Civil status

If you are Belgian, all changes to your civil status are governed by Belgian laws. Belgian law applies even if you live abroad.

Any fact related to or modifying your civil status must be reported to your Belgian administration as soon as possible, being this Embassy if you are officially registered with us, or your municipality in Belgium.

These facts concern birth, marriage, divorce / annulment of marriage, or death, amongst others.

Please note that there is a difference between registration of a fact, which is legally mandatory, and transcription of an act, which is only – but strongly – advisable:

• Through registration, your civil status will be modified and your data in the Belgian National Register will be updated.
   
• Through transcription, any foreign certificate related to you will be literally copied in the official registers of a Belgian municipality, allowing you to obtain copy just as any other Belgian act, without going through the whole process of legalization and translation of the foreign certificate.

 
How to proceed

• Read the complete procedure of the registration of facts (PDF, 128.65 KB)
• Read the complete procedure of the transcription of acts (PDF, 141.02 KB)