How to get a police certificate – The Netherlands

Name of the document you need

Certificate of Good Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag [VOG])

Police certificate and IRCC Requirements

You must provide a police certificate when you apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send you a letter requesting a police certificate after you submit your application for permanent residence. You must submit this letter to the Dutch authorities when you apply for a police certificate.

Once you receive your police certificate, you must submit it to IRCC for further processing. You will also be requested to provide a police certificate to IRCC if you declared a criminal record on your application for an electronic travel authorization, work permit or study permit.

How to apply

If you’re registered in the Municipal Records Database (BRP), you must apply at the Population Affairs Department (Burgerzaken/Publiekszaken) of your municipality. You can appoint a representative to apply on your behalf.

If you’re not registered in the BRP, you should apply directly to the Ministry of Justice (Justis) by emailing your application, documents and payment details to vog.np.rni@minvenj.nl.

For more information on fees and processing times and to download the application forms, visit the Ministry of Justice’s website (available in English and Dutch). 

Special considerations

The Certificate of Good Conduct is issued in Dutch with a portion translated into English at the bottom. It’s not necessary to have it translated into English or French.

Please note that the Ministry of Justice may refuse to issue you a Certificate of Good Conduct if you have a criminal record. In this case, you should write to the Central Criminal Records Office to obtain a copy of your criminal record (which you will need to have translated into English or French):

Justitiële Informatiedienst
Postbus 227
7600 AH Almelo

Contact information

To find out more about receiving a copy of your criminal record, visit the Central Criminal Records Office’s website (available in Dutch only).

Justis
T.a.v. Afdeling COVOG
Postbus 16115
2500 BC Den Haag
vog.np.rni@minvenj.nl