What you need to bring with you for immigration

When you arrive in the Netherlands, make sure you bring the following documents:

• a valid passport or European identity card;
• a visa (if applicable);
• your travel documents;
• your insurance documents;
• your birth certificate. 

Legalising documents

A document that is valid in one country may not automatically be recognised in another. If you want to use documents such as a birth certificate or diploma in the Netherlands, you will usually need to have them legalised.

This is normally done by the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in your home country. All documents must also be officially translated into English, Dutch, French or German.  

You can also legalise documents at your home country's embassy in the Netherlands, but this  
process is usually slower and more expensive. We strongly recommend completing the legalisation procedure before you travel.  

If your country is part of the Apostille Convention, you can legalise your documents through a single procedure: the issue of an apostille stamp.