Dutch translator in Tbilisi

Last reviewed: 13 November 2026 · facts checked against official sources

A Dutch translator in Tbilisi serves two countries: the Netherlands and the Flemish part of Belgium. We translate Dutch and Belgian documents into Georgian, and Georgian papers into Dutch or, where the authority accepts it, into English; the translation is done by a registered translator and the notary certifies that translator's signature. A standard personal document is ready in one working day, and an express notarized translation received during working hours in one to two hours. The key rule: both countries are parties to the Apostille Convention, the apostille is placed on the Georgian original and not on the notarized translation, and if a Dutch authority (for example the IND) also wants an apostille on the translation itself or a translation by a sworn translator (beëdigd vertaler), the options are a translation by the Public Service Development Agency or a sworn translator in the Netherlands. Upload a scan of the document on the website or send it by messenger, and before you order we will tell you which language and which certification your recipient needs.

The Netherlands, Belgium and one language with two systems

Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, of Flanders and of Brussels, and the Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie) sets one spelling for both countries, but administrative, legal and educational terminology has developed separately: Belgian identiteitskaart and Dutch identiteitsbewijs, Belgian rijksregister and Dutch BRP, Belgian vrederechter and Dutch kantonrechter. The Dutch types of secondary education (vmbo, havo, vwo) do not exist in Belgium, and a Flemish text often uses terms and constructions from the French legal tradition. So the first thing we establish on every order is the receiving country: a translation for the Netherlands follows Dutch terminology, one for Belgium follows Flemish terminology, and the certification rules also differ between the two.

Sworn translators and English as an alternative

In the Netherlands official translations are made by a sworn translator registered in the register (Rbtv) established by the 2009 Sworn Interpreters and Translators Act (Wbtv), who has taken an oath in court and certifies the translation with a personal seal, signature and a declaration bearing the register number. There are very few translators for the Georgian-Dutch pair in the Rbtv, so translating a Georgian document in the Netherlands is often slow. In Belgium a national register of sworn translators has existed since 2017, and Belgian municipalities and courts often ask for the stamp of a Belgian sworn translator.

At the same time, most Dutch authorities accept a foreign document not only in Dutch but also in English, German or French, and this rule is stated on the official Dutch portal (Netherlands Worldwide) for Georgian documents as well. The IND, the municipalities (gemeente), DUO, Nuffic, universities, banks and most companies accept an English translation, and this is often the shortest route. A Dutch translation remains mandatory in court proceedings, with some notaries (especially for real estate and inheritance deeds), in integration procedures and with Flemish authorities, which accept English less readily than those in the Netherlands. That is why our first question on an order is: which authority, and what do its instructions say.

Notarized translation into and from Dutch

The Georgian notary and where it meets the Dutch system

In Georgia the notary confirms the authenticity of the registered translator's signature, not the content of the translation; the translation must be done by a translator registered for the Dutch-Georgian pair. We translate from and into Dutch directly, without going through English or German. In the direction of Georgia everything is simple: a Dutch document arrives with an apostille, we translate it, the notary certifies, and the translation is valid with any Georgian authority. In the direction of the Netherlands, however, a Georgian notarized translation does not receive an apostille: under the Agency's rules, a notarial certification of a translation or of a copy is not apostilled, while Dutch authorities expect an apostille on a translation made abroad. So there are two routes: the Agency translates a document that is subject to an apostille itself and apostilles its own translation, or a sworn translator in the Netherlands translates the apostilled original, and such a translation needs no separate apostille. Our notarized translation works where the recipient accepts it, which you should check before ordering (document route).

Apostille: a court in the Netherlands, a federal service in Belgium

The Netherlands is the home of the Hague Apostille Convention, and here apostilles are issued by the registries of the district courts (rechtbank), not by a ministry; many courts also handle apostilles by post. A Dutch public document (a municipal extract, a diploma, a VOG) receives the apostille directly, a sworn translator's translation receives it at the court holding the translator's specimen signature, and a private document, such as a power of attorney, is first certified by a notary and then apostilled by the court. In Belgium apostilles are issued electronically by the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (eLegalization). A Georgian document for either country is prepared like this: an apostille on the Georgian original at the Public Service Hall, then a translation including the apostille, and finally the notary certifies the translator's signature. Keep in mind that no apostille is placed on an identity document or its copy (except a copy of a Georgian passport certified by the issuing body), on a driving licence, or on a private company's document, other than those of medical and educational institutions; that is why the passport goes into an IND package without an apostille.

