Job Discussion Forums

[dutchman]

I am from the Netherlands, but I obtained my MA diploma in the UK. I am in the process of applying for a Saudi visa in Holland now. My employer is the Royal Commission. I need to get my diplomas attested. I sent my diploma to a legalisation agency that has branches in both Holland and the UK. I was under the assumption that my diploma has to be legalised in the UK, as it is a British document. However, the agency I am dealing with has told me that they can 1-) Get a copy of the diploma notarised in the Netherlands, and get a stamp from both the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi Embassy in the Netherlands, or 2-) Send the diploma to the UK, get a copy of it notarised, get an FCO stamp, and finally get it stamped by the Saudi Embassy / Cultural Mission. I don't know which one to do. The first one will take about 4-5 days, and the second 4-5 weeks. There is no Saudi Cultural Mission in Holland, and the Saudi Embassy simply stamps the diploma without verifying it by the university. They did this for my BA, which I obtained in the Netherlands. (I don't know if the RC will accept a notarized copy of my diploma with a Saudi Embassy stamp, but without the Saudi Cultural Mission stamping it, but what can I do?). In the UK, the Saudi Embassy does not stamp a diploma without first seeing a stamp from the Saudi Cultural Mission.

I need to inform the agency now as to whether I want them to send my diploma to the UK and do the work there, or do the legalisation work in Holland. What do you think? People experienced with the RC? Does a diploma necessarily have to be attested in the country where it was obtained, or can it be attested in a different country, say, for example, the country of origin?