Buying a property, receiving a gift, signing a marriage deed before a notary: when one of the parties does not sufficiently understand French or Dutch, Belgian law requires the notary to ensure the understanding of the deed. A qualified notarial interpreter is not an option - it is a legal necessity. Here are the rates applied in Belgium and everything you need to know before booking.
The legal obligation: what Belgian law says
Article 43 of the law of 16 March 1803 on the notariat (the Belgian Notarial Code, called the "ventôse law") sets a fundamental principle: the notary must read the deed to the parties and ensure that they have understood its content. If one of the parties does not understand the language of the deed - French in Wallonia and Brussels, Dutch in Flanders - the notary is legally bound to take the necessary arrangements to guarantee this understanding.
In practice, this often involves calling on a notarial interpreter: a professional who orally translates the reading of the deed and certifies that the party concerned has indeed understood what they were signing. This certification is distinct from the written translation of the file's annexes, which falls to the sworn translator.
The deeds most frequently concerned in Belgium are property sales (particularly frequent with buyers from immigration or expatriates), gifts between parents and children of different nationalities, inheritances involving heirs abroad, company formations with foreign partners, mandates and powers of attorney, and marriage deeds before a notary.
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Get a quoteThe dual role of the interpreter during a notarial deed
The notarial interpreter plays a role that goes beyond simple oral translation. Their assignment comprises two complementary dimensions.
Firstly, the oral translation of the deed: the interpreter translates faithfully the reading made by the notary, including the technical clauses, the suspensive conditions, the income declarations, the mandatory legal mentions. This translation must be simultaneous or consecutive depending on the length of the passages.
Secondly, the certification of understanding: the interpreter attests that the foreign-speaking party has indeed grasped the scope of the deed, that they were able to ask their questions and obtain answers. This attestation is sometimes formalised in the deed itself, at the request of the notary.
The notarial interpreter is not a legal advisor. They do not give advice on the advisability of signing, do not intervene in the negotiation of the clauses and cannot correct or suggest modifications to the deed. Their role is exclusively linguistic and certifying.
The preparation: an indispensable step
The quality of a notarial interpretation depends largely on the preparation. The notarial vocabulary in Belgium is dense and very specific: "suspensive condition of obtaining credit", "purging of mortgages", "share in the common parts", "usufruct and bare ownership", "beneficiary clause", "declaration of inheritance"... These terms have no direct equivalent in all languages and their incorrect translation can generate serious misunderstandings.
This is why serious notarial interpreters require receiving the deed in advance - ideally 24 to 48 hours before signing. This lead time allows them to prepare a bilingual terminological glossary, to identify the technical passages that require an additional explanation, and to clarify with the notary any ambiguous point.
This preparation is generally included in the rate for standard deeds. For very complex deeds (international inheritance, merger-acquisition involving foreign entities), a separate billing of the preparation may be provided.
FEDNOT and the market for notarial interpreters in Belgium
FEDNOT (Federation of the Belgian Notariat) has not established an official rate for the interpreters intervening in notarial offices. Each notary is free to call on the interpreter of their choice or to recommend a provider to their client.
In practice, many notaries work with trusted interpreters whom they engage regularly. This relationship of trust is valuable: the interpreter knows the requirements of the notary, their reading style, their work habits. But the client has every right to propose their own interpreter, provided that the latter is qualified and accepted by the notary.
The important distinction to maintain: the notarial interpreter ensures the oral understanding of the deed during the signing. If documentary annexes (extract of a foreign criminal record, translated birth certificate, articles of a foreign company) must be attached to the notarial file, their translation falls to the sworn translator, whose assignment and rate are distinct.
Rates of notarial interpreting in Belgium
| Type of service | Indicative rate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Simple property sale (about 2h) | €200 - €320 | Preparation 24h included, km costs extra (€0.42/km) |
| Gift with several beneficiaries (about 3h) | €300 - €480 | Increased complexity if several languages concerned |
| Company formation (about 2h) | €200 - €350 | Knowledge of Belgian company law required |
| Complex inheritance (half-day) | €480 - €720 | Minimum 4h, extended preparation (48h) recommended |
| Marriage deed before a notary (about 2h) | €200 - €320 | Matrimonial regimes, marriage contract, patrimonial clauses |
These rates apply for travel within a radius of 30 km around Brussels. Beyond that, the kilometre costs apply at the Belgian legal rate of €0.42/km(2025- scale). For notarial offices located in Antwerp, Ghent, Liège or Charleroi, allow for a travel surcharge or a local interpreter.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can the notary refuse the interpreter I bring?
Yes, the notary has a power of assessment over the interpreter who intervenes in their office. They can refuse an interpreter if they have legitimate reasons to doubt their competence, their neutrality or their independence with regard to the parties. In practice, a professional interpreter, without a personal or commercial link with one of the parties, presenting serious references, will rarely be refused. To avoid any difficulty, inform your notary of your choice of interpreter several days before signing and request a prior validation.
Can a family member serve as interpreter at the notary?
Legally, nothing formally prohibits it in all cases. In practice, Belgian notaries strongly discourage calling on a family member as interpreter, for several reasons: potential conflict of interest (the person is often themselves a party or interested in the deed), risk of incomplete or biased translation, and impossibility of formally attesting to the understanding of the party. In case of a later dispute, a deed signed with a non-professional interpreter could be contested. Prudence recommends an independent and qualified interpreter, without a link with any of the parties.
Must the interpreter take an oath for notarial deeds?
For the oral interpretation during the reading and signing of a notarial deed, the oath is not obligatory in the strict sense. The notarial interpreter is not a sworn translator. However, some notaries ask the interpreter to sign a declaration in the deed attesting that they have faithfully translated and that the party has understood. This declaration can be assimilated to a solemn commitment. For the documentary annexes attached to the deed (foreign birth certificates, judgments, etc.), a sworn translator registered with the FPS Justice is required.
Is the deed valid if one of the parties does not perfectly understand French or Dutch?
It is precisely for this reason that an interpreter is indispensable. A notarial deed signed by a person who has not understood its content can be challenged for nullity for defect of consent, on the basis of article 1130 of the Belgian Civil Code relating to error. The notary, as a public officer, has the obligation to ensure the informed consent of all parties. If they sign a deed without taking the necessary precautions to guarantee the understanding of a foreign-speaking party, their personal liability may be engaged. Calling on a professional interpreter therefore protects both the client and the notary.