Moving to Belgium: Your Document Translation Checklist

Are you settling in Belgium for work, family or studies? Between registering with the municipality, the Immigration Office and opening your rights, several foreign documents will need to be translated. Here is the complete translation checklist for an expat arriving in Belgium, in the order in which you will need them.

📖 See also: translate a birth certificate · have a diploma recognised · apostille and legalisation

Why do so many documents have to be translated?

Belgian administrations (municipalities, Immigration Office, health insurance fund, employer, bank) only accept foreign documents in a national language: French in Wallonia, Dutch in Flanders, either of the two in Brussels. For official documents, they require a sworn translation, carried out by a sworn translator recognised by a Belgian Court of Appeal. A free translation is refused.

The checklist of documents to translate

Depending on your situation, prepare the sworn translation of the following documents:

• Birth certificate: essential for registration with the municipality and most procedures.
• Marriage certificate (if married): for the registration of the couple and family reunification.
• Diplomas and transcripts of records: to work, have your level recognised or enrol in a school.
• Driving licence: for the exchange against a Belgian licence if your country is not within the equivalence area.
• Criminal record extract: often requested by the employer or for certain residence procedures.
• Children's birth certificates: for school enrolment and family allowances.
• Previous residence documents or various attestations depending on your nationality.

In which order to proceed?

1. Before departure: obtain your recent civil status documents and have them apostilled in your country of origin if necessary (Hague Convention).
2. As soon as you arrive: have the birth certificate (and marriage certificate) translated as a priority for registration with the municipality.
3. Right after: diplomas, driving licence and criminal record, according to your employment and mobility needs.
4. Tip: combine all the documents in a single translation order to save time and limit costs.

Do you have to apostille in addition to translating?

Often yes. The apostille authenticates the original document; the sworn translation makes it understandable to the Belgian administration. The apostille is obtained in the country where the document was issued: it is therefore simpler to request it before your departure. For countries outside the Hague Convention, a consular legalisation must be planned.