Apostille and Sworn Translation for Turkish Documents in Belgium

Good news for anyone dealing with Turkish paperwork in Belgium: Türkiye is a member of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Turkish documents intended for use in Belgium therefore fall under the apostille procedure, not consular legalisation. Once a document has been apostilled in Türkiye, all that remains is a sworn translation by a Belgian sworn translator before you submit it to the relevant authority. This guide walks you through each step, from the Turkish prefectures to your file in Belgium.

Türkiye is a party to the Hague Convention

The Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishes the requirement of legalisation for public documents exchanged between member states and replaces it with a single standardised stamp: the apostille. Türkiye has been a signatory for many years. In practice, this means a Turkish public document intended for Belgium does not need to pass through the Belgian consulate or any chain of legalisations: a single apostille, issued by the competent Turkish authority, is enough to certify the signature and seal on the document.

In Türkiye, the apostille is issued by the prefectures (valilik) for administrative and civil-status documents, and by the courts (the public prosecutor's office at the courthouse) for judicial and notarial documents. This is an important contrast with non-member states, where a cumbersome consular legalisation remains compulsory.

The Turkish documents most often needed in Belgium

The community of Turkish origin is one of the largest in Belgium. The documents most frequently handled are the civil-status records from the Turkish population register (nüfus): birth certificate (doğum belgesi), marriage certificate (evlenme belgesi) and family register extracts. Next come the criminal record extract (adli sicil belgesi), required for Belgian naturalisation and certain jobs, and diplomas for NARIC recognition.

The apostille + translation procedure, step by step

• Apostille in Türkiye: have the apostille affixed to the original document by the prefecture (valilik) for civil-status and administrative records, or by the competent court for judicial and notarial documents.
• Sworn translation in Belgium: hand the apostilled document to a Belgian sworn translator listed on the National Register of Judicial Experts and Sworn Translators, Interpreters and Translator-Interpreters (RNEJ), who produces the certified translation from Turkish into French or Dutch.
• Submission in Belgium: present the apostilled document together with its sworn translation to the relevant authority (municipality, FPS Justice, university, and so on).

Note the order carefully: the apostille applies to the original Turkish document, before translation. Translating first and then apostilling the translation is a common mistake that can lead to your file being rejected.

Specific documents and their particularities

• Records from the nüfus register: recent extracts are often multilingual, but a sworn translation into Dutch or French is generally still required by Belgian municipalities.
• Criminal record (adli sicil belgesi): issued via e-Devlet or a courthouse, it must be recent (often less than three months old) and fully translated.
• Marriage certificate (evlenme belgesi): needed for recognition of the marriage and for family reunification.
• Turkish diplomas: a sworn translation is required for NARIC recognition in Belgium.

Name consistency and the Turkish alphabet

The Turkish alphabet contains specific characters (ç, ğ, ı, İ, ö, ş, ü) that must be rendered faithfully. A mistranscribed name (for example Şişman written as Sisman, or İlkay as Ilkay) can create a discrepancy between your Turkish document, your translation and your Belgian identity papers, and stall the processing of your file. Make sure the spelling of surnames and forenames is strictly identical across every document. Our sworn translators reproduce the official spelling shown on the source document and flag any visible inconsistency.

Tips for a file that is accepted first time

• Check that the apostille has indeed been affixed to the original before any translation.
• Mind the date: many documents (criminal record, family composition) must be less than three or six months old.
• Ensure name consistency between the Turkish document, the translation and your Belgian papers.
• Provide a legible, complete scan, including the apostille, to avoid back-and-forth.

Further reading

To understand the difference between the two regimes, see our guide on apostille or legalisation in Belgium and our background article on the Hague Convention and the apostille. For the practical aspects specific to Turkish records, read our dedicated page: translating Turkish documents in Belgium.