Sworn Translation of Degree in Leuven: KU Leuven and Nostrification

Every year, thousands of international students enrol at KU Leuven with diplomas issued outside Belgium. Whether for a master, a doctorate or a validation of ECTS credits, the university and the Flemish nostrification authorities require a sworn translation produced by a sworn translator recognised by the FPS Justice. This guide explains to you precisely what is expected, for which documents and within what turnaround times.

KU Leuven and the sworn translation of foreign diplomas

KU Leuven welcomes more than 17,000 international students and regularly ranks among the hundred best universities in the world. This international openness is accompanied by a strict documentary requirement: any diploma or transcript issued in a language other than Dutch, French, English or German must be accompanied by a sworn translation to be admissible in the admission file. Even for documents in English, certain admission offices request a certified verification depending on the institution of origin.

The sworn translation is also distinct from the simple free translation: it bears the signature and the official stamp of a sworn translator-interpreter registered on the list of the Belgian FPS Justice. This document has legal value and can be produced before any Belgian administrative or judicial authority.

The admission conditions and the required documents

The admission services of KU Leuven distinguish several situations depending on the country of origin of the diploma. For students coming from third countries (outside the European Economic Area), the procedure is the most demanding. As a general rule, the following documents must be submitted in original accompanied by their sworn translation:

• Bachelor's or master's diploma: the original title issued by the institution, with mention of the dates and the speciality.
• Complete transcript: all the results obtained during the course, grade by grade and semester by semester.
• Certificate of success or of rank: certain countries issue a separate document confirming the ranking of the student in their cohort.
• Hague apostille: for the countries that are signatories of the Hague Convention, the apostille authenticates the signature of the academic authorities. The sworn translation of the apostille itself may be required if it is drafted in a non-recognised language.

KU Leuven verifies the authenticity of the documents via several international databases. An inaccurate translation or one produced by a non-approved translator may lead to the rejection of the file and an additional delay of several weeks.

Nostrification via NARIC-Flanders

NARIC-Flanders (National Academic Recognition Information Centre) is the Flemish body competent for the equivalence of foreign diplomas. It assesses whether a foreign diploma is comparable to a Belgian diploma of the same level. This procedure, called nostrification, is distinct from admission to KU Leuven but is often required in parallel, in particular for regulated professions (medicine, engineering, law) and for student visa D applications.

Nostrification via NARIC-Flanders systematically requires a sworn translation of the academic documents into one of the official Belgian languages: Dutch, French or German. Translations in English are not accepted by NARIC-Flanders for this procedure, even if the university accepts them for admission. So plan a translation into Dutch or into French depending on your situation.

The processing time by NARIC-Flanders is generally two to three months. It is therefore crucial to anticipate and to order your sworn translations well before the submission deadline of your registration file.

Most frequently translated academic documents in Louvain

List of documents required for admission and nostrification

• Bachelor's diploma: a fundamental document for any master application. Must indicate the speciality, the duration of the course and the institution. The sworn translation must faithfully reproduce any honours.
• Master's diploma: required for doctoral applications or specialised second-cycle programmes. The accuracy of the translation of the thesis or dissertation titles is essential.
• Transcript semester by semester: often a multi-page document containing course codes, titles in the local language and different grading systems (points out of 100, GPA, mention). The translation must remain faithful to the original grading system without conversion.
• Certificate of results or ranking certificate: issued in countries such as India, China or Egypt to confirm the rank in the cohort.
• Hague apostille: an administrative certificate affixed to the original document by the competent authority of the country of issue. Must be translated if it is drafted in a language not recognised by KU Leuven.
• Academic recommendation letter: drafted by a professor from the country of origin, often in the local language. KU Leuven generally accepts English but certain programmes require a sworn translation.
• Academic CV: infrequent in sworn translation but sometimes requested by NARIC-Flanders to evaluate the path in the local context.

Procedure and turnaround for KU Leuven

The sworn translation procedure for KU Leuven follows a well-established path. The student or their representative sends a legible scan of the original documents. We verify the legibility and flag any illegible or degraded passage before starting the translation. The sworn FPS Justice translator specialised in the language concerned takes charge of the document, produces the translation and signs it with their official stamp.

For urgent admission files (last-minute registration or approaching deadline), the 24h express mode is available for standard documents up to five pages. For NARIC-Flanders files, the volume is often larger and requires a turnaround of 48 to 72 hours. Delivery is by electronic means (certified PDF) with the possibility of postal sending of the signed and stamped original if the university requires it.

• Express 24h: diploma or transcript up to 5 pages, usual languages (Chinese, Arabic, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Hindi, Spanish).
• 48h to 72h: complete file (several documents), less frequent languages or old handwritten documents.
• Paper original: postal sending available on request for institutions requiring a physical original stamp.