Romanian-French Translation in Belgium: Guide for the Romanian Community

Romania has been a member of the European Union since 2007, granting its nationals freedom of movement in Belgium. With approximately 100,000 people of Romanian origin residing in Belgium, the Romanian community is one of the most dynamic among the country's newer European communities. Administrative regularisation, skilled employment, family reunification: all these procedures require a sworn Romanian-French translation. Here is everything you need to know.

📖 See also: sworn translation · Belgian naturalisation · visa translation

The Romanian community in Belgium

Romanian immigration in Belgium is a phenomenon that grew steadily after Romania's accession to the EU in January 2007. Initially, Romanian nationals were subject to transitional restrictions on access to the Belgian labour market, which were lifted in 2014. Since then, Romanians enjoy the same rights as all other EU citizens on the Belgian labour market.

This community is currently estimated at approximately 100,000 people, with significant concentrations in Brussels, Wallonia (notably in rural areas for seasonal agricultural workers) and Flanders (construction, logistics). Several profiles can be distinguished within this community:

• Economic workers: the largest group, often active in construction, the healthcare sector (nurses, care assistants), catering and agriculture. Many arrived with qualifications obtained in Romania that they seek to have recognised in Belgium.
• Qualified professionals: doctors, engineers and IT specialists trained at Romanian universities, attracted by better working conditions and remuneration than in Romania. For these individuals, recognition of Romanian degrees is a key step.
• Reunited families: spouses and children joining a Romanian national already established in Belgium, or accompanying a non-European national married to a Romanian who wishes to settle in Belgium.
• Students: many Romanian students choose French-speaking Belgian universities, notably UCLouvain, ULB or ULiège, for master's or doctoral programmes.

Despite their status as EU citizens, Romanians residing in Belgium regularly face the need to have their Romanian documents translated for Belgian administrations. This is because official Romanian documents are drawn up exclusively in Romanian, and Belgian administrations, municipalities, CPAS/OCMW, FOREM, RVA/ONEM, mutual health funds, courts all work in the official Belgian languages.

Most frequently translated Romanian documents in Belgium

Romanian documents have administrative specificities that are worth knowing. Romania reformed its civil registration system several times, notably after 1989 and as part of its EU accession. Recent documents are relatively standardised, but older deeds, particularly those issued under the communist regime, may present different formats and terminology.

• Certificat de naștere (birth certificate): the most frequently translated civil status document. In Romania, birth certificates are issued by the civil status services (Starea Civilă) of town halls (Primărie). Since 2021, Romania has been issuing multilingual extracts in EU format for birth, marriage and death certificates (in accordance with Regulation 2016/1191). However, many Belgian administrations continue to require sworn translation, particularly for immigration or naturalisation files.
• Certificat de căsătorie (marriage certificate): required for family reunification, civil marriages in Belgium and survivor's pension files. Contains the name, first name, date and place of birth of both spouses, the date and place of marriage, as well as the CNP number (Cod Numeric Personal, Romanian national identification number).
• Cazier judiciar (criminal record): issued by the Direcția Cazier Judiciar of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior. Essential for Belgian naturalisation applications, visas and regulated professions. Can be obtained online via the portal e-cazier.ro. Must generally be less than 3 months old at the time the Belgian file is submitted.
• Diplomă de licență / master / doctorat (university degree): translated for academic recognition at NARIC-Belgium. Romania has a strong university network, and degrees from the universities of Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași or Timișoara are generally well recognised in Belgium, provided the sworn translation and the supliment la diplomă (diploma supplement) are supplied.
• Foaie matricolă (school transcript): for Romanian children entering the Belgian school system, this document enables the school to determine the appropriate year level and any equivalences.
• Certificat de deces (death certificate): required for inheritances involving assets in Romania or for opening entitlement to a survivor's pension in Belgium.
• Contract de munca (Romanian employment contract): for workers who wish to demonstrate professional experience gained in Romania for a Belgian job application or an unemployment benefit claim in Belgium.