Dutch and Belgian documents for Georgian authorities

• BRP extract (uittreksel BRP), birth, marriage, partnership and death records (geboorteakte, huwelijksakte, partnerschapsakte, overlijdensakte)
• Certificate of capacity to marry (verklaring van huwelijksbevoegdheid) for a marriage in Georgia
• VOG (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag), the functional equivalent of a criminal record certificate, issued by the Ministry of Justice and Security
• Diploma, transcript, school certificate (vmbo, havo, vwo, mbo), DUO statements
• KVK extract, statuten, oprichtingsakte, directors' resolutions, UBO register statement
• Court decisions (vonnis, beschikking) on divorce, custody and maintenance, with a certificate of finality
• Notarial deeds: volmacht, verklaring van erfrecht, testament, leveringsakte
• Statements from the Belastingdienst, SVB and UWV, annual income statement (jaaropgaaf)
• Belgian documents: rijksregister extract, criminal record extract (uittreksel strafregister), Flemish diplomas

Validity and planning

Most Dutch certificates have a limited shelf life: a VOG usually has to be less than six months old, a BRP extract for banks and notaries often less than three months, a KVK extract less than one month; in practice the gemeente and the IND ask for documents from the last six months. So ordering the certificate, the apostille, the translation and the courier must be planned so that the paper is not out of date when submitted. We work out this timeline together when you order, and from the start prepare as many certified copies as you have recipients.

Why a Dutch translation is rejected

• No apostille was placed at all, because the client looked for it at a Dutch ministry
• A Georgian notarized translation was submitted to the IND, which required an apostille on the translation or a sworn translator
• A PDF received through DigiD was printed and translated without the signed, apostilled version
• A surname prefix was lost, or the two surnames of naamgebruik were translated as two people
• A Flemish document was translated with Dutch terminology, or vice versa
• The translation went through German and "false friends" were misunderstood
• A registered partnership was translated as "marriage", or a BV as a "joint-stock company", without a note
• An unnecessary Dutch translation where the authority would have accepted English

BRP, BSN and DigiD: Dutch administration for a Georgian

In the Netherlands every resident registers in the municipal population register (BRP, Basisregistratie Personen) and receives a citizen service number (BSN), without which a bank account, insurance and work are impossible. For registration the municipality asks for a birth certificate with an apostille and a translation, so the Georgian birth certificate, marriage certificate and certificate of marital status are prepared as one package. After registration, dealings with the state go through DigiD, and certificates from the BRP, the Belastingdienst and the SVB are issued electronically as PDFs. A Georgian authority wants a printed version with an apostille, so we tell the client in advance which document to request from the municipality in a signed version. A BRP extract performs the functions of a birth, address and marital status certificate at once, and we explain this in a translator's note, because a Georgian official looks for a separate "certificate". The Dutch BSN has nine digits, the Belgian rijksregisternummer eleven and contains the date of birth; both remain unchanged in the translation.

Translation in both directions

From Dutch into Georgian: compounds, false friends and surnames

Dutch official vocabulary is built on compounds: verblijfsvergunning (residence permit), arbeidsovereenkomst (employment contract), kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare allowance), arbeidsongeschiktheidsverzekering (incapacity insurance). In Georgian one compound turns into a phrase of two or three words, and the text grows by 20-30 percent. Someone who knows German "almost" reads a Dutch text, and that is exactly the danger: Dutch bellen means to phone, German bellen to bark; Dutch slim means clever, German schlimm bad. That is why Dutch is handled by a Dutch translator, not a German one.

Surnames often have a prefix (tussenvoegsel: van, de, van der, van den, ter, op de). In Dutch registers the prefix sits in a separate field and is ignored in alphabetical lists (Berg, van den), whereas in Belgium it is an inseparable part of the surname written with a capital letter (Van den Berg). In the Georgian translation we write the full surname in the order of the original and add the Latin form in brackets. In the Dutch system a married person can keep their own surname and use the spouse's surname (naamgebruik), so the same person may appear with two surnames in different documents; we keep both in the translation and explain them in a note. Parents choose a child's surname, and since 2024 a double surname has also been possible.

From Georgian into Dutch: first the choice, then the style

The first step in translating from Georgian into Dutch is often the decision that Dutch is not needed at all and English will do. When it is needed, the text has to be built in Dutch official style: Dutch authorities address citizens in "plain language" (klare taal), with short sentences and minimal formulas, so the long bureaucratic phrases of a Georgian certificate must become a natural, concise document. Terms come from Dutch legislation: "extract from the Registry of Entrepreneurs" is uittreksel uit het handelsregister, "Public Service Hall" is rendered by description, a Georgian LLC corresponds to a BV and a JSC to an NV, but we keep the Georgian form and add the equivalent in brackets. For authorities in Brussels and Antwerp we use Belgian terms, for Amsterdam and The Hague Dutch ones. A Dutch-speaking editor reads the translation without the original.

