In an application for international protection in Belgium, the interpreter is not a comfort: they are a central actor whose quality can determine the outcome of the procedure. Although the CGRA (Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons) officially provides its own interpreters, lawyers often recommend calling on a private interpreter for the hearings before the CCE. Here are the market rates and the accreditations to require.
The CGRA process: two levels of hearing
The application for international protection in Belgium follows a path in two main stages. The first is the registration and the first interview with the Immigration Office (OE), which collects the identity information and the basic biographical elements. The second is the CGRA hearing, much more in-depth, which examines the grounds of the asylum application: alleged persecutions, membership of a particular social group, risks in case of return.
In case of a negative decision by the CGRA, the applicant can lodge an appeal before the Council for Alien Law Litigation (CCE), an administrative jurisdiction sitting in Brussels. It is at this stage that the stakes of interpreting quality are the most critical: the hearing is adversarial, the arguments must be precise, and the slightest poorly rendered nuance can weigh on the decision.
Official CGRA interpreter vs. private interpreter: two very different rates
The CGRA officially provides interpreters for its hearings. These interpreters are remunerated according to a very low administrative scale: between €25 and €35 per hour, which limits the profile of the available candidates and can raise questions of quality for the rare languages or the complex cases.
The Belgian private market is at a very different level: between €80 and €130 per hour for a qualified community interpreter, more for the CCE hearings which require a higher level of legal preparation. This rate difference reflects a difference in qualification, preparation and availability.
Many lawyers specialised in immigration law advise their clients to come with their own interpreter, notably for the CGRA hearing and especially for the CCE hearing. This approach allows them to work with an interpreter already briefed on the file, familiar with the terminology of the country of origin and the relevant geopolitical situation.
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Get a quoteRequired profile: the B-CRAI accreditation and its requirements
In Belgium, the community interpreters who work in the asylum sector and the public services are trained and registered via the B-CRAI (Bureau de Coordination et de Recrutement d'Aides-Interprètes). This accreditation guarantees a training in the techniques of consecutive interpreting, a strict code of ethics (neutrality, confidentiality, accuracy), and a knowledge of the Belgian institutional contexts.
For the hearings before the CCE, the required level is higher: the interpreter must master the legal vocabulary of the administrative litigation procedure, understand the notions of "well-founded fear of persecution", "lack of state protection", "article 3 ECHR", "particular social group". They must be able to render with precision not only the words but the register and the level of certainty of the applicant.
Most requested languages for asylum procedures in Belgium
The profile of applicants for international protection in Belgium determines the languages most requested in the CGRA and CCE procedures. Based on the CGRA data of the recent years, the main working languages are:
- Arabic (Maghreb, Levantine, Iraqi dialects): the largest volume, numerous available interpreters, variable levels.
- Dari and Pashto (Afghanistan): structurally high demand, limited number of qualified interpreters.
- Tigrinya (Eritrea): language under-supplied with qualified interpreters, sometimes longer lead times.
- Somali: significant community in Belgium, profile of available interpreters uneven in quality.
- Albanian: applications from Albania and Kosovo, interpreters generally available.
- Georgian: recent flow, interpreters specialised in immigration law rarer.
For the rare languages (Amharic, Tigre, Balochi, Mandinka, Soninke), the availability lead time can reach 5 to 10 working days. Anticipate your request.
The decisive importance of interpreting quality
In an asylum procedure, a poor interpretation can have dramatic consequences. Studies conducted in several European countries - including a UNHCR study on Belgium - have documented cases where an unfavourable decision was due, at least in part, to an interpreting error: a poorly rendered term, a lost temporal nuance, a language register (formal vs. familiar) poorly rendered that led the examiner to evaluate the credibility of the applicant incorrectly.
The interpreter in an asylum procedure must render not only the content but also the way things are said: the hesitations, the breaks in the voice, the culturally charged terms. They must not "improve" or "correct" the applicant's account, even if it seems incoherent to them. Their mission is faithfulness, not mediation.
Market rates: interpreting for CGRA and CCE procedures in Belgium
| Type of service | Indicative rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration Office interview (about 2h) | €160 - €260 | Registration and biographical data, standard level |
| CGRA hearing (half-day) | €320 - €520 | File preparation recommended, B-CRAI accreditation desirable |
| CCE hearing - Council for Alien Law Litigation (day) | €640 - €1 040 | High legal level required, Brussels, surcharge for rare languages |
| Preparation with lawyer (1h) | €80 - €130 | Terminological and factual briefing before hearing, strongly recommended |
| Written translation of the file (country of origin documents) | €0.12 - €0.18 / word | Written translation rate, sworn if required by the CGRA |
A surcharge of 15 to 30% applies for the rare languages (Tigrinya, Somali, Pashto, Amharic, Tigre) due to the scarcity of qualified interpreters on the Belgian market. For the CCE hearings, allow for an overall budget including the interpreter and the preparation with the lawyer.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my own interpreter to the CGRA hearing?
In principle, the CGRA itself provides the interpreter for the official hearings and is not bound to accept an external interpreter proposed by the applicant. However, nothing prevents coming accompanied by a private interpreter as support, to help with communication with the lawyer before and after the hearing, or to detect any translation errors. For the hearings before the CCE, the situation is different: it is an adversarial judicial procedure where the lawyer can request the assistance of an interpreter of their choice, at the client's expense.
How to verify the accreditations of an interpreter for asylum procedures?
Ask the interpreter whether they are registered with the B-CRAI (Bureau de Coordination et de Recrutement d'Aides-Interprètes) or whether they have followed an equivalent recognised training. Check that they have documented experience in Belgian asylum procedures (CGRA, CCE) and not only in general interpreting. Ask for references from lawyers specialised in immigration law who have worked with them. A serious interpreter for this type of assignment will be able to present their background, their training and their fields of specialty. Be wary of profiles without specific experience in asylum procedures, even if their language mastery is excellent.
What to do if the interpreter provided by the CGRA is not neutral or makes errors?
If you or your lawyer observe translation errors during the hearing or a behaviour that seems to indicate a lack of neutrality, it is possible to interrupt the hearing and formally request that it be suspended. This request must be recorded in the hearing report. After the hearing, the lawyer can request a copy of the audio recording (the CGRA records the hearings) and have the translation analysed by an independent expert. In case of a proven error that influenced the decision, this element can constitute a ground for appeal before the CCE.
Can the interpreter refuse to translate certain information?
No. The interpreter in an asylum procedure is bound to translate faithfully everything the applicant says, including the difficult testimonies, the descriptions of violence or trauma, and the elements that might seem implausible or politically sensitive. It is not their place to filter, summarise or attenuate the account. If they consider that certain elements are particularly difficult to translate - very specific cultural terminology, references to local practices - they must signal it explicitly to the examiner or the judge and request a clarification, but they cannot omit the information. An interpreter who refuses to translate or filters the information seriously fails in their ethical obligations.