the Statutory Marriage Act. If your marriage was not a statutory marriage, register the marriage with the Federal Ministry of Interior.
Death certificates
You can get a death certificate from the National Population Commission (NPC). They are the only authority permitted to issue this document. f you need another type of document, ask the local authorities where you can get this document.
Help with applying for documents and having them legalised
The Consular Service Centre in The Hague can assist Dutch nationals with applying for documents and having them legalised in Nigeria.
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. For marriage certificates or birth certificates: when you obtained and or legalised one of these certificates is not important, as they remain valid once they have been legalised.
