The Embassy cannot provide copies of U.S. biographical data. Please do not make an appointment for this. To obtain a birth, death, marriage, or divorce document issued by the state government, you can order one from the National Center for Health Statistics website. Caution: As the laws and regulations of Belgium apply to marriage in Belgium, it is recommended that you contact the Belgian wedding officer in your country of residence in Belgium to inquire about the requirements. Apoling Solutions is a full-service agency that covers document search. We help our clients from different countries to obtain, certify, apostille and translate all certificates that are in English into Dutch. To marry in Belgium, one of the parties must reside in the country. There is no specific length of stay, but several weeks are usually required to complete the necessary formalities. If neither party has permanent residence in Belgium, one of them must establish residence for this purpose. On arrival in Belgium, the person concerned registers with the communal authorities of his place of residence and applies for a “Bewijs van Woonst voor Huwelijksdoeleinden/Certificate of Domicile for Marriage”. The party domiciled in Belgium (or the party who has established a residence as explained above) may submit the following required documents for both parties and request the publication of the banns in the commune where he resides.
The marriage can be consummated ten days after the hanging of the banns. Diplomas as well as professional and educational certificates must be certified by an e-apostille. Belgium and the United States, as well as other countries, have signed the 1961 Hague Convention. This Convention introduces a simplified “apostille” procedure that replaces more cumbersome legalization. Official documents issued by a Member State of this Convention require only one authentication stamp, the apostille, to be valid for use in another Member State. If you require an apostille on biographical data – birth, marriage or death certificate or divorce decree – please note that the original document cannot be apostilled. It is necessary to obtain a certified copy of these documents before proceeding with their legalization. You can get a certificate of single status from the municipality where you live. The original of the diploma or a clear scanned copy of the diploma to proceed (on a case-by-case basis and depending on the university/college) In addition to the “Certificate of residence for marital purposes”, the parties who marry in Belgium must each present the following documents: ** A person whose last residence was in the United States cannot obtain a certificate of residence because this document is not available in the United States. In this case, the person should check with local authorities what they will accept in lieu of a U.S. residency certificate.
The competent Belgian authority that carries out marriages is called “Ambtenaar van de Burgerlijke Stand/Registrar”. U.S. embassies do not have the authority to add an “apostille” to U.S. documents. Please do not make an appointment for this. The Secretary of State of the State in which the document was issued is authorized to affix the apostille to a birth/death certificate. The apostille officially certifies the signature and seal of your government-issued certificate for use in another country. For more information on the legalisation of documents in Belgium, click here. If you wish to refine your question, please use the “Search criteria”. Note: Unavoidable delays may occur if the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium refuses to accept the document and requests a different format, etc. All official documents issued in a foreign country (e.g. the United States) must be certified using the Apostille, an international certification procedure recognized in the United States of America and Belgium.
The U.S. Embassy can help you meet Belgian requirements by issuing an affidavit of single status or an affidavit of marital status. To request this service, please make an appointment with the notary. The Kingdom of Belgium has been a signatory to the Hague Convention (apostille) since 9 February 1973, when it acceded to the 1961 Hague Convention exempting the obligation to legalise public documents. The Convention provides for the simplified certification of public documents (including notarial documents) to be used in countries that have acceded to the Apostille Convention using a special form called “Apostille” when notarizing the document. This means that any official document issued outside Belgium and intended for this country must be certified by an apostille obtained from the Secretary of State or the US Department of State. The apostille does not need to be glued to the document to be certified with a ribbon. Opening hours: weekdays from 9:00 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m., by appointment only. Organizations have different requirements as to when your document should have been issued and legalized. For more information, please contact the organization in the Netherlands requesting the document. Here`s where to get a document you need but don`t have yet. Apostille: An apostille stamp certifies your official documents. Apostilles, are issued by all Hague Convention countries for documents intended for use by other Hague Convention member states. To check if you only need an apostille stamp or an EMBASSY certificate, please check here. The most common documents that we can apostille for Belgium are: If a document has been issued by one of our accredited partners (such as municipalities and notaries – several federal public services and other authorities will soon also be accredited), your application can be processed directly via our online platform.
As a result, it is no longer necessary to submit your application in person at our offices. More information can be found on the elegalization website Regardless of the type of procedure, the cost of legalization or apostille is 20 euros. Please note: We can only assist you with documents originating in the United States or notarized in the United States. If your documents come from Belgium, you must contact the competent authority to help you in this country. The Embassy cannot offer this service. Please do not make an appointment for this. Please contact the issuing educational institution. Further information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. A list of designated competent authorities per country is available here. In all cases, the document must be signed by a public official and written in one of the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish.