Need your Belgian document translated for the U.S. — or a U.S. document accepted in Belgium? Start with the direction: the translation, certification, and apostille rules are not the same.
Requirements reviewed by Sarah Jenkins
Academic Credential Translation Specialist · Last verified June 2026
Reviewed June 2026 · Sarah Jenkins
Belgium follows the sworn translation standard for official documents. Translator registered in the National Register of Sworn Translators and Interpreters. Required if the sworn translation will be used abroad.
Confirm final requirements with the authority receiving the document.
Need a certified French → English translation?
From $24.95/page · signed certification included
Quick reference
Confirm final requirements with the authority receiving the document.
| Translation standard | Sworn translation |
|---|---|
| Who can translate | Translator registered in the National Register of Sworn Translators and Interpreters |
| Apostille | Required if the sworn translation will be used abroad |
| Accepted languages | Dutch, French, or German (depending on jurisdiction) |
| Responsible authority | FPS Foreign Affairs (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs) |
Official-use requirements
The local certification system, who may translate, and what gives the finished document legal effect.
Need the French translation service rather than the rules?
Continue to the language hub or choose the exact document you have.
Two directions, two rulebooks
Choose the destination first. It determines the language, certification, and whether an apostille belongs in the packet.
Belgian birth certificates, diplomas, transcripts, and other non-English records need a complete certified English translation for USCIS, U.S. universities, and credential evaluators.
Requirements depend on the receiving country and authority. Confirm whether the original needs an apostille or consular legalization before it is translated.
Choose the document you have for its format-specific translation guidance. These links cover the records most often submitted from Belgium to USCIS, universities, and credential evaluators.
fracte de naissance · certificat de naissance
French birth certificate translation is among the most requested services for USCIS family petitions and status adjustments.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
French diploma translation is often required for admissions, licensing, and credential evaluation workflows.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
frreleve de notes
Transcripts require line-level translation of courses, grades, scales, and institutional headers.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
acte de mariage
jugement de divorce · extrait de jugement
acte de deces
passeport · carte nationale
extrait des archives · acte notarie
French records reviewed by Sarah Jenkins — WES/ECE credential translation specialist
Anonymized French-to-English orders. Each case shows the exact translation problem and how we solved it for the receiving authority.
A French driving license (permis de conduire) carried most of its content as non-text elements — vehicle-category icons, a photo, security stamps, and a machine-readable zone. A plain word-for-word translation would have dropped that meaning. We described each non-text element in brackets, translated the text inside the stamps, and reproduced the machine-readable zone exactly. The certified translation was delivered for the client's USCIS filing.
A Quebec long-form Copie d'acte de naissance used the DEC convention '(S)' after two typed names — the father and the signing registrar — to mark the original act as signed without reproducing the signature, and 'p. i.' after the registrar's title for par intérim (acting). We preserved each '(S)' verbatim, rendered 'p. i.' as 'acting,' and kept the document-type label as 'Copy of an act of birth.' The certified translation was delivered for the client's USCIS filing.
A French hospital sent an employer attestation to USCIS for a physician's immigration filing. The signature page carried an institutional stamp written entirely in French, overlapping the handwritten signature. Because every text element of a foreign document — including stamps — must be fully translated for USCIS, we rendered every line inside the stamp into English: institution name, signatory's title, and phone number. The certified translation was delivered with no source-language text remaining.
Questions people ask before submitting
Belgium follows the sworn translation standard for official documents. Translations should be completed by: translator registered in the national register of sworn translators and interpreters.
Required if the sworn translation will be used abroad
Official authorities in Belgium accept documents in: Dutch, French, or German (depending on jurisdiction). Documents in any other language need a sworn translation before submission.
If you are submitting Belgian documents to U.S. authorities (USCIS, universities, credential evaluators), yes — our certified translations are accepted nationwide. For official use inside Belgium, authorities usually require a translator sworn or registered locally — use the official registry linked on this page. We can also advise on apostille requirements for U.S.-issued documents.
Information verified against official sources. Last verified June 2026.
