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CertiDocsThe practical guide

Visa D for marriage or legal cohabitation in Belgium

This file is not recycled family reunification paperwork. Before the marriage or legal cohabitation even happens, the authorities want a credible project, clean official records, a documented relationship and the right order: proof, authentication and only then translation.

Understand the process
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What is the real starting question?

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The real question is not only 'which papers need translating?' but 'which exact legal route applies?'. A marriage project, legal cohabitation, de facto partnership with durable-relationship evidence or a file already ripe for family reunification are not built the same way.

What does the authority check before translations?

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It first checks identity, age, civil status, internal consistency and the credibility of the relationship or project. For an unmarried partnership, proof of a stable and durable relationship becomes central. Translations then make those records usable; they do not rescue a shaky file.

Which order avoids the classic mistakes?

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First confirm the correct route and the useful list of records, then obtain the complete official records, then handle any apostille or legalisation, and only after that order sworn translations. Reverse that order, and you often end up translating an incomplete or already outdated document.

Documents to prepare

  • Valid passport of the applicant and copies of both partners' identity records
  • Relevant civil-status records: birth, divorce or death of a former spouse where needed
  • Proof of the marriage or legal cohabitation project and, where relevant, proof of a stable and durable relationship
  • Evidence about the sponsor in Belgium: identity, residence, housing, insurance or means where the regime requires it
  • Check exemptions and accepted languages for the requested records. Apostille or legalisation of the original only if required; sworn translation only if requested, with its formalities checked separately.

Steps to follow

  1. Identify the correct route

    Check that your project really falls under the visa D route for marriage or legal cohabitation and not another procedure.

  2. Build the relationship evidence

    Prepare the civil-status records and coherent evidence of the relationship or common project.

  3. Authenticate and then translate

    Handle apostille or legalisation of foreign records before the sworn translation.

  4. File a clean dossier

    Lodge with the competent post a readable, chronological and internally consistent file.

Good to know

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Frequently asked questions

+Is this the same as already-completed family reunification?
No. This guide deals with the file prepared before the marriage or legal cohabitation. If your relationship is already formally established and classic family reunification is the correct route, the logic changes.
+When do I need to prove a stable and durable relationship?
Mostly when you rely on an unmarried partnership or legal cohabitation where the relationship itself must be documented. Authorities want a credible timeline, not random screenshots dumped into the file.
+Does legal cohabitation automatically equal marriage?
No. Legal cohabitation has its own framework. It can produce important effects, but it does not replace a marriage file.
+Do I need to translate every piece of relationship evidence?
No. Translate mainly the records and documents the authority actually has to use. Secondary evidence should be selected more carefully.
+Does the apostille replace the translation?
No. Apostille or legalisation authenticates the document; it does not make it readable for the Belgian authority.

Official source

Official sources used

The references below are the public sources used to document this page. The competent authority always retains the final decision.

Official sourceImmigration Office - Visa D en vue de se marier ou de cohabiter légalement en BelgiqueOfficial sourceImmigration Office - Preuve du caractère stable et durable d'une relationOfficial sourceBelgium.be - Statutory cohabitation

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