Foreign Criminal Record Translation in Mons: SHAPE, Security Clearance and Foreign Military

In Mons and the province of Hainaut, demand for certified translation of foreign criminal records comes primarily from residents going through Belgian naturalisation procedures, job seekers in regulated professions, and international students at the University of Mons (UMONS). The Hainaut border with France also generates cross-border requests involving French criminal records.

Belgian naturalisation from Mons: which criminal records are required?

Any applicant for Belgian naturalisation residing in the Mons area must provide a criminal record extract from every country where they have resided for more than 6 months since turning 18. These documents must be translated into French by a sworn translator registered with the Belgian FPS Justice.

The most frequently translated languages in the Mons region include Arabic (Morocco, Algeria), Italian (historical Italian community in the former mining area), Polish, Romanian and Portuguese. Our agency has experienced sworn translators for all these language pairs.

Regulated professions in Hainaut: uses of the translated criminal record

Several regulated professions in Belgium require a criminal record extract as part of their application process. In the Mons and Hainaut area, the most frequent requests come from:

• Teaching staff: schools and higher education institutions in Hainaut require a certificate of good conduct, supplemented by a foreign criminal record for candidates who have lived abroad
• Healthcare professionals: the CHU Ambroise Paré and other Hainaut hospitals recruit international profiles who must provide a translated criminal record
• Security agents: private security firms require a criminal record from all previous countries of residence, translated into French
• Social workers: the relevant authorities require a clean criminal record, including for candidates with a foreign background

Cross-border procedures with France

The Mons metropolitan area borders the Nord department in France. Many residents work on both sides of the border. Belgian nationals working in France may need their Belgian criminal record (extract from the central criminal register) translated into French for the French prefecture. Conversely, French nationals residing in Mons may need their French bulletin n°3 translated into French - which is already in French, but sometimes needs an apostille - or their Belgian criminal record for French administrative purposes.

UMONS students: criminal record for international exchanges

Students at the University of Mons (UMONS) completing placements abroad or applying for exchange programmes may need to provide a Belgian criminal record. International students at UMONS may also need their home country criminal record translated for procedures with the municipality of Mons or for student accommodation applications.