Belgium: notarial and documentary services
How someone in Belgium can get an informative note, or take an oath of British citizenship.
Overview
The British embassy provides a very limited range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Belgium.
Local notaries or lawyers can provide these services cheaply, quickly, conveniently and in the local language. If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, see other services provided by the British Embassy in Belgium.
Services we provide in Belgium
Marriage
For information on documents relating to marriage, such as affirmations of marital status, see getting married abroad.
Informative notes
You can download one of the following informative notes, in English, French or Dutch, to present to local authorities:
British citizenship oath
The Home Office will send your certificate of British citizenship to the British Embassy. Once the certificate has arrived, the Embassy will contact you to arrange an appointment to administer the oath of citizenship. You do not need to pay a fee for this service.
Services from other providers
For document services that are not listed above, you must contact the authority requesting the document to check which document they will accept. You should also ask the authority who must issue the document. You should then contact a suitable service provider. This may be a local notary, a dual qualified lawyer, or a UK qualified lawyer.
For document services required in Belgium
A local Belgian notary can provide documents required by the Belgian authorities in local language. If you need to obtain a document from a UK competent authority you should contact a UK notary or lawyer.
For document services required in the UK
If you need to present documents in the UK, contact a UK qualified lawyer lawyer.
Services provided elsewhere
- statutory declarations for single status/marital status: local notaries or UK lawyers
- certified copies of British passports local notaries or UK lawyers
- witnessing life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad. Please refer to the list of people working in a recognised profession who can do this for you
- legalising UK documents/certificates: Legalisation Office
- provide copies of British birth, death and marriage certificates: General Register Office
- information on marriage in the UK
- pension certificates: Department for Work and Pensions
- taxation and UK National Insurance contributions certificates: HMRC
- renew British driving licences or provide certificates regarding British driving licences: DVLA
- provide good conduct certificates (except for Hong Kong): DBS
- certificates confirming British nationality: UK Border Agency
- certificates proving you are not British: UK Border Agency
- statutory declarations for single status/marital status: local notaries
- certified copies of passports for UK bank/financial organisations: local notaries
Data protection
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy / consulate by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCDO and the British embassy / consulate will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy/consulate will be accepted.
Last updated 20 June 2022 + show all updates
-
Guidance on notarial and documentary services offered by the British Embassy in Belgium fully updated.
-
Updated attachment
-
Changes to documentary services of the British Embassy Brussels
-
COVID change related to notarial appointments (suspension of postal applications and notarial appointments).
-
New informative note available
-
changed appointment method - online appointment booking system no longer working
-
Removed birth and death registrations. Registration process will transfer to UK from 09 June 2014.
-
Updated instructions for life certificates for UK state pensions
-
First published.