Dutch Translation

The most insidious problem in a Dutch document is the little word before the surname. Particles such as van, de and van der sit in a separate field in the Dutch register and are ignored in alphabetical order; Turkish records have no such field.

5 min readLast updated 2 September 2026

Short answer

The Netherlands and Belgium are both parties to the Convention, so the apostille chain is valid. What needs care is the surname structure: particles such as van, de and van der sit in a separate field in the Dutch register and can be lost or misplaced when carried into Turkish records.

The particle: van, de, van der (tussenvoegsel)
Dutch system: A national register of sworn translators
Belgium: A separate country with its own register
Apostille: The Netherlands and Belgium are parties

The little words before the surname

Dutch surnames are often preceded by particles such as van, de, den, der, van den and van der. These are called tussenvoegsels and are held in a field separate from the surname in the Dutch population register. They are ignored in alphabetical order: Jan van der Berg is filed under B, not V.

Field structure in the Dutch register
Field	Example	Turkish counterpart
Given name (voornaam)	Jan	Given name
Particle (tussenvoegsel)	van der	None
Surname (achternaam)	Berg	Surname

Field structure in the Dutch register

One further detail: the particle is written in lower case when it directly follows a given name (Jan van der Berg) and capitalised when it stands alone (Van der Berg). That is a spelling rule, not a choice. Which form appears does not change how the name is registered, but institutions can read it as an inconsistency.

The Netherlands and Belgium are separate systems

Dutch is official in two countries with separate arrangements for sworn translation. In the Netherlands translators are entered on a national register, and only a registered translator's work counts as official. Belgium has its own national register and its own rules, and alongside Dutch it also has French and German as official languages.

Differences between the two countries
Item	Netherlands	Belgium (Flanders)
Sworn translators	On a national register	A separate national register
Identity number	BSN	Rijksregisternummer
Civil registration	Municipality (gemeente)	Municipality (gemeente)
Other official languages	None	French, German
Apostille	Party	Party

Differences between the two countries

This is why we ask which country your document comes from. Belgian documents can also be bilingual, carrying Dutch and French sections on one page, and name spellings can differ between the two.

What makes Dutch demanding to translate

01
Compound nouns
As in German, Dutch forms long compounds: geboorteakte, verblijfsvergunning, uittreksel. Carried into Turkish, these spread across several words.
02
The IJ digraph
IJ behaves as a single letter, and when capitalised both letters rise: IJsselmeer. In names it can appear in passports as either Ij or IJ.
03
Place names are not translated
Names such as Den Haag and 's-Hertogenbosch are preserved as they stand. Dropping the apostrophe or hyphen makes an address unfindable in the postal system.
04
Long sentences in official register
Dutch administrative texts can carry several conditions in one sentence. Turkish requires breaking them up, and holding the link between conditions is the real work.

Dutch documents and how we render them

Frequently seen documents
Document	What it is	Our approach
Uittreksel BRP	Extract from the population register	Its contents vary by type; the scope is stated
Geboorteakte	Birth certificate	Its scope differs from a Turkish civil registry extract
Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag	Certificate of conduct	Not a criminal record; issued against a stated purpose
Verblijfsvergunning	Residence permit	Its type and duration are always stated
Cijferlijst	List of grades	Grades run 1 to 10; the scale is stated
Jaaropgave	Annual income statement	Used as proof of income

Frequently seen documents

the name structure in the Dutch register: 3 fieldsthe name structure in the Dutch register
the Dutch grading scale: 1–10the Dutch grading scale
the Netherlands and Belgium, separate registers: 2 countriesthe Netherlands and Belgium, separate registers

Frequently asked questions

Will the "van der" in my surname go onto my Turkish ID?

The institution decides. In practice it is usually included in the surname (van der Berg). The translation shows all three fields separately so the civil registry office can see what each part is. If you already hold a Turkish document, send it and we will keep the translation consistent with it.

Is an apostille enough for a document going to the Netherlands?

The Netherlands is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the apostille chain is valid. Some Dutch institutions do require the translation to be made by a translator on the national register. Asking the receiving institution avoids paying for a second translation.

My Belgian document is bilingual. Which text governs?

The language of the issuing authority. On a document issued in Flanders the Dutch text is the original. Where name spellings differ between the two sections, we state it in the translation.

Is a 7 on my grade list a low mark?

No. The Dutch scale runs 1 to 10, a pass is 5.5 and a 10 is almost never awarded, so 7 is a solid mark. We write the scale into the translation, because a bare figure carries a different meaning from one country to the next.

Can a translator who knows German handle my Dutch document?

Not for an official procedure. The languages are related and look similar in writing, but a sworn translation requires a Dutch oath record. Dutch administrative terms also differ from the German system, and the resemblance is misleading precisely there.