Is your Bruges notary asking you for a sworn translation of a foreign deed? Whether it is for a property purchase, an international inheritance or a power of attorney, TranslateBE provides you with translations certified by a recognised sworn translator, delivered quickly and valid for all notarial deeds in Belgium.
Bruges notaries and international deeds: inheritances and real estate
Bruges - Brugge in Dutch - is one of the Belgian cities where notaries handle proportionally the largest number of files with an international dimension. The heritage beauty of the city, its preserved historic fabric and its proximity to the port of Zeebrugge make it a very active property and commercial market for foreign buyers and investors. To this are added decades of expatriation of foreign nationals who built their lives there - and who, at death, leave behind inheritances involving heirs or property in other countries.
The Bruges notary is thus regularly confronted with legal situations of a cross-border dimension: a British buyer acquiring a characterful house in the city centre, a Dutch family inheriting a property on the Belgian coast, a Franco-Belgian couple organising their inheritance, or an entrepreneur whose company has its seat abroad and who signs a power of attorney before a notary. In all these cases, translated and certified foreign documents are necessary so that the notary can draw up the deed lawfully.
Bruges real estate and foreign buyers
Bruges has long attracted foreign buyers drawn by its medieval architecture, its canals and the quality of life it offers. British nationals have historically been among the most active on the Bruges property market, a trend that has somewhat shifted after Brexit but remains significant. The Dutch, whose geographical proximity facilitates cross-border purchases, and the French also make up an important share of non-Belgian buyers in the region.
When a foreigner buys a property in Belgium, the instrumenting notary must verify their civil status and legal capacity. If the buyer is married under a foreign matrimonial regime, the notary must take this into account in the deed. He must also ensure that documents such as the foreign marriage contract, a possible divorce judgment or a certificate of single status are available in Dutch in certified form. These documents determine the regularity of the notarial deed.
The port of Zeebrugge, a few kilometres from Bruges, also generates international commercial transactions. Foreign companies have establishments there, and the property transactions or commercial leases linked to these port activities often involve documents of foreign companies - statutes, powers of representation, commercial register extracts - which must be translated and certified into Dutch before the notary can authenticate them.
Inheritances with non-Belgian heirs
International inheritance is one of the most complex files for a Bruges notary, and it is there that the needs for sworn translation are the most important and the most delicate. Since the entry into force of the European Succession Regulation (Regulation EU 650/2012, known as "Brussels IV"), the law applicable to an inheritance is in principle that of the habitual residence of the deceased. But the concrete situations are often more complex.
A British national residing in Bruges at the time of death may have opted for the application of English law to their inheritance, while leaving property in Belgium and heirs in the United Kingdom. After Brexit, Great Britain is no longer bound by the European regulation, which further complicates the procedures. The Bruges notary will then have to deal with English inheritance documents - grant of probate, letters of administration, wills, etc. - which will have to be translated into Dutch by a sworn translator.
Inheritances with Dutch or French heirs are also frequent. A Belgian deceased with children living in the Netherlands or in France, or a French expatriate who died after buying a second home in West Flanders: in these cases, the documents produced by the foreign heirs (birth certificates, death certificates of the spouse, divorce judgments, foreign certificates of inheritance) must be translated and certified so that the notary can establish the devolution of the estate.
Belgian law requires the notary to verify the identity and the relationship of each heir. If these proofs rest on foreign documents, the sworn translation is not optional: it is a condition of validity of the notarial deed of inheritance or partition.
TranslateBE
Sworn translation for your Bruges notary
Property purchase, international inheritance, power of attorney, company statutes: our sworn translators certify your documents into Dutch for all Bruges notaries.
Most frequently translated notarial documents in Bruges
The Bruges notary offices regularly entrust us with translations of various documents. Here are the types of documents most frequently submitted for certified translation in the context of notarial files in Bruges:
Deeds and documents by type of file
- Foreign property sales contracts: sales agreements or preliminary contracts drawn up abroad for property whose final sale is drawn up by a Bruges notary, requiring a certified translation so that the notary can take note of them and include them in the file.
- Foreign wills: holographic or authentic wills drawn up in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France or other countries, whose application is claimed in a Belgian inheritance. The sworn translation allows the notary to assess their scope and validity in light of the applicable law.
- Foreign inheritance deeds and certificates of inheritance: British grant of probate, French acte de notoriété, Dutch verklaring van erfrecht - all must be translated into Dutch by a sworn translator to be enforceable in Belgium.
