Neither the U.S. Consulate General nor the U.S. Embassy is authorized to provide apostilles or assist in obtaining them.
The Apostille is a validation stamp ensuring that a particular document is recognized in certain foreign countries (countries that signed The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents).
A document is only valid in the country in which it was issued unless it has the proper apostille.
In the United States the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State of the individual U.S. states provides the Apostille. (Please click here for the contact details of your state.)
The designated Dutch central authorities competent to issue apostilles are the 19 district courts in The Netherlands (Arrondissementsrechtbanken). The Dutch notary’s (notaris) signature must be deposited at a district court in order for that court to provide an apostille. It is therefore advisable to inquire at the notaris which district court has his/her signature on file.
Dutch district courts provide apostilles for documents signed by Dutch notaries, officials of the Chamber of Commerce, civil registries, courts and sworn translators. A fee is charged for this service.
These apostilles (certifications) will not require any further legalization by the American Consulate General in order to be recognized in the United States or the Netherlands.
If you have a document which needs an apostille, you should contact the relevant authority in the state where your document was issued.
Please note that where both countries have signed The Hague Convention, the Apostille procedure has to be followed.