Transliteration, dates and amounts

Dutch names are rendered into Georgian by pronunciation, and English logic fails here: g and ch are guttural sounds, ij and ei sound like "ei", oe is "u". Van Gogh becomes "van Khokh" in Georgian, Groningen "Khroningen", Nijmegen "Neimekhen", Schiphol "Skhiphol"; established forms (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam) are kept. A Georgian name goes into Dutch in the Latin spelling of the passport. The date format dd-mm-yyyy matches the Georgian one, while in amounts thousands are separated by a point and decimals by a comma (1.234,56), which is the field most often distorted in translations made through English; in the Georgian translation we write the amount in an unambiguous format with the currency.

Education: 1 to 10, Nuffic and DUO

The Netherlands uses a ten-point scale on which 5.5 is the pass mark, 8 is already a high grade and 9 and 10 are rare; that is why a translation of a Dutch diploma comes with an explanation of the scale, otherwise a Georgian recipient will read 7.5 as an average mark. Belgium uses a twenty-point scale on which 10 is a pass. In the Netherlands Georgian diplomas are evaluated by Nuffic on the basis of English documents, while for regulated professions recognition takes place at a separate authority; in Belgium it is NARIC-Vlaanderen. For English-taught master's programmes a Georgian student sends the diploma, transcript and motivation letter in English. In the opposite direction a Dutch diploma for recognition in Georgia goes with an apostille and a notarized translation to the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement, where ECTS credits and terms (propedeuse, cum laude) are presented with an explanation (recognition of a foreign diploma).

Residence and family: IND, kennismigrant, ondertrouw

In the Netherlands residence permits are issued by the IND, and a long stay usually starts with a provisional residence visa (MVV), which the IND examines together with the residence permit in one procedure (TEV). Under the highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) scheme the application is filed by an employer recognised by the IND, and the Georgian candidate's diploma and, for a family, the marriage and birth certificates go with an apostille and an English or Dutch translation. For family reunification (gezinshereniging) the partner also needs the certificate of the civic integration exam taken abroad. In Belgium residence is handled by the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), with other categories and timelines.

Marriages are performed by the municipality after advance notice (ondertrouw), which asks the Georgian party for a birth certificate and a certificate of marital status with an apostille and a translation, often from the last six months. The Netherlands also recognises registered partnership (geregistreerd partnerschap), which Georgian law does not know; the translation keeps the original term, adds a functional explanation and never writes "marriage". The birth record of a child born in the Netherlands goes with an apostille and a Georgian translation to the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague or to the Public Service Hall; the municipality's multilingual form has no Georgian field, so a translation is still needed.

Legal and medical translation

The Burgerlijk Wetboek and the Georgian Civil Code

The drafters of the 1997 Georgian Civil Code used the German and Dutch codes as one of their main models, and Dutch influence is noticeable in the structure of the law of obligations and property law. So Dutch terms often find a direct equivalent: overeenkomst (contract), verbintenis (obligation), ontbinding (termination of a contract), wanprestatie (non-performance), boetebeding (penalty clause), overmacht (force majeure), hypotheek (mortgage), pandrecht (pledge). There are traps too: redelijkheid en billijkheid (reasonableness and fairness) is an all-pervasive principle in Dutch law that the Georgian notion of "good faith" covers only in part, and erfpacht (long-term lease of municipal land) is neither "ownership" nor a simple "lease"; both are rendered with an explanation.

BV, KVK and holding structures

A Dutch BV corresponds to a Georgian LLC and is founded by notarial deed: a Dutch notary draws up the deed of incorporation (oprichtingsakte) and the articles (statuten), and then the company is entered in the register of the Chamber of Commerce (KVK). In a KVK extract the field on a director's power of representation (alleen bevoegd - acting alone, gezamenlijk bevoegd - acting jointly with another director) is critical for the Georgian Public Registry and banks, and leaving it out is a typical mistake. Much investment comes into Georgia through Dutch holdings, so the translation often has to reflect the whole chain: a BV owned by another BV, owned by a foundation (stichting), a cooperative (coöperatie) or a STAK; these instruments have no direct analogue in Georgian law and are rendered descriptively. To register a subsidiary, the Public Registry asks for the KVK extract, the statuten and the resolution, with an apostille and a notarized Georgian translation (extract from the registry). A power of attorney sent from the Netherlands is often drawn up in English at a Dutch notary and arrives with an apostille; the Public Registry requires specific powers, so agree the text with us in advance (translation of powers of attorney).

