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

Belgium is home to one of the largest Turkish communities in Western Europe, with around 200,000 people of Turkish origin living mainly in Brussels, Liège and Ghent. For any administrative procedure in Belgium, whether family reunification, naturalisation, a university degree or a civil marriage, a sworn Turkish-French translation is often indispensable. Here is everything you need to know.

📖 See also: sworn translation · immigration translation Belgium · birth certificate translation

The Turkish community in Belgium

Turkish immigration in Belgium dates back to the 1960s, when Belgium and Turkey signed a bilateral labour agreement in 1964. Thousands of Turkish workers came to work in the coal mines of Limburg and Hainaut, as well as in the steel industries of the Liège region. Over the decades, these workers were joined by their families, and subsequent generations integrated into Belgian society while maintaining strong cultural and administrative ties with Turkey.

Today, the Turkish community in Belgium is estimated at between 150,000 and 200,000 people. The main concentrations are in Brussels (Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Saint-Josse), Liège (Droixhe, Bressoux), Ghent and Genk. This community includes Turkish nationals legally residing in Belgium, Turkish-Belgian dual nationals, and people of Turkish origin who have acquired Belgian nationality.

Despite the advanced integration of several generations, the need for Turkish-French translation remains significant for several reasons:

• Family ties with Turkey remain strong: marriages to Turkish nationals, inheritances, real estate in Turkey
• Younger generations who did not grow up in Turkey often need to have their parents' or grandparents' documents translated
• Newcomers, students, skilled workers and family members joining Belgium must regularise their administrative situation with Turkish documents
• Turkey issues its official documents exclusively in Turkish, without a standardised multilingual version for EU Member States

It should be noted that Turkey is a member of the Hague Convention of 1961 on apostilles, which in theory simplifies the legalisation of Turkish documents abroad. However, Belgian municipalities require a sworn translation in the vast majority of cases, even when an apostille has been placed on the original document.

Most frequently translated Turkish documents in Belgium

Turkish documents have specific characteristics that distinguish them from documents from other countries. Turkey has undergone a major reform of its civil registration system since the 2000s, with the creation of the MERNIS system (Merkezi Nüfus İdaresi Sistemi), a centralised national register. This reform standardised the formats of official documents, but also modified the information available depending on the date of issue.

• Nüfus cüzdanı and civil status extract (nüfus kayıt örneği): the Turkish identity document and the civil register extract are the most requested documents. The nüfus kayıt örneği is the equivalent of the Belgian birth certificate: it mentions the complete parentage, the place and date of birth, the TC Kimlik number (Turkish national identity number), and marriage information where applicable. Since 2016, this document has been issued in a standardised format and can be obtained from any Turkish municipality or online via the e-devlet portal.
• Turkish marriage booklet (evlenme cüzdanı / evlilik cüzdanı): required for family reunification procedures and for civil marriages in Belgium involving a Turkish national. The Turkish marriage booklet contains detailed information about both spouses, their parentage and the date of marriage.
• Turkish university degrees (üniversite diploması): Turkish universities issue degrees exclusively in Turkish. For academic recognition in Belgium (NARIC), a sworn translation is mandatory. Transcripts (transkript) are often requested as a supplement.
• Turkish criminal record (sabıka kaydı / adli sicil belgesi): required for long-stay visa applications, Belgian naturalisation, and access to certain regulated professions. This document is issued by the General Directorate of Security (EGM) or Turkish prosecutors' offices.
• Turkish death certificates (ölüm belgesi): required for inheritances involving assets in Belgium or the opening of a survivor's pension file.
• Turkish business documents: articles of association, trade register extract (ticaret sicil gazetesi), accounting balance sheets, for Turkish entrepreneurs wishing to extend their activities to Belgium or for credit applications.

An important feature of Turkish documents: Turkey has modified its civil registration formats several times. Old deeds (before 1997-2000) are sometimes written in Ottoman or archaic Turkish, with spelling and terms that differ from contemporary Turkish. A translator experienced in historical Turkish documents is indispensable in these cases.

Sworn Turkish-French translation in Belgium

Sworn translation (in Turkish: yeminli tercüme) is the form of certified translation recognised by Belgian authorities. It differs from an ordinary translation through the official certification of the translator: a Belgian sworn translator has taken an oath before a Court of Appeal and is legally responsible for the accuracy and faithfulness of their translation.

For Turkish documents presented in Belgium, administrations generally require the following:

• Turkish apostille: since Turkey is a member of the Hague Convention, many documents can be apostilled (legalised) in Turkey before being presented in Belgium. The apostille is affixed by the competent provincial governorate (valilik). However, some Belgian administrations continue to require consular legalisation in addition to the apostille: it is advisable to check with the relevant municipality or administration.
• Consular legalisation: for documents that cannot be apostilled, or when the Belgian administration requires it, legalisation can be obtained at the Turkish Consulate General in Belgium, which has offices in Brussels, Liège and Ghent. The Consulate can certify the authenticity of the signature of the Turkish authorities on the document.
• Sworn translation by a Belgian sworn translator: regardless of the legalisation route chosen, the translation itself must be carried out by a sworn translator registered with a Belgian Court of Appeal, not by a Turkish sworn translator. Only a Belgian sworn translator produces a translation with legal value before Belgian authorities.

Translation turnaround times for Turkish documents are generally 2 to 5 working days for standard documents (civil status documents, criminal record). More complex documents (articles of association, notarial deeds, divorce judgements) may require more time.

Obtaining your certified Turkish translation

Having a Turkish document translated in Belgium is a process that can be managed entirely online, without travelling or finding a translator in person. Here is the recommended procedure for obtaining a sworn Turkish-French translation compliant with Belgian requirements.

Before submitting your document, verify the following points:

• Is your document recent? Some municipalities or administrations require civil status extracts to be less than 3 or 6 months old. If so, first obtain a recent extract via the Turkish e-devlet portal or from the Turkish Consulate.
• Is an apostille required? Check with the receiving administration. If so, have the apostille affixed in Turkey (via the governorate) before sending the document for translation.
• Is the document legible? Old deeds or illegible stamps can slow down the translation. A high-resolution colour scan is always preferable.

The TranslateBE procedure takes place in four simple steps:

• Online submission: send the scan of your document via our form. Specify the procedure for which you need the translation (family reunification, civil marriage, naturalisation, employment, etc.): this allows us to adapt the translation format to the specific requirements of the receiving administration.
• Free quote within 1 hour: you receive confirmation of the deadline, the delivery format and the total cost. No hidden fees.
• Translation by a sworn translator: the document is entrusted to a sworn translator specialising in Turkish-French, who produces a certified translation with an official attestation.
• Digital and paper delivery: you receive the translation as a certified PDF (immediately usable for online files) and, if necessary, as a paper original sent by post, essential for certain Belgian municipalities or the SPF Foreign Affairs.

If your administrative situation is complex, such as a mixed Turkish-Belgian marriage with children born in both countries, or an inheritance involving assets in Turkey and in Belgium, our experts can guide you on the order of steps to take and the documents to gather as a priority.