Diploma recognition: community competence
Education belongs to the language communities, not to the federal state. The French-speaking and Flemish communities run separate procedures with separate document lists, and a file sent to the wrong one is returned rather than forwarded.
Checked on 8 September 2026 Last updated 9 September 2026
In brief
- Certification level
- Apostille + Sworn translator (Belgium) + Sworn translation (Türkiye)
- Estimated time
- The Turkish university stage usually sets the pace
- Destination country
- Belgium
Accepted under conditions
Recognition of a foreign diploma in Belgium is handled by a language community. Which one depends on where you intend to study or work, and the two run entirely separate procedures.
Not one procedure but two
The French-speaking community and the Flemish community each operate their own recognition service, with their own forms, fees, document lists and processing times. They do not share files and they do not forward misdirected applications. Establishing which one applies to you is therefore step zero.
How to tell which
Follow the purpose. If you are enrolling at an institution, the community that institution belongs to is the one that matters. If you are seeking recognition for employment, it follows where you will work. In Brussels both operate, so the institution rather than the address decides.
What the Turkish side supplies
- Diploma and complete transcript covering all periods of study.
- Course descriptions where the community asks — the bulkiest item by far.
- Apostille from the competent Turkish authority, obtained before translation.
Ask for the exact list before ordering anything. Translating an entire set of course descriptions when a subset would do is the most common avoidable expense in these files. See course descriptions.
Recognition is not permission to practise
For a regulated profession, a decision about the level of your studies is not authorisation to work in it. That comes from the body governing the profession, under the relevant layer of Belgian competence, and it usually takes longer. Open that file first if practising is the aim.
Translation
Belgian procedures generally expect a translation working from the apostilled original, and several ask for a translator on the national register. Our part is retrieval, the Turkish endorsement chain, shipping, and the translation where the procedure accepts one prepared in Türkiye. See the Belgian sworn translator system.
English versions still help
Even where a French or Dutch translation is required, an official English transcript from your university stabilises terminology and speeds the work. Ask your student affairs office whether one exists. See Turkish student affairs offices.
Where the time actually goes
Into retrieving a complete transcript from a Turkish university — weeks, and longer for older or restructured programmes. Start there, before choosing between communities.
Partial recognition is a real outcome
A community may recognise a qualification at a different level than you expected, or attach conditions such as additional coursework. This is not a refusal and it is not a mistake: the two education systems are structured differently, and the decision reflects that. If the outcome matters to a career plan, ask what supplementary evidence the community accepts before submitting — course descriptions and a diploma supplement often move a borderline file, and adding them afterwards means a fresh application.
Frequently asked questions
They are separate procedures with separate fees. Apply to the one that matches your purpose rather than both.
No. A separate authorisation from the profession’s governing body is required.
Rarely. Ask for the exact list first — it is usually much shorter than the full set.
Normally a translator on the Belgian national register, working from the apostilled original.