Translating Foreign Payslips for a Belgian Bank or Administration

Do you earn income abroad and are you settling in Belgium, or are you a cross-border worker? Belgian banks, health insurance funds and the ONSS regularly request the translation of your foreign pay slips to build a credit file, join health insurance or assert your social rights. This guide explains what is expected and by whom.

Why does a Belgian bank or health insurance fund request the translation of your pay slips?

Belgian financial and social bodies work in French, Dutch or German. When a document is submitted to them in another language, they cannot analyse it and integrate it into your file without a translation. This is not an arbitrary requirement: for a mortgage loan, for example, the bank is required by regulation to verify the applicant's solvency and to document that verification. A pay slip in Polish, English or Luxembourgish does not fulfil this function without a legible translation.

The most common situations are the following: application for a mortgage loan for a property purchase in Belgium, opening of a current account for a non-resident employed abroad, financing of a vehicle, affiliation to a Belgian health insurance fund, or procedures with the ONSS for the calculation of contributions or the validation of social rights.

Which documents are concerned?

• Pay slips (salary slips): the last 3 pay slips are the standard for a credit file. Some complex files (variable income, bonuses) require the last 12 months.
• Employment contract: often requested to confirm the nature of the contract (CDI, CDD, working hours) and the stability of the income.
• Foreign tax returns (tax assessment notices): particularly required for the self-employed, company managers or people whose income is not uniform from one month to the next.
• Employer certificate: some institutions request a certificate from the employer confirming the gross annual salary and the contract start date.
• Foreign bank statements: to demonstrate the regularity of salary payments when the pay slips are not sufficient.

Certified or sworn translation: what difference for banks?

For bank and health insurance files, the distinction is important. A sworn translation is carried out by a sworn translator registered in the RNEJ register (National Register of Judicial Experts), who affixes their signature and their official stamp on the translated document. It has legal value for judicial acts and civil status files.

A certified translation is carried out by a qualified professional translator who attests to the fidelity of their translation to the original by a signed declaration. It does not have the same legal value as a sworn translation, but the vast majority of Belgian banks and health insurance funds accept it for pay slips and income files. It is advisable to verify with your bank advisor before ordering. If the bank expressly requires a sworn translation, TranslateBE can provide it.

The special case of cross-border workers

Cross-border workers who reside in Belgium but work in Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands or Germany often face complex situations. Their pay slips are drawn up according to the rules of the country of employment, with terminology and a structure different from Belgian slips. The bilateral social security conventions and the double taxation rules add even more complexity.

For a Luxembourgish cross-border worker, the pay slips are in French but use headings specific to Luxembourgish labour law. For a cross-border worker working in Germany or the Netherlands, translation is essential. The self-employed must generally provide their balance sheets, income statements or turnover certificates of the foreign company, which also require a professional translation.