Foreign Marriage Certificate Translation in Ostend: Foreign Residents of the Belgian Coast

Are you a foreign resident of the Belgian coast in Ostend and need to have a foreign marriage certificate translated for the Dienst Burgerzaken, a family reunification procedure, or the recognition of your marriage in Belgium? Ostend is home to many permanent and seasonal residents of foreign origin. This guide explains the sworn translation procedure into Dutch.

See also: marriage certificate translation in Belgium · translation agency in Ostend

Foreign residents on the Belgian coast: when a marriage certificate must be translated

Ostend attracts permanent and seasonal residents from many countries - sailors, fishermen, workers in the tourism industry, and foreign retirees settling on the coast. These residents regularly need to produce translated marriage certificates for their Belgian administrative procedures.

The most common situations in Ostend include:

• Family reunification : an Ostend resident married abroad who wishes to bring their spouse to Belgium: the marriage certificate translated into Dutch is required by the Immigration Office
• Recognition of a foreign marriage : the Dienst Burgerzaken of Ostend can register a marriage celebrated abroad after verifying the translated marriage certificate
• Flemish naturalisation : the complete file submitted via the Ostend municipality includes the translated marriage certificate if the applicant is married
• Binational divorce : the Rechtbank West-Vlaanderen handles dissolution of marriages celebrated abroad and requires the translated certificate
• Coastal inheritance : foreign residents of the coast whose estate involves a marriage celebrated in their country of origin

Procedure for translating a foreign marriage certificate in Ostend

The steps to follow depend on the country where your marriage was celebrated:

• Hague Convention signatory countries (Romania, Poland, Morocco, Spain, Italy…): obtain an apostille in the country of issue, then have the sworn translation into Dutch carried out by a certified sworn translator
• Non-signatory countries: consular legalisation via the Belgian embassy in the relevant country, then sworn translation
• EU marriages: the European multilingual form may be accepted - verify with the Dienst Burgerzaken of Ostend before travelling

Our sworn translators cover Romanian, Polish, Arabic, Spanish, English, and more than 70 other languages relevant to residents of the Belgian coast.

What a marriage certificate translation includes

• Full identity of both spouses (surnames, given names, dates and places of birth)
• Date, place, and circumstances of the marriage
• Identity of witnesses and the officiant
• Matrimonial property regime if mentioned in the certificate
• Certificate number and identity of the civil registrar
• Marginal annotations: divorce, death of a spouse