Document Translation and the Certification Chain in a Dutch MVV Application

The MVV application (the temporary residence visa) needed for long-stay entry to the Netherlands is a process that is highly sensitive to how official documents are prepared. In applications made for purposes such as family reunification, work or study, documents coming from Türkiye are supported by translation and certification.

Official documents are asked for with translation and apostille together

Birth, marriage and civil registry documents form the backbone of an MVV file. For these documents an apostille is usually obtained first and the translation is done afterwards. The order matters, because the apostille annotation may itself need to be translated. Since whether a given document requires an apostille, and which language the translation is to be in, vary according to the current guidance of the relevant Dutch authority, this needs to be confirmed at the outset.

The form of certification varies from document to document

For some documents a sworn translation is regarded as sufficient, while for others an additional approval may be requested. Rather than offering a single formula, it is more accurate to take the documents one by one, because the form of certification depends on the nature of the document and on the purpose it will be used for. A document prepared in the wrong order or with certification missing can mean the whole file has to be assembled again.

The most common delay in MVV applications comes from the order of apostille and translation being mixed up, or from a document being submitted without certification. Planning the document set as a whole and in the right order reduces that risk. At our office we work through MVV files with you to establish which document needs an apostille first and a translation afterwards.