Foreign Certificate of Single Status in Charleroi: Translation for Civil Marriage

Planning to marry in Charleroi or the Hainaut Province and holding a foreign certificate of no impediment? Whether your document was issued in Morocco, Italy, Poland, Romania or any other country, a certified sworn translation into French is required before the Charleroi civil registrar will process your marriage file. TranslateBE provides certified translations of certificates of no impediment for Charleroi and all Hainaut communes, with delivery within 24-48 hours.

What is a certificate of no impediment and why is it required in Charleroi?

A certificate of no impediment - known in French as certificat de célibat orcertificat de capacité matrimoniale - is an official document issued by your country of origin confirming that you are legally free to marry. It certifies that no existing marriage, legal obstacle or court prohibition prevents you from contracting a new marriage under the laws of your home country.

In Belgium, Article 64 of the Civil Code requires that foreign nationals wishing to marry provide proof of their marital status in their country of origin. Charleroi's Service de l'État Civil - housed at the Hôtel de Ville on Place Charles II - will not register a marriage file without a certified sworn translation of this document if it is issued in a language other than French or Dutch. The translation must be produced by a sworn translator registered with a Belgian Court of Appeal.

Which countries most commonly require this translation in Charleroi?

Given Charleroi's demographic composition - one of the most diverse cities in Wallonia - the most frequently requested language pairs for this document include:

• Arabic-French: for Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian nationals. The document may be called certificat de célibat (Morocco), shahada al-azubiyya or equivalent.
• Italian-French: for Italian nationals holding a nulla osta al matrimonio issued by the Italian consulate or a comune.
• Polish-French: for Polish nationals presenting a zaświadczenie o zdolności prawnej do zawarcia małżeństwa.
• Romanian-French: for Romanian nationals with a certificat de celibat issued by the Romanian civil authority.
• Turkish-French: for Turkish nationals with a bekarlık belgesi issued by the Turkish consulate general in Brussels.
• Spanish-French: for Spanish nationals with a certificado de soltería or certificado de capacidad matrimonial.
• Portuguese-French: for Portuguese nationals and nationals of Portuguese-speaking African countries.
• Russian and Ukrainian-French: for nationals of these countries presenting documents issued by local civil registry offices (ZAGS).

Additional documents required for marriage in Charleroi

The certificate of no impediment is rarely the only foreign document requiring translation. The Charleroi civil registrar will typically also request certified translations of:

• Birth certificate (acte de naissance): to confirm your identity, date and place of birth
• Proof of domicile: where your country of origin requires a certificate of residence to be included in the file
• Divorce decree or death certificate: if you have been previously married, proof that your previous marriage has been legally dissolved
• Legalisation or Apostille: depending on your country of origin, documents may need to be apostilled before translation. Our team can guide you on whether legalisation is required.

We can translate all of these documents in one order, often at a package price. Contact us to discuss your full marriage file before submitting it to the Charleroi registry.

Pricing and turnaround for Charleroi

Translation of a standard certificate of no impediment starts from €65for a single-page document. Most certificates of no impediment are one to two pages and are delivered within 24 hours of confirmation. Express same-day service is available for urgent marriage registration deadlines. Payment is by bank transfer. Belgian VAT is not applicable to our services in accordance with Article 44 §3 of the Belgian VAT Code.