I need a certified copy of a Dutch notarial document.
Need an official copy of a Dutch deed for use abroad? Apostille Assist helps identify the responsible notary or successor, clarify the required copy and coordinate the agreed Dutch-side apostille, translation and delivery steps.
Choose the right level of support
Use apostille submission when a suitable official copy is already available. Choose document coordination when the copy must still be requested or the responsible notary and route are unclear.
Apostille Submission
For a suitable official notarial copy when the apostille requirement is already clear.
- Submission for a Dutch apostille
- For an available and suitable official notarial copy
- WhatsApp progress updates
Document Coordination
For locating the correct notary, requesting the copy or coordinating several Dutch-side steps.
- Review of the deed, copy type and foreign requirement
- Coordination with the notary or successor where possible
- Options for apostille, translation and tracked delivery
A certified copy is not an ordinary scan
An official notarial copy or afschrift carries the notary’s formal certification. A scan or simple photocopy does not have the same evidential status.
Who can issue the copy?
The deed is normally held by the notary who executed it or by a successor or protocol holder if that notary has stopped practising.
How the certified-copy route works
Start with the deed details and the foreign recipient’s exact wording.
Share the deed details
Provide the deed type, notary, place, date and any copy already available.
Locate the custodian
Identify the original notary, successor or protocol holder responsible for the deed.
Request the right copy
Confirm identity, authority and whether an afschrift, extract or other copy is needed.
Prepare international use
Coordinate any apostille, translation and tracked delivery required by the recipient.
For international use, the practical route usually concerns an officially issued copy or extract rather than release of the notary’s retained original deed.
Common Dutch notarial documents
The required copy and access route depend on the deed and your connection to it.
Power of attorney
For representation, transactions, litigation or administrative procedures abroad.
Company deed
For incorporation, share transactions, corporate authority or compliance files.
Will or estate deed
For probate, inheritance, executor authority or foreign estate administration.
Property or mortgage deed
For ownership, financing, asset disclosure or legal proceedings.
Relationship agreement
For prenuptial, partnership or cohabitation arrangements used abroad.
Notarial declaration
For certified statements, signatures, facts or other formal notarial acts.
Information needed for an initial review
Precise deed and recipient details help avoid requesting the wrong copy.
Notary and deed
Share the notary’s name, office, deed type, execution date and reference if known.
Your connection
Explain your role, entitlement, authority and whose identity documents are available.
Foreign requirement
Include the destination, recipient, wording, translation request and deadline.
Related document guidance
Use these pages when the request needs a broader or more specific route.
Frequently asked questions
What is a certified copy of a Dutch notarial deed?
An official afschrift is issued with the notary’s formal certification, seal and signature. It is not the same as a simple scan or photocopy.
Can any Dutch notary issue the certified copy?
Usually the deed must be handled by the notary who keeps it or by the current successor or protocol holder. Another notary may not have custody of the deed.
What if the original notary has stopped practising?
Dutch notarial deeds are transferred to a successor or protocol holder. The successor archive can be searched using the former notary’s name, place and deed date.
Am I automatically entitled to receive a copy?
No. The notary assesses whether you are entitled to the requested document and may require identification, proof of authority or other supporting information.
Does the certified copy need an apostille?
That depends on the destination, recipient and type of notarial copy. The required notarial and apostille sequence should be confirmed before submission.
Should the document be translated before the apostille?
Not automatically. The recipient must confirm whether it wants the apostille on the Dutch notarial copy, the translation or both, and in which order.
Need an official copy of a Dutch notarial document?
Share the deed details, your connection to it and the foreign recipient’s instruction so the Dutch-side route can be reviewed.
