Introduction
In most cases, the requested school documents must be supplied as certified copies.
If you cannot provide a certified copy, you can always submit the original documents.
The certified copy procedure does not concern the school documents issued in the following countries:
Morocco, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Rwanda, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and China.
The ORIGINAL school documents of these countries must be provided during your equivalence application.
How do I make a certified copy in Belgium?
- by presenting the original document to the Equivalence department. The copy will be certified immediately by the officer who receives your file.
- by presenting the original document to the Administration of the municipality where you live.
- by the Direction of a school in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
How do I make a certified copy in France, Luxembourg, Italy and Germany
In France:
- at the Town Hall, the only competent authority recognised by our department.
The French Town Halls are obliged to issue certified copies destined for use abroad (Circulaire Sapin October 2001).
In Luxembourg, Italy, Germany:
- the Administration of the municipality where you reside.
Certified copies by other bodies than the Town hall or the municipal Administration will therefore not be accepted. Certified copies issued by the Police, College or your school, the Post office, any tribunal, a notary, the Belgian Embassy... will be rejected.
How do I make a certified copy elsewhere in the world
- Have a certified copy made by a competent officer at the Municipal administration (or town hall) of the country you are in.
- the signature of that officer will be legalised by the Foreign Affairs minister. For countriesthat signed the Convention of the Hague, the signature of the officer will be apostilised according to the Convention of The Hague of 5 October 1961.
- the signature of the officer of Foreign Affairs will then be legalised by the competent local Belgian Embassy or Consulate. (This point is not applicable to apostiles).
Warning: Make sure you ask the various civil servants in charge of legalisations to indicate their name in a legible way (and Latin writing) next to the stamps they place.
