Practice area: Foreign civil documents
Giving effect in Belgium to what was recorded elsewhere.
A marriage celebrated back home, a birth registered abroad, a divorce pronounced outside Europe: these records exist, but Belgium still has to recognise them. When the authorities hesitate, delay or refuse, I take the file in hand and carry it through to recognition.
What this covers
From legalisation to recognition by the court.
To produce its effects in Belgium, a foreign record has to pass through several stages: legalisation or apostille, translation, then a check by the authorities, the municipality or the public prosecutor's office. They verify that the record is authentic and does not conflict with fundamental principles of Belgian law; this is where most blockages arise, in particular suspicions of a marriage of convenience or doubts about the authenticity of documents.
Where recognition or transcription is refused, the matter can be brought before the Family Court. I act at every stage, preparing the file and answering the authorities' arguments, with particular attention to people's migration journeys.
Common situations
Records that are valid in the country of origin and contested in Belgium.
A refusal by the administration is not the end of the road: it opens the way to an appeal before the Family Court.
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