If you have lived or worked in the Netherlands and you are now sorting out a file for Spain — a residence permit, a professional registration, a new job — there is a fair chance someone has asked you for a "certificate of good conduct". In the Dutch system that document is the VOG, short for Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag. It is the Netherlands' proof that nothing in your record stands in the way of the purpose you are applying for. This guide covers what it is, how you get one, and the two steps Spain adds on top: the apostille and the sworn translation, in the order that actually works.
What the VOG is
The VOG (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, literally "statement regarding conduct") is issued by Justis, the screening authority that works under the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. It is not a raw dump of your criminal history the way some countries' records are. Instead, Justis checks your judicial data against the specific purpose you are applying for and, if there is nothing relevant to that purpose, issues a certificate saying so.
That purpose-bound design is worth understanding, because it shapes everything. A VOG is issued for a stated use — a job in childcare, a role handling money, a professional licence — and it confirms that your record contains no objection for that use. For a Spanish file, what matters in practice is that you hold a valid VOG that the receiving body accepts as your Dutch certificate of conduct.
You may be asked for it in a range of Spanish procedures that screen your background: residence and work permits, registration with a colegio profesional (professional association), certain public-sector or regulated jobs, and other files handled through foreigner procedures in Spain. Which exact document Spain wants — and how recent it must be — depends on the office and the procedure, so confirm before you start.
How the VOG is requested
There are two common routes. Many applicants apply online through Justis using DigiD, the Dutch digital identity system — practical if you still have DigiD access. When the request is tied to a job or a role, the organisation that needs the certificate often starts the application for you, and you complete and pay for it; that is the everyday way most VOGs get issued in the Netherlands.
If you no longer live in the Netherlands or do not have DigiD, there is a paper route: a written application submitted to Justis, in some cases through a Dutch municipality or a Dutch mission abroad. The exact channel depends on your situation, so check the current instructions from Justis before you apply rather than relying on a friend's memory of how it went a few years ago.
One point on language, and it matters for what follows. The VOG is typically issued in Dutch, and Justis can provide an English version on request in some circumstances. It is worth asking for, because it decides who can translate it: at Textualia we work from English into Spanish and from French into Spanish, not from Dutch. If your VOG only exists in Dutch, you will need a Dutch-to-Spanish sworn translator — a pairing we do not offer; if you have it in English, it is squarely our field. That said, holding the VOG in English does not remove the need to translate it for Spain: as a rule, a sworn translation is still required.
The apostille: The Hague, before you translate
Because the Netherlands and Spain are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, a Dutch public document is recognised in Spain through a single apostille — no consular legalisation, no embassy chain. For the VOG, the apostille is affixed in the Netherlands by a Dutch court (rechtbank), which is the competent authority there for apostilles on documents of this kind. Once the apostille is on, Spain accepts the document on its face.
Here is the rule that saves people a second round: apostille first, translate second. The apostille is a certificate that gets physically attached to your VOG, and it becomes part of the document. When the sworn translation is done, it must cover both the VOG and its apostille. If you translate before the rechtbank apostillises, the apostille will be missing from the translated set, and the office can send you back to redo it. Get the apostille, then the translation. We apply the same order to every apostille and sworn translation we handle.
Why a sworn translation, even if you got it in English
Spanish administrations work in Spanish. A document in Dutch clearly needs translating; but even an English VOG is not something a Spanish immigration officer or a colegio registrar is obliged to accept as-is. What Spain requires is a sworn translation into Spanish, produced by a translator habilitado por el MAEC (authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs). That translation carries the translator's official stamp and signature. A courtesy translation, a Dutch notary's version, or your own rendering will not have the same standing.
If you want to check that a translator holds current MAEC authorisation, you can verify a sworn translator against the MAEC list before you commit.
The right order, start to finish
- Request your VOG from Justis (online with DigiD, or the paper route from abroad), for the purpose you need.
- Apostille it at a Dutch rechtbank. This is what makes it valid in Spain without consular legalisation.
- Sworn translation into Spanish of the VOG and its apostille, by a MAEC-authorised translator.
- Submit to the Spanish office, colegio or employer.
Reverse two steps and the file bounces back. Keep it in this order and it moves.
Where Textualia fits
The sworn translation is the step we handle when your VOG is in English: we turn it into a Spanish sworn translation (English into Spanish) carrying the MAEC-authorised stamp Spain expects, delivered as a digitally signed PDF. To be straight with you: we do not translate from Dutch, so ask Justis for the English version if you can. And apostille the VOG in the Netherlands before you send it to us, so the translation covers the whole document in one pass.