Chinese students form the largest non-EU international community at the KU Leuven. Diplomas, transcripts, civil status documents in Mandarin: all these documents must be officially translated for your registration, your type D student visa or the recognition of your qualifications. Our agency offers sworn translations Chinese-French carried out by sworn translators mastering simplified and traditional characters.
Chinese students at KU Leuven: the largest international community
Diplomas and transcripts in Chinese characters
China has been for several years the leading country of origin of non-EU students at KU Leuven. These students - mainly master's students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers - arrive with diplomas issued by renowned Chinese universities: Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Zhejiang University and many others.
These diplomas are written in simplified Mandarin (simplified characters used in mainland China). The transcripts (成绩单) list the subjects, the credits and the grades in the form of tables in Chinese characters. For the admission files, KU Leuven accepts a translation into English or French. For the procedures NARIC Vlaanderen or the Immigration Office, a sworn translation into French or Dutch is mandatory.
Civil status documents and personal documents
Beyond the academic documents, Chinese students need official translations for several types of personal documents. The Chinese birth certificate (出生证明) is systematically required for registration in the foreigners register in Louvain and for the applications for extended stay visa. Married students must also provide a translation of their marriage certificate (结婚证) if they wish to bring their spouse to Belgium.
The bank statements (银行流水) in Mandarin are sometimes requested by the embassies or the Belgian financial institutions to justify sufficient resources. The Chinese passports also contain information in Mandarin that requires an official translation in certain Belgian consular or judicial procedures.
TranslateBE
Chinese-French translation for KU Leuven
Diplomas, transcripts and civil status documents in simplified or traditional Mandarin. Sworn translators, quote in 1h.
Most frequently translated Chinese documents in Louvain
Here are the documents in Mandarin that our translators handle most often for the Chinese students and researchers of KU Leuven:
- University diploma (学位证书): sworn translation of the bachelor's (本科), master's (硕士) or doctorate (博士) diploma for the admission files and the NARIC procedures.
- Transcript (成绩单): complete translation of the academic results semester by semester, with the course titles, the credits and the grades obtained.
- Birth certificate (出生证明): central document for the type D student visa and the registration in the foreigners register of the city of Louvain.
- Marriage certificate (结婚证): required for married students wishing to bring their spouse to Belgium as part of a family reunification.
- Passport (护照): certified translation of the biographical data pages for certain Belgian consular or judicial procedures.
- Bank statement (银行流水): translation of Chinese bank account statements to justify sufficient resources with the embassies or Belgian financial institutions.
Ordering your Chinese-French translation from Louvain
Our online service is particularly suited to Chinese students whose original documents are often still in China during the registration procedures. Here is how to proceed:
- Send a digital copy of your document in Mandarin via our online form. A high-resolution photo taken with your smartphone is sufficient in most cases.
- Receive a firm quote in less than an hour, with the all-inclusive rate and the precise delivery time.
- Pay by bank transfer: the IBAN details are sent to you with the quote. International transfers from China are accepted.
- Receive your sworn translation in PDF by email, with signature and seal of the sworn translator. Paper version sent by express courier on request.
Our sworn translators are sworn in before the Belgian Courts of Appeal and master simplified Mandarin (mainland Chinese) as well as traditional Mandarin (Taiwan, Hong Kong). They know the Chinese education systems and the administrative formats of the civil status documents of the People's Republic of China.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between simplified Mandarin and traditional Mandarin for my translation?
Simplified Mandarin (简体字) is used in mainland China, including for all the official documents of the People's Republic of China. Traditional Mandarin (繁體字) is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. The meaning is the same, but the characters are visually different and the font may vary. Our translators master both systems. For your documents from the PRC (the most frequent case for the students at KU Leuven), your documents will be in simplified Mandarin.
What turnaround times to plan for my student visa with documents in Mandarin?
The translation of a Chinese birth certificate generally takes 2 to 3 working days in standard turnaround, 24 hours in express. For a complete file (birth certificate + diploma + transcript), allow 3 to 5 working days. Anticipate: the Belgian embassies in China often have processing times of 4 to 8 weeks for student visas, and require the sworn translations with the original documents. Order your translations as soon as possible.
What is the difference between a certified translation and a sworn translation for KU Leuven?
A certified translation is attested as faithful by a professional translator, but without official recognition by the Belgian courts. A sworn translation is carried out by a translator who has taken an oath before a Belgian Court of Appeal: it is the only one accepted for official procedures (visa, foreigners register, NARIC). For the initial admission files at KU Leuven, a certified translation may be sufficient, but to finalise your legal stay in Belgium, the sworn translation is essential.
Must Chinese documents be notarised in China before translation in Belgium?
China is not a member of the Hague Convention on the apostille. The official Chinese documents must therefore go through a procedure of consular legalisation: authentication by the Chinese public notary (公证), then legalisation by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then visa of the embassy of Belgium in China. This procedure takes several weeks. Our translators can work on copies while your legalisation is in progress, to save time.