The Turkish community of Bruges and of West Flanders is one of the oldest immigrant communities in the province. Between Turkish civil status documents, naturalisation procedures and family reunifications, the needs for official Turkish-French and Turkish-Dutch translation are constant and require the expertise of specialised sworn translators.
The Turkish community of Bruges and of West Flanders
The Turkish presence in West Flanders dates back to the 1960s and 1970s, when Belgium signed bilateral labour agreements with Turkey. These first generations of workers, who came in particular for the textile industry of Roeselare and Kortrijk, gradually formed stable and rooted communities. In Bruges, the Turkish community is less visible than in certain other Flemish cities, but it is solidly established, with active cultural associations and businesses.
Today, the third and fourth generation of Turkish origin alternate between Belgium and Turkey for family stays, weddings or inheritance matters. These back-and-forth movements regularly generate needs for official translation of Turkish documents for the Belgian administrations, and conversely of Belgian documents for the Turkish authorities.
A particularity of Turkey in documentary matters: the Turkish civil status system is centralised and highly structured. The Turkish documents (nüfus kaydi, evlilik cüzdani, etc.) are drafted in official Turkish with standardised forms, which facilitates the work of the sworn translators, but requires great precision in the transcription of proper names and dates of the calendar.
Turkish civil status documents for procedures in West Flanders
The municipalities of West Flanders, starting with Bruges, regularly receive Turkish civil status documents in the context of registrations in the population register, civil marriages or inheritance procedures. These documents - birth certificates (dogum belgesi), marriage certificates (evlenme belgesi or evlilik cüzdani), extract from the family register (nüfus kaydi) and death certificates (ölüm belgesi) - must imperatively be accompanied by a sworn translation into Dutch for procedures with the Flemish municipal administration.
Turkey is a member of the Hague Convention, which means that official Turkish documents can be apostilled. The Turkish apostille is affixed by the courts (mahkemeler) or the governorates (valillikler) depending on the type of document. Once apostilled, the document can be submitted directly to the Belgian administration accompanied by its sworn translation, without additional consular legalisation.
Family reunification and naturalisation in Bruges
Family reunification and naturalisation are the two procedures that generate the largest volume of Turkish translations for the residents of West Flanders. In both cases, the Immigration Office requires a series of Turkish documents translated by a sworn translator: marriage certificate, birth certificates of the children, Turkish criminal record (adli sicil belgesi), proof of income and sometimes military documents (askeri durum belgesi) for the men.
For naturalisation, the family court of Bruges may also request Turkish documents relating to the composition of the family and the civil status of the applicant. These files often require several coordinated translations, and we offer preferential rates for complete files.
TranslateBE
Turkish-French or Turkish-Dutch translation in Bruges?
Sworn translators specialised in Turkish documents. Quote within 1h, delivery 24-48h for the province of West Flanders.
Turkish documents most often translated in Bruges
- Nüfus kaydi (extract from the family register): central document of the Turkish civil status, required for almost all Belgian administrative procedures involving a Turkish national.
- Evlilik cüzdani (marriage booklet): translated for the Flemish municipalities, the FPS Foreign Affairs and the Immigration Office in family reunification files.
- Dogum belgesi (birth certificate): for registrations in the municipal population register and naturalisations in Belgium.
- Adli sicil belgesi (Turkish criminal record): required in naturalisation and family reunification files by the Belgian authorities.
- Turkish diplomas and university certificates: for recognition by NARIC Vlaanderen or for applications to positions in West Flanders.
- Hukuk belgesi (legal and notarial deeds): powers of attorney, divorce judgments and inheritance deeds for procedures involving property in Turkey or in Belgium.
- Ölüm belgesi (death certificate): for international inheritances involving heirs in Bruges and in Turkey.
Order your Turkish-French or Turkish-Dutch translation
Our agency offers a fully online service that saves you any travel. Scan your Turkish documents, submit them via our form, and receive a detailed quote with price incl. VAT and delivery time within the hour. After confirmation and bank transfer, your documents are handled by a sworn translator specialised in Turkish.
For the residents of West Flanders, we deliver as a priority by email (PDF with signature and seal of the sworn translator) or by registered mail if the administration requires it. The translations delivered by TranslateBE are recognised by all the municipalities of West Flanders, by the Immigration Office, by the Belgian courts and by the notaries of Bruges.
We handle all language pairs: Turkish-French, Turkish-Dutch, but also French-Turkish and Dutch-Turkish for Belgian documents intended for the Turkish authorities. Our rates are transparent and communicated before any order, with no hidden costs.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Must an apostilled Turkish document still be legalised at the Turkish consulate in Belgium?
No. The apostille replaces consular legalisation between the countries that have signed the Hague Convention, including Turkey and Belgium. A Turkish document bearing a valid apostille is directly admissible by the Belgian administrations, accompanied by its sworn translation. If your document is not apostilled, we will tell you how to obtain the apostille from the competent Turkish authorities.
Does the municipality of Bruges accept a Turkish-French translation or does it require Dutch?
For procedures with the city of Bruges and the other municipalities of West Flanders, the translation must be in Dutch (Turkish-Dutch translation). For files submitted to federal institutions such as the Immigration Office or the CGRS, a translation into French is also accepted. We recommend the right language depending on the destination of your file.
How long does the translation of a nüfus kaydi take for a procedure in Bruges?
A standard nüfus kaydi (extract from the family register of one to two pages) is translated in 48 working hours. Our 24h express option is available for urgent files. If the document contains numerous family members or handwritten annotations, the timeframe may be slightly extended, which we will notify you of at the time of the quote.
Can you also translate Belgian documents into Turkish for the Turkish authorities?
Yes. We offer the translation of Belgian documents (civil status documents, diplomas, criminal record extracts, judgments) into Turkish for procedures with the Turkish town halls (belediye), the consulates of Turkey or the Turkish notaries. These translations are performed by native Turkish-speaking translators and certified in accordance with the requirements of the Turkish authorities.