Are you going to work or study in Belgium? In that case, you will probably need a lot of properly verified documents that will go through the so-called apostille. We will advise you how to deal with it.

If you intend to use a document or deed for official purposes in Belgium, you will have to apostille it. You will learn from us what an apostille is, where you will need it everywhere, what problems may arise and who will be happy to help you with this process.

What is an apostille?

It is a legal clause confirming the authenticity of the stamp and signature abroad. In fact, it also confirms the authenticity of the entire document – by affixing a so-called apostille certificate to it. It takes the form of a printed and stamped clause on the document.

Apostilization is a similar form of verification as superlegalization, yet it is slightly simpler. Superlegalization is the highest level of verification, which means that you will need at least two, but often even more, clauses from different authorities. And from various institutions, such as ministries and other public administration bodies or embassies.

When will you need an apostille?

There are not many situations where you will need an apostille in Belgium, but nevertheless these are important life steps that you definitely want to be sure will take place according to your ideas.

Marriage in Belgium

In this case, the person of the bridegroom is not decisive at all – he may or may not be a Belgian citizen. However, as a non-Belgian you will need an apostille at marriage in the country. It will be necessary to apostille the birth certificate and certificate of citizenship.

Application for temporary residence or citizenship in Belgium

If you are interested in obtaining temporary residence or citizenship in Belgium, you will need the apostilles‘ birth certificate, marriage certificate and criminal record extract.

Study or work in Belgium

If you would like to study at one of the universities in the country, or if you plan to enroll your child in high school here, an apostille will be necessary in both cases. You will need to verify this way with a diploma or certificate. The same steps will await you if you want to work in Belgium. In certain cases, a diploma or certificate will also require nostrification, i.e. a kind of official recognition of the level of education attained within the country.

Handling apostille abroad

Dealing with the apostille is often a very complicated matter. You need not only originals of certified documents, but often also certain legal knowledge. At the same time, you need to know who to contact. Along the way, of course, you may encounter various problems. But you can easily avoid them by cooperating with us.

When is superlegalization necessary and when is an apostille enough?

The apostille was defined in the 1961 Hague Convention and covers almost all countries. In the case of those countries that have not acceded to the Hague Convention, you will have to deal with superlegalization. However, Belgium recognizes the apostille, so you don’t have to worry.

Pay attention to the forms and age of the original documents

In order to be sure that you will receive an apostille, of course, it is necessary to fill in the application appropriately on correct forms, which you can usually find for download on the websites of the relevant institutions. However, you must check in advance whether the version of the form you are using is still current. If you download an outdated version, the Office may reject your application.

It is also important that you verify the age of the document to be apostilled. You will need a new original of such a document when your document exceeds the validity period, which in many cases is set at three years, but sometimes only six months. If you are unsure, we will be happy to advise you in this regard.

At the same time, be prepared for the fact that it may take longer than you expect to process a request for documents. In addition, you will have to fill in the forms in the language of the country, for which you must also be sure of the technical and legal terminology. If you do not want to make an unnecessary mistake, contact us again and we can discuss the joint procedure.

Is a state or federal apostille required?

For some countries, such as the United States or Brazil, sometimes it will be difficult to determine whether you need an apostille for state or federal purposes. If in your case you have no idea which apostille they actually want from you, you can confidently contact us again.

You may encounter the term of apostille in a variety of situations, for instance before starting a new job abroad, where you will need such a certified transcript, or a birth certificate and a diploma confirming your education. The good news is that we have extensive experience in dealing with such situations.

Sometimes nostrification is necessary

You will need nostrification for a number of purposes, which are mainly related to finding a new job or starting to study abroad. Some institutions and employers will require nostrification, especially for diplomas and certificates as evidence of educational attainment.

Payment for apostilization abroad

Paying for apostille may not be an easy task at all. It can be different for each country. Not all offices abroad have to accept payment by bank transfer or card, so you will often be able to choose from only three options: check, stamp and cash.

It is always necessary to pay in the official currency of the given state, both directly for services and for the stamp. In the case of a check, you’ll need to link to a local bank account in that currency, where you’ll have a sufficient balance. Another option is to leave the whole process, including payment, to us. You can save a lot of time and worries.

Delivery of an apostille by post

If you are asking for an apostille at a distance, you have two alternatives. The first is to add an envelope with the specified return address and a foreign stamp of the corresponding value to the application, the second is to order a courier service.

However, in the latter case, there may be complications, as you will have to order return delivery for some courier services, but many national offices of international carriers offer this option only to their citizens or residents. Therefore, you will need someone known to return the document with the apostille to the Czech Republic. If you have no acquaintances in that country, you can contact us again. In addition to the apostille itself, we will also arrange a safe receipt of the apostilled document to your address.

Apostille processing time

The process of apostilization is really lengthy – count on the order of weeks, but it can be months too. It depends not only on the speed of the delivery service, but also on the flexibility of the office. Even if you do not make a mistake when dealing with the apostille, the time-consuming correction of which could, in the worst case, cost you a place or study abroad. So you should entrust the whole process to someone who has experience with it and can complete it without any problems.
As an intermediary, we will only want the necessary information from you, nothing more. In addition, we will make sure that the apostille takes place quickly and smoothly. You will receive verified documents back as soon as possible. This way you can save a lot of time, money and worries.