Notarising Immigration Documents for a Netherlands Visa Application from Australia

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is the only reliable source on what your application needs. Its rules change, and so do its web addresses.

For a Dutch residence permit, Australians are in an unusually good position on three counts. They do not need a provisional residence visa before travelling. The IND accepts documents in English without translation. And it asks for no police certificate, only a declaration. What it does want is Australian civil documents with an apostille, and for most of them that is a job for DFAT alone. A notary may not be needed at all.

No provisional visa for Australians

Most non-EU nationals need a provisional residence permit, the MVV, before they can travel to the Netherlands for a long stay. The IND lists Australian nationals as exempt. In practice, that means Australians can usually travel and deal with the residence permit and biometrics in the Netherlands, at an IND desk.

That changes where your documents end up, not what they need. Prepare your Australian documents before you leave. The one piece of good news if you forget: the IND says apostilles on Australian documents can also be obtained from the Australian Embassy in The Hague, not only from DFAT in Australia.

If you hold a passport other than Australian, the exemption list for that passport is what matters.

What the IND asks for

Apostilled originals

The Dutch government's page on Australian documents says they need an apostille from DFAT, or from the Australian Embassy in The Hague. The document must be original and complete, including any annexes it refers to.

The documents this usually applies to are civil-status documents: birth, marriage and death certificates. For family migration, for example joining a partner, the marriage certificate is the obvious one. For registering a child, the birth certificate.

You may not need a notary. Birth, death and marriage certificates from a state or territory registry are public documents, and DFAT can generally apostille them directly. Confirm with DFAT before booking a notary for a registry certificate. The IND wants the apostilled original, not a notarised photocopy of it.

Order the standard registry certificate, not a commemorative certificate.

No translation for English documents

The IND accepts documents in Dutch, English, French and German without translation. An Australian certificate, and its Australian apostille, are in English, so nothing needs translating.

Translation matters only for documents in other languages. The IND then wants a translation by a translator sworn in by a Dutch court, or, if it is translated abroad, it usually wants the translation legalised along with the document. For an Australian applicant, that normally arises only for documents from a third country.

Document age: mostly not an issue

The IND says it does not check when most documents were issued, so an older Australian birth certificate may be fine. The exception is a declaration of single status, which the IND accepts only if it is no more than six months old.

Australia has no population register that issues a single-status certificate. If you are asked to prove you are unmarried, ask the IND or the municipality what it accepts from Australians before arranging anything, such as a statutory declaration or an affidavit.

No police certificate

The IND does not ask Australians for a police certificate. Applicants aged 12 and over complete a self-declaration about their criminal history, using an IND form. Do not pay for an apostilled AFP check unless a Dutch body specifically asks for one.

The working holiday scheme

The Netherlands has a working holiday scheme for Australians within an age range. Applications go to the IND online, by post, or at an IND desk in the Netherlands, and online applications open a set time before travel. The requirements are about money, a return ticket or the means to buy one, and health insurance. None of it involves a notary.

Where an Australian notary might still fit

• A declaration or affidavit, if the IND or a municipality asks for a sworn statement (for example about marital status) and accepts one made in Australia. A notary administers the oath and witnesses the signature, and DFAT apostilles the notary.
• Copies of degrees, if an employer, university or recognition body asks for certified copies. The IND's residence permit does not usually need them.
• Powers of attorney, so someone in the Netherlands can deal with housing or a bank before you arrive.

After the permit: the municipality

Once in the Netherlands, you register with the municipality where you live. The municipality applies its own rules to foreign civil documents. Converting a foreign certificate into a Dutch record through the Municipality of The Hague is open only to Dutch nationals, former nationals and people with asylum status, so it is not a step most visa applicants can take. Both are covered on the separate page on what the Netherlands requires.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to translate my Australian marriage certificate into Dutch? No. The IND accepts English documents.

Does my birth certificate need a notary before the apostille? Usually not. DFAT can generally apostille registry certificates directly. Confirm with DFAT.

Do I need an AFP police check for a Dutch residence permit? The IND asks for a self-declaration, not a police certificate.

I have already left Australia. Can I still get an apostille? The Dutch government says the Australian Embassy in The Hague can also issue apostilles on Australian documents. Ask the embassy about its current arrangements.