How it works
Every country has its own officials who verify signatures and documents. The Hague Apostille Convention of 1961 lets more than 120 countries accept each other’s official documents with one certificate: the apostille. It confirms that the signature and the stamp of the official are real.
For a Dutch BV set up from abroad, the founder signs the power of attorney in front of a local notary or another authorised official. The apostille then confirms that official’s signature. The Dutch notary accepts the document as it is; the checks in the founder’s country are complete.
Who issues the apostille differs per country: the Secretary of State in the United States, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the United Kingdom, the district court or the notary chamber in Germany, the Ministry of External Affairs in India. Processing takes from one day to a few weeks.
Countries outside the convention use consular legalisation instead: the document goes through the local ministry and the Dutch embassy. That route takes longer, and Holdwise plans it into the timeline for founders from those countries.
Example
A founder in Texas signs the power of attorney at a notary public. She sends it to the Texas Secretary of State, who attaches the apostille within a few days. The Dutch notary receives the document and signs the deed of incorporation.
The figures
All 2026 figures: Netherlands tax rates 2026 · the 2027 figures: Netherlands tax rates 2027.
Questions people ask
Does every document need an apostille?
The power of attorney does, and often the passport copy and, for a corporate founder, the extract from the home register. The Dutch notary lists exactly which documents, per country, before the founder signs.
What about countries outside the convention?
Documents from those countries go through consular legalisation: the local foreign ministry first, the Dutch embassy or consulate next. Plan two to six weeks for that.
Holdwise, Hoofddorp. Definition and explanation maintained with the Dutch and German glossaries; figures from the central rates source, year 2026. Updated 16 September 2026.
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