- Foreign powers of attorney: an heir or buyer residing abroad can authorise an agent in Belgium to represent them before a notary. If the power of attorney is drawn up abroad in another language, it must be translated and certified before the notary accepts it. For certain countries, an apostille on the original power of attorney is also required.
- Statutes of foreign companies: for property purchases or commercial transactions carried out by a foreign legal entity, the Bruges notary must have the translated and certified statutes as well as the documents attesting to the powers of representation of the person signing.
- Foreign marriage contracts: when a buyer or testator is married under a foreign matrimonial regime, the notary must take note of it in the deed drawn up. The foreign marriage contract must therefore be translated into Dutch by a sworn translator.
- Foreign birth, marriage and death certificates: civil status documents produced in inheritance files to establish family ties and the status of heir.
- Certificates of single status or absence of marriage: documents issued by the foreign authorities and required by the notary or the civil registrar for marriages or donations between persons of different nationalities.
Ordering your translation for your Bruges notary
The procedure at TranslateBE is entirely online, which saves you any travel. You can submit your documents from anywhere - including from abroad if you are an heir or buyer residing outside Belgium.
You simply scan your documents (or photograph them with a good quality smartphone), submit them via our quote form and indicate the source language, the target language (Dutch for Bruges notaries), and the intended use. We send you a free, no-obligation quote within the following hours.
After validation and payment, our sworn translators - registered in the Belgian national register - produce the translation with their official seal and signature. The certified translation is delivered to you in secure PDF format by email, or in original paper version by registered mail if your notary requires the physical version. For Bruges notaries, the original paper version with the physical seal of the sworn translator is often preferable, in particular for deeds intended to be kept in the notarial register.
Our standard turnaround times are 2 to 3 working days for common documents. A 24-hour express service is available for urgent files - for example, if the signing of the deed is scheduled in the coming days and the translation is still missing from the file. It is advisable to anticipate and order the translation as soon as you know the planned signing date.
The most frequently requested languages for Bruges notaries are English (for files involving British or American nationals), Dutch (for documents to be produced from the Netherlands or Dutch-speaking Belgium), French, German and Spanish. We also cover less common languages depending on the composition of your file.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What are the usual turnaround times for a sworn translation intended for a Bruges notary?
For standard documents such as a birth certificate, a marriage certificate or a short power of attorney (1 to 3 pages), our standard turnaround is 2 working days. For longer documents such as a will, company statutes or an inheritance deed, allow 3 to 5 working days. An express service within 24 hours is available for an additional fee. If your signing at the notary is scheduled in a few days, contact us immediately so that we can confirm the feasibility of the deadline and guarantee delivery before the deed.
Is an apostille needed on British documents since Brexit for inheritances in Bruges?
Since 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union and is therefore no longer covered by the European regulations simplifying the circulation of official documents. For English, Welsh or Scottish documents that must take effect in Belgium in an inheritance, a Hague apostille must generally be affixed to the original document before its translation. The United Kingdom is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention on the apostille, and apostilles are issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for English documents or by the competent authorities in Scotland and Wales. TranslateBE can indicate the procedure to follow according to the type of document and its geographical origin within the United Kingdom.
Does my Bruges notary accept a sworn translation in PDF format or is the paper version mandatory?
In Belgium, the law does not impose a paper format for sworn translations - the legal value rests on the seal and signature of the sworn translator, whether physical or electronic (qualified electronic signature). However, in notarial practice, many Bruges notaries prefer - or require - an original paper version with the physical seal, in particular for documents that will be filed as a minute or kept in the notarial register. It is therefore advisable to check the preferences of your notary before ordering. TranslateBE delivers to you in both formats according to your needs.
Must a power of attorney signed in the Netherlands be translated and apostilled to be accepted by a Bruges notary?
For Dutch documents intended to take effect in Belgium, the apostille is technically required under the Hague Convention, although in practice, some Belgian notaries accept Dutch documents without an apostille due to the proximity and similarity of the legal systems. That said, to avoid any risk of refusal, it is recommended to have the power of attorney apostilled in the Netherlands - the apostille is issued there by the Rechtbank - before having it translated into Dutch by a Belgian sworn translator. If the power of attorney is drafted in Dutch (a common language of both countries), the question of translation is different: it is then a matter of verifying the conformity of the Dutch legal terminology with Belgian standards. TranslateBE can advise you on a case-by-case basis.