Interpreter Requirements at the Notary

If you do not understand Dutch well enough, the law requires an interpreter when your deed is executed. What article 42 actually says, what it costs, and the power-of-attorney route that can remove the requirement entirely.

On the day your purchase completes, you sign two notarial deeds: the transfer deed (leveringsakte) that makes you the owner, and the mortgage deed (hypotheekakte) that gives your lender security over the property. Both are in Dutch, and both are read and explained by the notary before signing.

If you do not understand Dutch well enough to follow that explanation, an interpreter must attend. This is not the notary being cautious or awkward — it is a statutory requirement, and the notary cannot waive it for you.

What the law actually says

Article 42 of the Notaries Act (Wet op het notarisambt) provides that where a party appearing before the notary does not sufficiently understand the language of the deed, an interpreter must also appear — one who is, where possible, also a sworn translator — and translate the substance of the deed.

Two consequences follow from the wording:

In practice, notaries work with interpreters listed in the official register of sworn interpreters and translators. Bringing a fluent friend or your partner is not an option: the interpreter must be independent, and a party with an interest in the transaction cannot fill the role.

The route that can avoid the cost entirely

This is the part most guides omit, and it is worth asking about early.

If the deed is executed under a power of attorney (volmacht) — that is, if you do not appear in person and someone who does speak Dutch appears on your behalf — then no interpreter is needed at the signing itself. In practice notary offices routinely act as attorney for clients who cannot attend, and this is very common for buyers who are abroad on the transfer date.

There is a catch worth understanding before you treat it as a loophole. The power of attorney is itself a document you have to sign and understand, and the notary must be satisfied on that point too — so depending on how it is arranged, you may need a translation of the power of attorney, or legalisation if you sign it abroad. Whether this genuinely saves money in your case is a question for your notary, and it is worth asking at the start rather than the week before completion.

What it costs

A sworn interpreter for a notary appointment typically costs between €300 and €600 including VAT, usually covering about an hour. Rarer language combinations cost more, and if the appointment overruns, additional hourly rates may apply.

Who pays is a matter of agreement between the parties rather than something the law fixes — but in a normal purchase, the buyer who needs the interpreter pays for the interpreter. Budget for it as a real closing cost: it is a line item people routinely forget, and it is not something you can decline on the day.

You can include it in your total using the costs checklist, and see Understanding Closing Costs for everything else that lands at completion.

Booking one

Book early. Common languages are usually available at short notice; less common ones are not, and the transfer date is fixed by the purchase agreement.

On the day

The interpreter sits with you while the notary goes through the deeds and translates the substance of what is being explained. They are there to translate, not to advise — they will not tell you whether the mortgage is a good idea or what a clause means in practice. For that, ask the notary directly through the interpreter; that is exactly what the appointment is for.

The interpreter also signs the deed, confirming that the translation took place. Their name appears in the deed itself.

Come with your questions written down. The appointment is typically 45 to 60 minutes for both deeds, everything is being translated, and that halves your effective speaking time.

Where to go next