Inheritance, real estate and the courts

In the Netherlands inheritance is handled by a notary, who issues the certificate of inheritance (verklaring van erfrecht). Under the statutory division (wettelijke verdeling) the estate passes to the spouse, while the children acquire a monetary claim that as a rule becomes due only after the spouse's death; this differs substantially from Georgian inheritance law, and for a Georgian notary we add a clear explanation to the translation. Real estate is registered in the Kadaster by notarial deed (leveringsakte). The court system has three tiers (rechtbank, gerechtshof, Hoge Raad); for recognition in Georgia a decision comes with a certificate of finality (verklaring van non-appel), and for a divorce also with an extract confirming registration at the municipality.

Medical documents: huisarts, ICPC and BIG

Dutch healthcare is built on the family doctor (huisarts) as gatekeeper, so medical documentation is a chain of letters: verwijsbrief (referral), specialistenbrief, ontslagbrief (discharge letter). A diagnosis is written with ICD-10 or ICPC (the classification of family doctors, unfamiliar in Georgian practice); we keep the code, link it to the ICD-10 equivalent in a note and spell out abbreviations (discharge summary translation). Clinics bill with DBC codes, and for someone treated in Georgia we translate the Georgian discharge summary and invoice into English for a Dutch insurer, which insurers normally accept. Doctors are registered in the BIG register (CIBG): the diploma, specialty certificate and certificates of work experience and good standing go as certified copies, and CIBG requires translations of Georgian-language documents from a sworn translator, so we check the requirement together before ordering.

Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting

English or Dutch

Dutch professionals speak English at a near-native level, and Dutch delegations, experts and investors usually work in English in Tbilisi. So a frequent recommendation is for the speaker to talk in English while we provide English-Georgian interpreting: it is one step and fast. Dutch is needed at a notary and in court, with official Flemish delegations, on farm field visits where the experts talk to each other in Dutch, and where a participant speaks more freely in the native language. For a long Dutch-language speech we use relay in simultaneous mode: Dutch into English in one booth, English into Georgian in the other.

Where and how we work

• At a notary: buying property, founding a company, marriage; notarial interpreting is recorded in the deed, and with the party's consent it can be done in English, though the native language is safer
• On agribusiness and water management visits: seed material, greenhouses, phytosanitary certification, hydrology; we compile the glossary a week in advance
• In investor negotiations: the consecutive format, which the Dutch side often prefers because it leaves time to think
• At a clinic: first-person interpreting, without shortening
• Online with Amsterdam, The Hague and Brussels: the time difference is two to three hours, and the interpreter works in the interpretation channel of Zoom or an RSI platform

Communication style and Flemish delegations

A Dutch speaker expresses opinions directly, voices disagreement and criticism openly, rarely uses titles and takes decisions by consensus. This can sound rude to a Georgian host, so the interpreter explains it in advance and keeps the tone so that directness is not rendered as aggression, without softening the content. With official Flemish delegations the Dutch language is a matter of identity: representatives often choose on principle to speak Dutch, and offering French is out of place in terms of protocol. At the EU institutions in Brussels English is the standard.

Preparation and booking

The interpreter needs the presentations, the list of speakers (the pronunciation of Dutch names is not intuitive: Joost is "Yost", Sjoerd "Syurd"), the agenda and a glossary. Agree the working language with the Dutch or Flemish side in advance, because it changes the logistics completely. Book a Dutch interpreter at least two weeks ahead, simultaneous relay earlier; English-Georgian simultaneous interpreters are more readily available. The minimum order is two hours, one hour for a visit to a notary, and in simultaneous mode two interpreters take turns every 20-30 minutes. For other languages see the list of all languages.

Official sources

• Public Service Development Agency: apostille and legalisation: which Georgian documents receive an apostille, which do not, and in what time
• Hague Conference: parties to the Apostille Convention: the current list of countries: apostille or consular legalisation
• Official page of the Government of the Netherlands: apostille and translation rules for Georgian documents used in the Netherlands

Frequently asked questions

Send us a scan of your Dutch or Belgian document, or the Georgian paper you need for the Netherlands or Belgium, and before you order we will tell you which language, which certification and which sequence your recipient needs. Our office is in Tbilisi, 115 Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue; call us on +995 500 09 11 68 or upload the document on the website.