Pashto and Dari Translation in Belgium: Afghan Diaspora, Tazkira and CGRS

Pashto and Dari are Afghanistan's two official languages under the 2004 constitution — spoken together by over 90 million people in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the Afghan diaspora in Belgium has grown to an estimated 50,000–70,000 people. Whether you need a translation for a CGRS asylum dossier, a DVZ family reunification file or an Afghan tazkira, TranslateBE delivers professional Pashto and Dari translations by qualified translators — quote within 1 hour, delivery within 24 hours.

Pashto and Dari in Belgium: languages of the Afghan diaspora

Pashto is an Eastern Iranian language spoken by the Pashtun people (~60 million speakers in Afghanistan and Pakistan). Dari is the Afghan variant of Persian, the language of culture, administration and commerce in Afghanistan (~30 million speakers). Both languages use the Persian-Arabic script, written right to left. Since the fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021, Belgium has taken in thousands of Afghan refugees, making Afghanistan the first or second most common country of origin for asylum seekers in Belgium.

The Afghan community in Belgium has significant translation needs: asylum dossiers, family reunification, diploma recognition, legal proceedings and administrative formalities with municipalities and the CPAS social welfare centre.

When do you need a Pashto or Dari translation in Belgium?

• CGRS (Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons): Afghanistan has been the first or second most common country of origin for asylum seekers in Belgium since 2021 — tazkiras, threat letters, military documents and testimonies in Pashto or Dari
• DVZ / Office des Étrangers: Afghan civil status documents, residence permits, family reunification, regularisation
• Belgian communes: registration in the population register, recognition of Afghan Islamic marriage contracts (nikah)
• CPAS / OCMW: social welfare dossiers for Afghan newcomers, support for refugee families
• Belgian courts: evidence documents, contracts and powers of attorney in Dari or Pashto for Belgian judicial proceedings
• Medical and social: hospital files, medical reports for Afghan patients, psychological certificates

The Afghan tazkira: national identity document in Dari or Pashto

The tazkira is Afghanistan's national identity document. It may be written in Dari, Pashto or both languages depending on the holder's region of origin. Unlike Western identity documents, Afghan tazkiras are often handwritten — particularly older ones — and may be in poor condition, partially illegible or photocopied. Many Afghan families who arrived in Belgium after 2021 only have a phone photograph taken hastily during their flight from the country.

Our Pashto and Dari specialist translators are experienced in deciphering old, handwritten, degraded or photocopied tazkiras. We regularly work with documents of varying quality and can flag illegible passages in our translation.

Most commonly translated documents in Belgium

• Tazkiras (Afghan identity documents in Dari or Pashto)
• Islamic marriage contracts (nikah) in Dari or Pashto
• University diplomas from Afghanistan (University of Kabul, University of Herat)
• Afghan criminal record extracts
• Military documents (Afghan National Army, special forces)
• Threat letters and persecution testimonies for CGRS dossiers
• Afghan passports (entries in Dari or Pashto)
• Afghan medical documents and employment contracts
• Powers of attorney and contracts in Dari

Afghan refugees in Belgium since 2021: a specific situation

Since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, thousands of Afghan families have found refuge in Belgium. Their documents are often incomplete, damaged or exist only as hastily taken phone photos during their flight. Some documents were lost, confiscated or destroyed. Others were left behind to avoid attracting attention at Taliban checkpoints.

TranslateBE is accustomed to working in these conditions: low-quality phone photographs, partial documents, barely legible tazkiras. We provide a quote within 1 hour even for difficult documents, and our team can assess translation feasibility before any financial commitment. Full support with absolute discretion.