Insurance Policy Translation for the Netherlands

Names of classes of cover and their counterparts

Classes of insurance in the Netherlands go by their own settled names and must be bridged correctly in translation: liability insurance is aansprakelijkheidsverzekering, compulsory motor third party liability is WA-verzekering, comprehensive motor cover of the kasko kind is casco (all risk), and health insurance is zorgverzekering. Instead of equating the words “kasko” or “trafik sigortası” in a Turkish policy with a Dutch class, the scope of the cover is conveyed as the document states it, with the counterpart explained in brackets where that helps. Terms such as cover, risk, loss and excess (eigen risico) travel with their settled equivalents.

Health insurance (zorgverzekering) holds a particular place in the Netherlands; valid health cover matters for residence and for certain procedures, and the scope of cover and the period of validity of the policy are read in that light. The limit of cover, the amount of the eigen risico and the term stated in the policy are data the Dutch insurer or the authority handling the matter assesses directly; those fields are carried across in full and exactly as they stand.

The DNB context and validity abroad

Insurance companies in the Netherlands are subject to supervision by DNB and the AFM, whereas a Turkish policy has been issued within the Turkish regulatory framework (SEDDK) and is not converted into a Dutch policy in translation but carried across with its own identity. How far the cover will be treated as valid in the Netherlands is for the Dutch insurer and the authority to assess; the translation prepares the ground for that assessment, it does not determine the outcome. Documents such as the green card (groene kaart), issued for the international use of motor vehicles, are separate documents evidencing the cross-border validity of the policy, and they are translated consistently with it.

Where a loss occurs abroad, the policy becomes the basis of the claim for indemnity; a loss is called a schade in Dutch, and the claim file, meaning the schademelding, the loss adjusters’ reports and the invoices, is assessed together with the policy. A term in the policy that contradicts the wording of a claim document delays the examination of the claim, which is why the file is translated as a whole and in a consistent manner.

For motor insurance the Dutch system applies a discount based on the driver’s claim-free years (schadevrije jaren), and those years are held in a central register; no claims information from a Turkish policy may be treated as a history brought in from abroad. When such a document is translated, the number of years and the policy periods are carried across exactly, because showing one year too few affects the discount directly. With health insurance, since holding valid cover in the Netherlands matters in the context of residence, the scope and term of any health policy submitted are set out in full. The translation carries the class, the limit and the period of the cover across as they stand, without turning the policy into a Dutch product; how it is assessed is the business of the institution concerned. The schedules and clauses of the policy are part of the same whole; leaving out a clause that narrows or widens a cover makes the true limit of that cover appear other than it is. That is why a policy submitted in the Netherlands is translated not only on its face but together with the conditions it refers to. The inception and expiry dates of the cover call for the same care; whether a loss fell within the period of cover is a precondition of payment, so the months are written out in full to keep date formats from being confused.

• Do not equate a Turkish class of cover with a Dutch product; convey its scope.
• Carry the limit of cover, the eigen risico and the term across exactly.
• Translate the policy and the schade file consistently, with one vocabulary.

Certification: apostille and Rbtv registration

An insurance policy is a private law document; a sworn translation is often enough for an administrative claim file, while notarisation and an apostille may come into play once a dispute is taken to court. If the policy is to be notarised and submitted in an official procedure, the apostille is obtained from the governor’s office or the district governor’s office. A translator producing an official translation in the Netherlands is expected to be entered on the register of sworn translators (Rbtv); the registration number appears on the page bearing the declaration. The chain in Türkiye, meaning a sworn translator, a notary and an apostille, is also an option. As the Netherlands is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. You can run your claim file through our single office in Ankara Kızılay, see the cost on our pricing page and request a quote by uploading your document. This page is for general information and is not insurance or legal advice; consult your insurer about the scope of your cover.