A special mention for documents related to the Romanian social protection system: ANAF (tax authority) decisions, CNAS (health insurance) assessment notices, and Romanian payslips are sometimes required by Belgian organisations (CPAS/OCMW, mutual health fund, RVA/ONEM) to calculate social entitlements or verify insurance periods.

Sworn Romanian-French translation in Belgium

For Romanian nationals, the question of whether a sworn translation is needed in Belgium is sometimes a source of confusion, due to European Regulation 2016/1191 on the free circulation of public documents. Here is what this regulation actually says and what it does not cover.

Regulation 2016/1191, applicable since 16 February 2019, requires EU Member States to accept certain public documents (birth, marriage, death, adoption, domicile, nationality) accompanied by a standard multilingual form (Forms I to VII) without requiring a translation. Romania issues these forms on request. Within this strictly limited framework, a Romanian birth certificate accompanied by the standard multilingual form should be accepted without translation by most Belgian administrations.

However, the limits of this regulation are significant:

• Documents not covered: diplomas, criminal records, employment contracts, school transcripts, payslips: all these documents remain subject to the sworn translation requirement
• Practical exceptions: certain Belgian procedures, notably those of the Immigration Office (DVZ/OE) or the SPF Interior for naturalisation, require sworn translation systematically regardless of the regulation
• Variable application by municipality: some Belgian municipalities have not yet incorporated the regulation into their practices and continue to require sworn translation of all foreign documents

Practical conclusion: if you have the slightest doubt about what the receiving administration accepts, a sworn translation is always the safe option. It is accepted in all cases, whereas a multilingual form alone may be refused depending on the local interpretation of the regulation.

Obtaining your certified Romanian translation

The procedure for having a Romanian document translated in Belgium is fast and entirely available online. Here is how to proceed efficiently to obtain your sworn translation without unnecessary delay.

Preliminary step: verify legalisation

Romania is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961 on apostilles. Romanian documents can be apostilled by the Romanian Ministry of Justice (Ministerul Justiției) or by the competent courts of first instance. However, for documents presented to Belgian administrations in the context of procedures between EU Member States, the apostille is generally not required: EU documents circulate freely. The apostille remains useful if you need to use your translated document outside the EU (for example for a procedure in the United States or Switzerland).

The TranslateBE procedure step by step:

• Obtaining the document in Romania if necessary: if your civil status document is old or lost, it can be re-requested online via the portal ghișeul.ro or from the competent town hall (Primărie). The criminal record (cazier judiciar) can be requested via e-cazier.ro from Belgium. Some documents can also be obtained from the Romanian Embassy or Consulate in Belgium.
• Submitting the document online: scan your Romanian document in colour, at high resolution. Send it via the TranslateBE form, specifying the relevant procedure (family reunification, naturalisation, employment, schooling, etc.). The more precise you are about the document's destination, the better we can adapt the translation format.
• Receiving your free quote within 1 hour: deadline, format and total cost are communicated to you quickly. For common documents, the standard turnaround is 2 to 3 working days. The express service allows delivery within 24 hours.
• Sworn translation by a sworn translator: a Belgian sworn translator specialising in Romanian-French carries out the translation and certifies it with their official attestation bearing their signature and stamp. The translation is valid with all Belgian administrations: municipalities, SPF, RVA/ONEM, mutual health funds, CPAS/OCMW, NARIC and courts.
• Digital and paper delivery: you receive the certified PDF by email and, if the original is required, the paper version by post. Some municipalities and judicial files require the paper original of the sworn translation: we dispatch it within the agreed deadlines.

For complex files, such as a naturalisation application that requires simultaneously translating the birth certificate, marriage certificate and criminal record, we manage the entire file in a coordinated manner and offer an advantageous group rate.

If you have questions about specific procedures at the Immigration Office, about the recognition of your Romanian degrees, or about the documents required for your particular situation, our team is available to advise you even before you place an order.