Sworn and certified translation in Liège, Belgium
for your official procedures
Civil status certificates, diplomas, criminal record extracts, court judgments: a translator listed in the national register of judicial experts adds their stamp, and your file clears the desk, in Liège as in Huy, Verviers or Eupen.
1 h
For your quote, seven days a week
24 h
Shortest express turnaround
70+
Sworn languages
16
Municipalities covered
The papers public desks ask for most often
When a Belgian authority speaks of a « sworn », « certified » or « attested » translation, it always means the same service.
Civil status
Birth, marriage, divorce, death, household composition, certificate of celibacy, acknowledgement of paternity. Italian, Turkish and Arabic are everyday languages here.
Diplomas and equivalence
Transcripts, pass certificates, course descriptions: the equivalence file for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and enrolment at ULiège both require the sworn version.
Court documents
Criminal record extracts, certificates of good conduct, judgments, petitions and pleadings, whether the case is heard in Liège, in Huy or in Verviers.
Notarial deeds
Property sales, estates opened on both sides of the border, gifts, powers of attorney and marriage contracts.
Corporate documents
Articles of association, extracts from the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, minutes of general meetings, mandates: needed as soon as a Dutch or German subsidiary joins the structure.
Vehicles and transport
Driving licences, registration certificates, European certificates of conformity and papers travelling with a shipment out of Bierset.
The stamp is not a decorative mark
Linguistically, nothing separates a sworn translation from an ordinary one. The difference fits in a single sentence: the sworn translator signs and puts their professional liability on the line.
The stamp, the signature and the statement of conformity certify that the delivered text matches the document handed over. The officer receiving your file at the civil registry in Ans, at the court registry in Verviers or at the population desk in Visé does not have to check the language: they rely on that signature.
Hence something many people discover too late: a perfectly bilingual colleague, a family member or an online tool produce nothing that can be relied on. They appear in no register.
- Stamp, signature, statement of conformity
- Entry in the national register checked
- Signed PDF and paper original
- Original layout preserved
The four cases where nothing else will do
The logic never changes: as soon as an authority must rely on a document without reading it in its original language, it requires a sworn translator's signature.
Municipal desk
Marriage, legal cohabitation, registration in the population register, nationality application: the rule is the same from Grâce-Hollogne to Spa.
Before the court
The Liège court of first instance also sits in Huy and in Verviers. A document filed in any of those divisions must be sworn, whichever division hears the case.
Recognition of a background
Diploma equivalence, admission to ULiège or to a university college, registration with a professional body, an application filed abroad.
Cross-border file
A document bound for Maastricht, Aachen or a consulate often calls for legalisation or an apostille on top of the sworn translation.
Ask the desk a precise question before ordering: sworn translation alone, legalisation of the signature on top, apostille, attachment to the original or to a certified copy. Requirements differ from one service to the next, and a rejected file costs far more time than one phone call. We are glad to help you phrase the question.
Four steps, no travelling
From the second step onwards you know the price and the delivery date.
- 01
You photograph the document
A sharp phone photo is enough for pricing. Through the quote form or by email, from home or from your office.
- 02
Firm quote in 1 h
Price per page, delivery date, and the list of formalities your recipient genuinely requires: legalisation at the FPS Justice, apostille at the FPS Foreign Affairs, or nothing further.
- 03
Translation, stamp, signature
A sworn translator for that language pair translates, reproduces the structure of the source document and adds stamp, signature and statement of conformity.
- 04
Delivery
Signed PDF by email, and the stamped paper original sent by registered post whenever the authority insists on paper.
Has a desk sent you away for a sworn translation?
Send us a photo of the document. An hour later you know the amount and the delivery date.
What you can count on
National register checked
We verify the translator's entry in the national register of judicial experts for the exact language pair. That is what gives the stamp its value.
Legalisation at the FPS Justice
When the sworn translator's signature needs legalising, we take care of it. If your destination also requires an apostille, we point you to the FPS Foreign Affairs desk: that step is handled outside our office.
Registered post included
Many services still insist on stamped paper. It goes out by tracked registered post, with nothing for you to collect.
Express from 24 to 48 h
Appointment looming, file stuck: your case jumps the queue. The surcharge is written on the quote, before you agree.
Contractual confidentiality
Every translator signs a confidentiality agreement. No certificate is ever dropped into a public machine translation tool.
Layout preserved
Tables, stamps, marginal notes and handwritten annotations are flagged and placed as on the original: an officer must be able to compare the two at a glance.
Frequently asked questions
« Sworn », « certified », « attested »: do I have to choose?
No, the three words describe the same service. The official Belgian term is sworn translator, listed in the national register of judicial experts. If the letter from the authority says « certified » or « attested true copy », this is the service it means.
The case is heard in Huy or Verviers: does that change anything?
Not for the translation. The Huy and Verviers divisions belong to the same Liège court of first instance and apply the same requirements. What changes is where the document must arrive, and therefore the date we must deliver it to you. Tell us the division and the deadline: we build the schedule around it.
My document is going to Eupen or Sankt Vith, does it need German?
Yes. German is an official language in the German-speaking Community, and the administrations of Eupen and Sankt Vith process files in that language. That is why we regularly work into sworn German, as we do for employers and funds on the Aachen side of the border.
Copy or original: what should I provide?
A legible photo or scan is enough for pricing. For the translation itself, it depends on the recipient: some services accept a translation made from a copy, others require it to be attached to the original or to a copy certified by the municipality. We spell this out in the quote, before you confirm.
Legalisation and apostille, what is the difference?
Legalisation authenticates the sworn translator's signature at the FPS Justice: we handle it, and it adds 3 to 5 working days. The apostille is a separate document, issued by the FPS Foreign Affairs for countries party to the Hague Convention; you request it yourself, and we tell you at quote stage whether your file needs one.
How long should I allow?
Two to five working days for a short document in standard mode. From 24 to 48 hours in express on most language pairs. If you have a hearing date or an appointment at a desk, tell us: we build the file around that deadline rather than the other way round.
Get your free quote within the hour
Send us your document or your date: firm price, precise deadline, no obligation. You then decide, with everything in front of you.