Translating a Foreign Employment Contract to Work in Belgium

Working in Belgium as a foreign national involves navigating precise linguistic obligations, whether you are an employee, a posted worker or an employer. This guide clarifies who must translate what, into which language and for which administrative procedure.

The linguistic obligation of the employment contract in Belgium

Belgium is a federal state with three official linguistic regions, and this reality is directly reflected in labour law. Under the decrees and laws on the use of languages in administrative matters, every employment contract must be drafted in the language of the region where the worker carries out their activity:

• In Flanders: the contract must be drafted in Dutch (decree of 19 July 1973)
• In Wallonia: the contract must be drafted in French (law of 8 November 1998 and its amendments)
• In Brussels-Capital: for activities carried out exclusively in Brussels, the contract may be in French or Dutch depending on the worker's usual language; for companies whose activity extends to both regions, bilingualism is often recommended in practice

This obligation is a matter of public order: a contract drafted in another language is not void, but the worker can request its partial or complete nullity, and the clauses unfavourable to the worker may be deemed unwritten. The case law of the Court of Cassation has confirmed on several occasions that the sanction of nullity can only be invoked for the benefit of the worker, not of the employer.

Posted workers: a specific obligation

Directive 96/71/EC on the posting of workers, transposed into Belgian law, imposes specific obligations on companies that temporarily send employees to Belgium. The foreign employer must:

• Provide the posted worker, before the start of the assignment, with a copy of their employment contract or an assignment letter in a language the worker understands
• Guarantee the application of the working and remuneration conditions provided by Belgian law and the applicable sectoral collective agreements (via the hard-core rule)
• Make a prior LIMOSA declaration for each posted worker before the start of the assignment

In this framework, the translation of the employment contract is not just a formality: it conditions the effective legal protection of the worker on Belgian territory.

What the foreign worker must have translated

Besides the obligation that rests on the employer, the foreign worker may themselves need to have several documents translated as part of their professional integration in Belgium:

• Their foreign employment contract: if the original contract is drafted in their mother tongue or another foreign language, a translation into French or Dutch may be necessary to understand it and compare it with Belgian standards
• Their diplomas and professional certificates: the Belgian employer may request the translation of foreign qualifications to verify the candidate's qualifications, in particular for technical or regulated functions
• Their foreign criminal record: certain employers, notably in sensitive sectors (childcare, security, finance), require an extract from the criminal record of the country of origin, which must be translated
• Their certificates of professional experience: letters of recommendation, seniority statements, training certificates

The single-permit application: documents to translate

The single permit is the document that authorises a third-country national to reside and work in Belgium. The application is submitted to the Immigration Office and the competent Region (Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels) via the employer.

The single-permit application file may require the translation of the following documents:

• The employment contract: translated into the language of the region of work (French or Dutch)
• The diplomas: a sworn translation may be required, in particular for qualified professions
• The foreign criminal record: sworn translation required
• The civil-status documents: birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable

The precise requirements vary depending on the category of permit requested (highly qualified worker, seasonal worker, ICT, etc.) and depending on the competent Region. It is recommended to check the updated list of documents on the website of the Immigration Office or the Region before gathering your file.